Tuesday, 13 May 2025

Nelson men’s and women’s shed

Jacinta ERMACORA (Western Victoria) (13:54): On Friday I visited the town of Nelson. Nelson is located on the mouth of the Glenelg River, right on the South Australian border and 422 kilometres west of Melbourne. It is a renowned fishing spot and a beautiful, tranquil place to hike, kayak, birdwatch and also of course bike-ride. With a permanent population of 189 people, I was impressed to note that, with 32 men’s shed members and 30 women’s shed members, that constitutes about a third of the population of Nelson. So the proportion of volunteers in Nelson is amongst the highest in the state. The shed members are also members of other community organisations in Nelson, and I want to thank them for their advocacy and for the work they do for the Nelson community and for the warm welcome that they gave me. The Victorian government have provided $70,000 for them to build the first men’s shed and women’s shed in Nelson. I congratulate them for the work they have done to this point. They have got their site cleared and most of their approvals are in place. The men’s and women’s sheds will clearly become an important community hub for the people of Nelson.