The Yankalilla Men’s Shed began as an idea in late 2014. Three men, independently and nearly simultaneously, thought it would be a good idea to explore the possibility of setting up a men’s shed in the Yankalilla District. They reached out to AMSA, the parent body, and were informed about each other’s interest. This led to a meeting, which was advertised in the local news magazine, and about twenty men and women attended at the local library. While the women who attended didn’t want to join themselves, they were eager to support men’s wellbeing, recognising the value a shed would bring to the community.
At that meeting, it was decided that the first step would be to find and secure a suitable location for the shed, as without a facility, the project could not move forward. To facilitate this, a steering group was formed, and another meeting of interested parties was scheduled.
The task for the steering group was daunting, facing one hurdle after another. The council had no suitable space, and no farmer in the area had a spare shed that could be used. Thankfully, one of the originators of the idea was the treasurer of the local “Over Fifties Club,” and he presented the idea to them. They offered to lease their land with a peppercorn lease and contributed $20,000 towards the shed’s construction. This gave the group a real chance to move forward.
Negotiations with the council resulted in a pledge of $10,000 in-kind support, which was later converted into cash. With these funds secured, a 12m by 12m shed was ordered and erected in February 2015.
The $35,000 in funding covered the cost of the bare shed and a concrete floor but didn’t include electrification, insulation, internal cladding, air-conditioning, or tools and machinery. Fortunately, some talented new members took the initiative, cold-calling companies to address these gaps. Soon, they had $7,000 worth of switchgear and lighting, $7,000 in electrical work, $800 worth of electrical cable, $3,000 worth of insulation and cladding, and $500 worth of paint donated.
With a small but dedicated team, they worked on transforming the shed into something functional. Meeting just one morning a week, this work took almost a year to complete. However, it allowed new members to see the shed’s potential and encouraged them to join.
During this year, the same two resourceful members continued to secure machinery and air-conditioning through grants and their persistence. As a result, they were able to secure a new air-conditioning unit, a table saw, drop saw, band saw, MIG welder, battery-operated tools, and a jointer, which the members used to build workbenches and make the shed a functional space. Thanks to People’s Choice Credit Union, the shed ran raffles that raised funds for additional equipment such as PPE, sandpaper, and consumables. The shed also worked with Bunnings to raise funds through sausage sizzles. With these efforts, the shed now had a solid economic foundation.
Over the next few years, the group gained more experience, and their grant applications became more successful, especially before state elections. During one visit, the Premier came to the shed to announce a successful grant. At that time, the kitchen was a simple fish cleaning sink with a bucket underneath to catch the waste. In a hospitable gesture, they offered the Premier a coffee, but his minders deemed the coffee station unsuitable for him. They quickly sourced coffee for the Premier from the club next door and took the opportunity to ask for a grant for a new kitchen unit. With the Premier’s visit serving as a photo opportunity, they successfully secured $6,000 to replace the old sink with a modern kitchen.
They then approached the “Over Fifties Club,” now renamed Club Fleurieu, with a proposal to build a kitchen and meeting room between the shed and the gardener’s shed. The proposal was approved, and the members built the new kitchen and meeting space. At the same time, they added a door frame behind the gyprock to connect the new kitchen with the gardener’s shed, which would become a dedicated metalworking area, freeing up space in the main shed for woodworking. This became their next major project.
Members diligently raised funds to purchase a new gardener’s shed for Club Fleurieu, and once that was completed, they were able to take over the existing gardener’s shed. They insulated and lined it, and separated an area to create an office for the secretary. Around this time, the shed was fortunate enough to win a grant for a CNC router. While this was a blessing, it also meant they had to find space to house the new machine. The solution was to build another shed. More sausage sizzles were held to raise funds, and members worked together to erect the shed, pour its concrete floor, insulate it, and install a dust extraction system. It was a daunting task, but after many months of hard work, the project came together even better than expected.
Thanks to a dynamic leadership team, new and exciting projects are now on the horizon, with many more plans in the works.
