Members statements
Braybrook Men’s Shed
Lizzie BLANDTHORN (Western Metropolitan – Minister for Disability, Ageing and Carers, Minister for Child Protection and Family Services) (10:01): I rise to update the house on my visit to Braybrook Men’s Shed this week with the member for Laverton in the other place. The government provides $1 million each year to support men’s sheds, and this funding is in recognition of the important contribution men’s sheds make in our communities. Since 2015 we have provided 459 grants to men’s sheds across Victoria, with this year’s grants round yet to open. As one of more than 360 men’s sheds in Victoria, Braybrook Men’s Shed plays an important role in the community. We heard about some of their completed projects that have benefited the local community, such as vertical gardens built for Cohealth in Footscray, raised garden beds for a local primary school so that they are accessible for students using wheelchairs and a community pantry for Yarraville Community Centre.
There were also some great passion projects underway while we visited, including work on a handcrafted replica of the bass from Kiss, Gene Simmons’s battleaxe-shaped guitar. We also heard touching personal stories of the positive impact that social connection through the men’s shed provides, particularly the opportunity to open up about mental health issues with peers. Men’s sheds provide our communities with space to work side by side on projects of interest and share skills and experience, and this government is proud to back men’s sheds. I thank Graham, Stephen and the other shedders at Braybrook Men’s Shed for welcoming me and the member for Laverton so warmly, and I look forward to seeing more of their creative and meaningful contributions in the future.