Mr Walsh said each shed could apply for grants of as much as $80,000, which would be a welcome boost to carry out works to improve, build, or extend facilities in their towns.
He said Men’s Sheds play an important role in our community, building on mateship and connectivity to improve social and mental health outcomes for the male participants.
“They offer a safe and productive place where men can get together, work on common and shared projects and form friendships while giving back to their community,” Mr Walsh said.
“This program assists those sheds to cover building restoration to ensure the facility is fit for purpose.”
Mr Walsh said the Men’s Shed movement was an important part of the community, and the now national movement actually started in the Murray Plains electorate.
He said Tongala opened Australia’s first Men’s Shed in 1998 and since then it had spread across the country.
While many Men’s Shed are recognised for their woodworking projects due to the popularity of the pastime, not all Men’s Sheds focus on these types of programs.
Mr Walsh said others had come up with individual programs — including one that made and then sold its own sausages.
“That was a good fit for that particular group and that’s why they are called Men’s Sheds, not Woodwork Sheds, they are as much about the companionship and support as the end products,” Mr Walsh said.
“At the end of the day, it is important for men have a place to go where they can feel free to have a cuppa and shoot the breeze with like-minded men.
“This grant fund helps these important projects become a reality,”
Full details are available at providers.dhhs.vic.gov.au/mens-shed-program
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