Castlemaine Men’s Shed is holding a Garage Sale fundraiser this Saturday to raise funds to support its work in the local community.
The fundraising event is a great opportunity to support the local shed and meet the members behind this fantastic local organisation.
The Castlemaine Men’s Shed was established in 2014 as a place where local men could gather each week in a safe and busy environment and in an atmosphere of old-fashioned mateship.
Shed president Brian McCormick said members came from all walks of life.
“The bond that unites us is that we are all men with time on our hands who would like something meaningful to do with that time,” Brian said.
And they certainly do! The local Shed supports numerous community activities such as building seats or other small structures for the local council, repairing and restoring furniture or other items to support older men and women and raise funds for services like Mount Alexander Animal Welfare, and assist the community in times of crisis like bushfires.
“The shed really provides a much-needed welcoming supportive environment for men in the community who have retired, suffer ill health or have lost their partners,” Brian said.
“For instance, at the moment our members are enjoying a six-week cooking course to help them hone their skills in the kitchen supported by the Ministry for Food,” he said.
The Men’s Shed doesn’t receive government funding so it depends on donations, memberships, grants and small payments in return for repair work or other tasks the men are able to complete.
“The challenge here is to ensure there are enough funds to cover running and maintenance costs,” Brian said.
To raise funds to support their ongoing work in the community and to purchase some native plants to regenerate the land around their shed, the group is holding a garage sale this Saturday April 9 from 8.30am to 11.30am.
“Newstead Natives’ Frances Cincotta and Botanical Gardens horticulturist Gill Miller have been assisting us with the right plants to purchase and we aim to complete the planting in June,” Brian said.
You can find the Castlemaine Men’s Shed at 42 Wimble Street (just behind the Mount Alexander Golf Club, access via the end of the carpark, look out for signs).
Items for sale include tools, hardware, handmade wooden toys meticulously created by shed members, and other incidentals.
There will be some homemade cakes available and people are welcome to have a look through the Shed and discover more about the friendly local organisation.
