Local Men’s Shed lend a hand

Membership of the Cleveland Uniting Church Men’s Shed is almost rite of passage for many residents living at Bolton Clarke’s Moreton Shores Retirement Village.

John Hudson, who moved into the Moreton Shores Village about six years ago, is one of seven village residents who can be found sharing their skills every Monday and Wednesday morning in the shed behind the church. There they join other locals, crafting and reworking creations for the local community in an initiative that has been running for the past 12 years.

“I was introduced to it by my neighbour across the road, probably only two or three weeks after I moved in to the village,” John says.

“I’ve been coming along ever since. Whenever new people move in, we always try to get them to come along and say hi to us!

“What I get from going to Men’s Shed is camaraderie. That and it’s nice to keep active, use your mind and physically do things. It’s good to see what other people are doing with their different skills. You’re learning all the time!”

With work a little slow during COVID-19, the men’s shedders looked to their local surrounds – and their members - for some inspiration. When they spotted some park benches ready for renovation in the Moreton Shores community, they knew they had found their next project.

“We’ve refurbished the garden seats once before, but this time they all had to be completely redone,” John says.

“The old pine was falling to pieces because of the weather. We sandblasted the ends and repainted them with a special paint,

“We replaced the seating slats with special timber called Kwila, rather than pine, so it will withstand the weather much better. These new benches should last a long time!”

Along with the park benches, other Men’s Shed creations include a multi-generation toy chest, a side table, a very impressive wooden fruit bowl and instruments.

To thank them for their hard work, Bolton Clarke Moreton Shores Retirement Village Manager Roger recently presented Cleveland Uniting Church Men’s Shed with a new Spindle Sander for use on future projects.

To find out more about the Cleveland Uniting Church Men’s Shed visit https://clevelandunitingchurch.com/special-interest-and-social-groups/mens-shed

To learn more about the Moreton Shores community click here.