Elsie Lange
The Gisborne Men’s Shed is pretty brilliant, just ask anyone in the community.
Now, they’ve been recognised by the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA) with the Best Shed in Australia award.
Tony Cook, the inaugural chairman of the shed, said the award meant some of the work they’d been doing to help men help others in the community had been recognised.
“We got the award for being the best in the community, and that was tremendous as a motivational tool for our members,” Mr Cook said.
“Because a lot of our guys don’t get to do a lot of things, and they tend to just be at home, and are not terribly involved with the community.
“What this has done is make a lot of people realise that even though you’re in your twilight years, you still can contribute, and you still can do a lot of things in the community,” Mr Cook said.
The shed was commended by the AMSA for its communication during the height of the pandemic by running a virtual shed, via newsletters and Zoom, to keep in touch with people who in the Gisborne community who needed support.
Since the Gisborne Men’s Shed opened in 2011, their philosophy was to prioritise connecting with others – when Covid-19 hit that became more vital than ever.
The group was thankful to the Macedon Ranges Health board for approving its establishment in 2009 as well as for the support from the Benetas team.
