Grant gives life to Waroona Men’s Shed home

A grant from the State Government has allowed Waroona Men’s Shed to begin construction of its new home.

Murray-Wellington MLA Robyn Clarke presented the $100,000 cheque on Friday, which will go towards the organisation’s new headquarters.

Men’s Shed member and past president Philip Turner said the shed was using a building owned by the Waroona Agricultural Society.

“They very kindly let us use it, supposedly for only a couple of years but we’ve been here nearly five,” he said.

“We have to move out every show day which makes it very difficult.”

The new building would be shared with the Waroona Youth Group and would be located on the site of the old tennis club.

“The face of our building will be a veranda and we’re putting a veranda on their building so the two will be linked together and because there’s already toilets and kitchen facilities in there we won’t have to duplicate them, so that’s a big cost saving,” Mr Turner said.

As well as sharing the building, Mr Turner said the members would be happy to work with the youth group.

“Hopefully some of the older ones, if they want to learn something during school holidays, things like that, they can,” he said.

Mr Turner said the cheque presented put them over the line to start the project, after its members raised the rest of the cash needed.

“We’ve engaged a local firm and their draughtsmen are doing their plans now,” he said.

“Then we’ll get them to the shire to approve and we’re away.”

Mr Turner said the actual construction was unlikely to begin until after Christmas.

Ms Clarke said the issue of the Waroona Men’s Shed’s new building had come up at all three of the community meetings she had attended.

“Men, particularly the majority of the breadwinners in this generation, when they go into retirement they still feel the need to be a part of something,” he said.

“It’s also a great opportunity for the youth learn from what I call the community elders.”