The Men’s Shed

After modest beginnings in the Old Council yards where The Green Cycles are today, the Men’s Shed is now sited in the old Courthouse. 

The Council donated a new roof. Members refurbished the inside of the building. They repainted, rewired, and installed workbenches. They fixed panels of fluorescent lights to the ceiling to provide good lighting for project work. They installed a television screen and connected to Wi Fi for viewing helpful tips on U tube.

The Men’s Shed opened on the 5^{th of} Oct 2016. “A lot has happened since then,” says Mike Woolley, Chair of the Men’s Shed.

Early on we undertook a lot of community projects,” reminisces Mike. “We restored bicycles for children and gave them away at the kindergarten, and Martinborough, Tuturumuri, and Pirinoa Schools. I believe that every child should have the opportunity to ride a bike, especially when there are so many places to ride in Martinborough. The joy on the children’s faces more than repaid our efforts. 

We have refurbished the seats at the tennis club, provided shelving for the Library in the Waihinga Centre and repaired items for the Toy Library.

Quite recently we moved two 40 ft containers to the area behind the courthouse. Using the containers as side walls we built a new facility connecting the two together. We moved a lot of the metal working equipment out to the containers. Now we have more room for working as well as better storage facilities. 

We have been extremely fortunate in the generosity of a large number of organisations so that most of our equipment was provided either free or very cheaply.

We have Drop saws, Band saws, Belt and Disc Sanders, Drill Presses, Thicknessers, Lathes, a Metal Working Lathe, and a Milling machine. 

The Men’s Shed is open from 9.00am to 12 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We currently have about 44 members. It is a very social group. We enjoy the company. We have retired Doctors, technology experts, professionals, and tradesmen. The Men’s Shed is for everyone, and it keeps us healthy.”

On a Thursday night Tim Mailing and Cam Sutherland are running a woodwork class from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. 

“I am a relatively new member, but joinery was my trade, says Cam, so It is great to pass on some of those skills to others. 

If you are interested in joining the Men’s Shed or wish to find out more you can call Mike Woolley on 027295 3051 or John Mansell on 027 314 2485.

Lyle Griffiths

Photo caption: Doug Rowan, Rex Haslip, Mike Woolley and Cam Sutherland at the Men’s Shed.

Highlight Thursday nights Tim and Cam are running a woodwork class from 5.30pm to 7.30pm.