New trailer a wish come true for local Men’s Shed

The Kempsey Macleay Men’s Shed is thrilled with the purchase of their new trailer which was funded by the ETC Community Support Fund.

According to Shed Manager and Public Officer John Hastings the non for profit organisation relied heavily on membership fees, grants, and donations of money and saleable goods to remain operational.

“75% of the equipment used by the Shed has been obtained by grants and items donated to us by the community,” Mr Hastings said.

“We really appreciate the donation from ETC – it’s the best Christmas present we’ve ever had. A new big trailer has been on our wish list for quite some time now.”

According to Mr Hastings the trailer would benefit both the shed participants and the wider community.

“Most of the men who attend the shed are in their 70’s therefore they find it difficult to lift things. The new trailer has a ramp for easy loading plus it can hold a large capacity of goods which saves us trips back and forth,” Mr Hastings said.

“Previously the people in the community who would donate goods for the Men’s Shed would have to drop the items off to us. Now we are able to go around the collect them ourselves.”

The Men’s Shed’s aims to bring community members together to make new friends and learn new skills.

“We do a lot for the whole community such as computer training for seniors, repairing household goods, games for nursing homes and equipment for the local kids’ park,” Mr Hastings said.

“We even provide a ladies day at the shed on Tuesdays.”

The shed committee hopes to one day expand their services into a larger premises to take on more projects for members and the local community.

To find out how you can get involved with the local Men’s Shed, contact John on (02) 6563 1766.

If you would like to find out more about ETC services in the Kempsey region, contact 1800 007 400.