March 4, 2025
Almost four years after the project started, the Kingaroy Men’s Shed on Saturday celebrated the opening of their new woodworking shed near Kingaroy Airport.
Men’s Shed president Eric Ford described the completion of the $150,000 project as a milestone for the organisation, which has been meeting now for almost a decade.
Talk about setting up a Men’s Shed in Kingaroy began in July 2015 which was followed by a breakfast at the Kingaroy Showgrounds in mid-October that year to gauge interest.
On February 2, 2016, the first 24 members were signed up at the old World War II-era Motor Pool shed in Geoff Raph Drive at the airport.
Since then, the Men’s Shed members have worked hard to raise funds to improve their facilities, including concreting the rest of the floor in the Motor Pool shed, as well as rewiring the building and installing three-phase power.
A $35,000 grant then allowed the group to install a new toilet block in 2020.
However, the 20m x 14m woodworking shed project was a project of a different magnitude, which Eric simply described as “a big ask”.
Shed members paid for the earthworks for the new building, which cost about $8500, and then a $35,000 grant a concrete slab to be poured.
“Then we had to wait for a big grant to come!” Eric said.
That wait stretched to more than two years.
After an initial hiccup, the Kingaroy’s Men Shed was successful in getting a $100,000 grant from the Gambling Community Benefit Fund late last year which assisted them to complete the project.
South Burnett Mayor Kathy Duff congratulated Eric on achieving his dream of finally getting the shed completed.
And she thanked the Men’s Shed members for all the work they do in the community.
Attorney-General and Member for Nanango Deb Frecklington joined Eric in cutting the ribbon to officially open the building.
She said she remembered that first get-together almost 10 years ago at the Showgrounds.
“It’s been a big effort and a big job that you and your men have done to get to where we are today,” Mrs Frecklington said.
She said the new shed was “incredible”.
Eric said the group was now hoping to buy two more pieces of equipment for the new building.
The first was a 600mm wide belt sander, which would cost about $3000.
However, they would be applying for a grant for the second … a dust extraction system which they expect will cost about $50,000.
* * *
Mental health is a major focus of the Men’s Shed movement.
One member told southburnett.com.au on Saturday morning that the Kingaroy Men’s Shed had saved his life after he had to retire from work through ill-health.
He could not speak highly enough about the support and friendship he had received and the skills he had learnt while working on projects.
* * *
Footnote: Tickets are still available for the Kingaroy Men’s Shed big LifeFlight fundraiser, Dinner Under the Stars, on this Saturday! Tickets can be booked online
- Related article: Men’s Shed Are Ready To Go!
[UPDATED with correction]
