Men’s Sheds Central Coast Inc.
2012 Presidents Report
The past year has been
one of great activity and interest due to the many diverse initiatives that
Men’s Sheds Central Coast has become involved with. This is due in part to two main factors.
Firstly because as
this is the end of 3 full years of operation, our position within the greater
Men’s Shed movement is well established and thus more is expected of us.
Secondly as a result of a survey of members at last years Christmas function we
were asked by our member sheds to support them in additional ways.
The role of a Men’s
Shed in the healthy lifestyle of mature aged men is becoming more
understood. There is still more to be
done in this area, however due to the work being done by MSCC, a Sheds purpose,
structure, expectations, policies and procedures are better understood. In many instances a Shed in the neighbourhood
is no longer a novelty but an accepted and important part of a healthy
community.
Given that our
movement is still in it’s youth, but not the people involved, promotion is an
important part of our work. The Mobile
Men’s Shed is in constant demand and since last years AGM and has been taken to
21 community functions where children with help from adults have made 950
tissue box covers.
Other initiatives, to
assist Sheds with their promotional and governance activities, include the
supply to each Shed of a promotional banner, a gazebo with a banner attached
and individual Shed brochures. Men’s Shed
brochures listing details of the locations of Central Coast Sheds are also now
available in the Tourist Information Centres on the Coast. A workshop for Shed
Treasurers was successful as were the 2 First Aid courses where 30 members gained their First Aid Certificates.
As part of the funding
agreement with the Department of Human Services in support of integrating
socially isolated men and men with disabilities into Sheds, grants were made
available to assist Sheds in making their premises accessible to those with
mobility issues.
Sheds identified the
need to inform support agencies about the role a Shed has in integrating men
with special needs. A seminar was arranged for managers of support agencies to
gain an understanding of the role a Shed has in the community and a second
seminar for agency staff was also organised to assist those wanting to work
alongside their clients in a Shed. A
third similar seminar is planned for later this month. 35 managers and senior staff attended the
first seminar and 27 support staff from 15 different agencies attended the
second.
The Family and
Community Violence Project funded by the Department of Premier and Cabinet,
Office of Woman’s Policy and managed by Darren Maxwell is now into it’s second
year. This is progressing
and definite outcomes for this initiative can be expected late 2012 early 2013.
Funding from Uniting
Care Ageing to assist in the development of Sheds on the Central Coast ended in
June and we are indebted for the foresight of the Uniting Church for their
support.
The changing work
requirements and community responsibilities of many of the current executive
committee mean they will no longer be nominating for a further term. For any
organisation to continue there is need for a strong leadership group and MSCC
has reached a point where this fact has become evident. It is hoped that suitable members from the
Shed movement on the Central Coast will nominate for the vacant positions so
that this organisation can continue to speak for Men’s Sheds on the Central
Coast.
In closing I would
like to thank the members of the executive, Colleen Copper, John Roberts and
Darren Maxwell for their insight, advice and efforts to further the work of
Sheds on the Coast. While we have not
always agreed on every matter the strong discussions that have been part of our
executive meetings have been because of our resolve to see this organisation
and its member Sheds continue to have a positive role in our communities.
It has been a pleasure
working with Kim Hopkins our Executive Officer and until one works closely with
a person it is not always possible to see the amount of work they do. With the
Men’s Shed movement finding itself linked with Primary Health Care initiatives
Kim has often found himself involved in activities that while not directly
linked to a Sheds core activities are vital to the education of important
contacts within our community. It is
because of Kims’ outreach that all Sheds on the Coast have benefited.
I also wish to thank
the representatives of our member Sheds for their regular attendance at
meetings and the positive influences they have had during discussions. Without this interest from Sheds MSCC would
not have the impact in our community that it does.
Sheds should not be
seen as a clubs for men with like-minded skills and attitudes, and some men may
come with issues it must be remembered that while a Shed may not need them they
need a Shed.
John Sharples
President
Men’s Sheds Central
Coast
3 October 2012
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