Perth Voice Interactive

VINCENT Men’s Shed has celebrated its 10th birthday and renamed to Vincent Community Shed so everyone knows they are welcome to join.

Unlike the stricter men-only outfits, the Vincent shed has always been open to women since it started up in 2013. 

It  has some female members on the books, but a typical day at the Farmer Street workshop is still mostly blokes.

“We want to make it more open to the public,” long-time chairman Roy Haagman says, and that’ll include expanding the range of crafts practiced there beyond timber and metal working: “Boardgames, cooking, pottery, sewing, who knows!”

The men’s shed movement has been centred around improving members’ health since it was started by South Australian care worker Maxine Chaseling 30 years ago.

She noticed older men often experienced rapid declining health if they didn’t keep active after retirement, and founded the first community shed in Goolwa in 1993.

Mr Haagman joined the Vincent shed about eight years ago, soon after retiring as a credit manager.

He says the positive effect on members has been plain to see in his time there. 

“For physical health and mental wellbeing… you can see a difference in them, in their outlook,” he says. 

The Vincent shed has an extra tool to help members forge camaraderie: Every morning at 10.30am there’s a mandatory down-tools order, and all members gather for a cup of tea or coffee and a chat. 

“I’ve learnt so much since joining,” Mr Haagman says, about both tools and people, both of which can be temperamental. 

“I love working with people – you’ve just got to accept that everyone’s different.”

Anyone interested in joining up is encouraged to come along and have a look around during opening hours on Mondays and Thursdays 8.30am to 12.30pm, Tuesdays 8.30am to 4pm, and Saturdays 9am to 4pm.

by DAVID BELL