Killarney Men’s Shed making strides

Killarney Community Men's Shed at the opening last month.

By Emily-Rose Toohey

Late last year, Killarney Men’s Shed was established and although the group is still in its infancy, members are hoping to provide a space for all of the community.

As a result, the group’s official name is Killarney Community Men’s Shed, and president Pat Palmer said interested women are invited to join as well.

“We currently have 14 members and that’s growing,” Pat said.

The group meets every Monday and Friday morning, and Pat said the reason for their formation was because of a shortage of opportunities for older men to get together.

“Retirement can be quite daunting, particularly for those by themselves,” he said.

“The Men’s Shed is a place to come talk, drink tea, and work on projects – there’s a pastoral care element.

“It’s to also provide a meeting place for the community to come and share skills and experiences.”

The group officially opened its shed beside the Killarney Aged Care Facility last month and Pat said they were instrumental in helping launch the organisation.

“They gave us the shed and said we could use it for meetings,” he said.

“To get the group started, we initially established a steering committee with five people on it, and now we have two secretaries and a treasurer.

“Our plans are to expand and add another fifty to sixty square meters to our current shed and put in work benches, toilets, and a rec room.”

Furthermore, Pat said the Killarney community have been vital in helping the group, including equipment donations from the Lion’s Club.

“Killarney is a very tight and supportive community with a strong bond and it’s a good place to be,” he said.

“We’ve also been raising money ourselves from plastic bottles and selling kindling – we’re in the process of applying for grants, including from the Australian Men’s Shed association which releases funding three times a year.”