PRESIDENT of the Inverell Men’s Shed Jack McCosker is more than pleased with the amount of attention the shed has received lately.
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The official opening of the shed at its new site at the showground took place at 9.30am on Saturday, March 29.
“Senator John Williams, Mayor Paul Harmon were there, Barnaby Joyce and Adam Marshall were invited, but unfortunately they were unable to attend,” Jack said.
“Senator Williams did the opening and it went off extremely well. We did have a really, really nice sunny day and there was about 100 people turned up.”
Jack said just about all of the members turned up on the day, along with some of the people from around town and he reiterated that it was really a good day.
Jack said although the Inverell Men’s Shed was officially opened, there was still a lot of work to do.
“We’ve still got the two skillions, one on the eastern side and one on the western side that have still got to be completed,” he said.
“Once all that’s been done we will have full occupancy and we will be able to carry on with all the work we were doing previously, prior to the move from the old shed.”
Jack a described it as a positive meeting with the Minister for Mental Health Kevin Humphries and local MP Adam Marshall on Tuesday, April 15.
“A lot of attention has been shown to the shed since it’s been at it’s new location,” Jack said.
“When I spoke to Kevin Humphries, he said that this was a benchmark for all other towns. He said we should be extremely proud of what we’ve got, and we are.”
Jack said a lot of effort from the members had been put in.
“This has been going on since 2009, so we’ve worked really hard to get it were we are.”
Mr Marshall said each men’s shed has its own unique character and structure and what they produce certainly depends on the particulars skills of the members and the needs of the community.
“Being actively engaged within your community is vital to anyone’s wellbeing and the men that come here to the Inverell shed are involved in some pretty impressive projects,” he said.
Mr Humphries said by bringing men together in a social environment and providing them with a purpose, Inverell Men’s Shed played an extremely important role combating loneliness issues, which can be a trigger for mental illness.