Fair Dinkum Sheds partners with The Australian Men’s Shed Association

There’s nothing new about men gathering together in their own space to talk, share skills, swap ideas, solve problems or just discuss life in general – it’s been happening since the beginning of time. There’s nothing new either about men spending time in their backyard shed – an acknowledged Aussie pastime.

What is new is that men, particularly retired men, are combining these two activities in a communal space simply called a "Men’s Shed". What is also new is how strongly men have embraced this new identity – being a member of a Men’s Shed. In the past decade a wide range of community-based Men’s Sheds has sprung up - each with its own unique identity and purpose.

“Men’s Sheds have achieved proven results in bringing their communities together to provide men a place of belonging where they can work on worthwhile community projects and participate in youth mentoring programs,” says David Helmers, Executive Officer, Australian Men’s Shed Association.

“The Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA) views Men's Shed facilities as a health preventative measure by providing a place of belonging for men where they can comfortably talk on issues surrounding men’s health they also provide an ideal platform from which to launch future men’s health initiatives,” he says.

The Men’s Shed concept was an Australian initiative which grew from very humble beginnings which has grown into over 500 member sheds representing an estimated 50,000 individuals.

The idea has now spread internationally with a number of sheds being operated by health authorities in Ireland, England and New Zealand with other interested groups in North American and Japan.

“We are thrilled that Fair Dinkum Sheds has come on board as a partner, as we were looking for a shed manufacturer sponsor to align with us”, he says. “Fair Dinkum are the obvious fit as they are one of the largest shed manufacturers in the country”.

“Fair Dinkum Sheds are proud to partner with AMSA”, says Travis Griffin, Business Manager, Fair Dinkum Sheds. “We look forward to helping AMSA set up more sheds across Australia by providing financial assistance with the set up costs associated with building sheds, as well as helping promote Men’s Sheds” he says.

“Each shed has different sizes, storage, access and shape needs, so our ability to customise each shed to the specific needs of its users is of significant benefit. We also have a vast network of distributors in over 130 locations across Australia that is able to support the supply of these sheds. Our support of AMSA includes sponsorship funding and support in providing new sheds. We also look forward to developing local promotional initiatives between our distributors and their local Men’s Shed so we can jointly raise awareness and support of their cause”.

The working committee of the Australian Men’s Shed Association consists of a dedicated group of volunteers, both men and women from around Australia, with a small number of paid staff members working towards a common goal, to freely share information between sheds to minimise expenses and making sheds available to all men around Australia. The Australian Men's Shed Association is the Peak body representing Men's Sheds and the Association is funded by the Federal Government.

Professor John Macdonald, Professor Barry Golding and Mr Tim Mathieson are the official patrons of the Australian Men’s Sheds Association.

For further information, images or to organise an interview with Travis Griffin, Business Manager, Fair Dinkum Sheds or David Helmers, Executive Officer, AMSA,
please contact:
Kate Richards |0404 892 782 | media@fdhs.com.au
www.fairdinkumsheds.com.au / www.menssheds.org

Starting out as a family owned and operated business in 1990, Fair Dinkum Sheds has continued to flourish and today has over 130 distributors Australia wide and distributor networks across NZ, Fiji, the UK and South Africa.

Fair Dinkum Sheds is widely acknowledged as one of the largest networks of Cold Formed Steel Building distributors in Australia, with a proven history of success for the past two decades.