Sarina & District Community Mens Shed

The Sarina & District Community Men’s Shed started with a public meeting in December 2011 and due to generous sponsor and benefactors was able to move into interim premises at Beach Rd Sarina in May 2012 . From an initial membership in May 2012 of 32 membership has fluctuated and there are today 51 registered members with a diverse range of skills and experiences..  Shed members have been active in fund raising for a building fund and for sponsorship to assist to meet the costs of running the shed and paying the usual outlays, power & council charges, insurances  etc.  Local business and individual donors have been most supportive with sponsorship and donations.  Members have also been active in conducting raffles, sausage sizzles, and assisting local service clubs run major fundraising projects.  Sale of items manufactured, restored or repaired in the shed is another source of income and is discussed further below. In mid 2014 a lease was entered into with the Mackay Regional Council for the old SES shed and site at 40 Lee street Sarina.  At 20 metres extension was added to the back of the SES shed by the Sarina men’s shed using grants obtained from Bendigo Bank and the Gambling Benefit Fund.  This gave a total floor space of 30 metres by 10 metres.  This allowed for the planned development of the existing amenities and utilities in the SES shed while giving a shed under one continuous roof. In March 2015 The Sarina men’s shed moved from the Beach Rd shed to the new site at 40 Lee street Sarina.  In the new shed woodwork and metalwork areas are being developed and also being considered are other activities such as lapidary.
We are fortunate to have generous on-going sponsorship support from Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Pty Ltd who operate a major bulk coal export facility in our area. For the construction of the new shed we had substantial support with grants from the Sarina Community Bank (Bendigo Bank).

Activities:
The Sarina & District Community Men’s Shed opens on Monday Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8am to 12md. .
Members are not obliged to work on projects and may attend the shed for a chat or perhaps help in usual housekeeping tasks.
On shed days we stop for a smoko meeting discussion at 9.30 for all attending.
On the first Saturday of the month we have a “knock off early BBQ” lunch.
We are a new shed starting out and need to work towards making the shed self-supporting, to this end we undertake projects such as restoring donated furniture to sell, making items to sell on market days (hat racks, rolling pins, etc.) and making or repairing items for individuals or community groups.