By Dominique Tassell
The Stanthorpe Men’s Shed, 10 years old this year, has more than proven itself to be an integral part of the community.
Kev Amstrong attended the first meeting all those years ago, held at Art on Davadi.
“A couple members from that are still involved,” he says.
The group now meets in their own shed on Club Road at the Stanthorpe Showgrounds.
The shed was built using community funds and later added a back shed thanks in part to the Gambling Fund.
Kev says most of the work they do is projects for other local community groups.
They’re currently working on easels for the local kindy, and have made doll cradles for them in the past.
The group also restored the Wallangarra border gates, the Stanthorpe signs, and even Santa’s sleigh.
Phil James says people in the community also call them for assistance.
“We help the community when we can,” he says.
The group meets every Wednesday but generally, someone is there every morning
There are around 35 to 40 members of the Stanthorpe Men’s Shed and for some members, it’s purely social.
The members all come from varied backgrounds but have lots of members who are relatively new to town or not born in town.
Around a dozen or so members frequent the workshop.
Kev says the social aspect of the club is integral, and the club grew out of a need to protect locals’ mental health.
Mental health is still a concern in rural communities, due to limited resources.
Kev says the struggle in communities like Stanthorpe is coordinating all the players involved and says the Granite Belt Neighbourhood Centre has been trying to spearhead that recently.
He says many Stanthorpe Men’s Shed members are now fully trained in mental health first aid and suicide prevention.
They have run free Rural Minds workshops, a relaxed approach to talking about mental health that is specifically designed for rural and regional Australians.
The group also had Black Dog Institute out to chat, which drew a big crowd.
Kev says having someone members can relate to makes a huge difference.
“He spoke like a bloke,” he says. “Not a doctor.”
Recently, they received funding for youth mental health and had about 20 participants.
The group wants to reduce the stigma around mental health and makes sure to check in on each other.
“If we haven’t heard from someone, we check on each other.”
Stanthorpe Men’s Shed always welcomes new faces at their shed on a morning or at their Wednesday meetings.
You can join their group on Facebook by searching ‘Stanthorpe & District Men’s Shed’.
