Dural Men’s Shed was recently honoured by being awarded the team section of the ‘Volunteer Of The Year’ for the Hornsby/North West Sydney region.
This is an annual award offered by the Centre For Volunteering, and was presented to the men by State Minister Ray Williams.
The 98 shed members can be very proud of the recognition of their team effort in building a community of men who not only have a great time together at the shed but put so much time and effort back into our local community and by doing so, helping many people.
Some of the shed volunteering service includes mentoring boys at risk in partnership with the Open Family/Whitelion Youth organisation. Another group, from Warrah, intellectually and physically disabled, come and work alongside some of the men each week in a special programme. Similarly, there are men helping to mentor boys from Galston School in the art of car restoration as a bridge toward apprenticeships in the car industry.
A service with a difference is the work of a team of men who make toys /mini blackboards for children overseas as part of the Samaritans Purse projects.
Men are actively engaged with practical work with scouting groups, children at special Bunnings days, and Pop’s days where grandfathers are encouraged to bring grandchildren to work one-on-one with some easy woodwork.
Many projects are completed for individuals, schools, playgroups, churches…from fixing up coffee machines to restoring old furniture and sewing machines and visiting people who just need something fixed up at home. The volunteering ethos of giving time for others runs strong at the shed, but it’s a two -way street because for blokes who are suffering from severe health or emotional issues, the volunteering for others acts as a real tonic as they enjoy the great friendship in working together.
The remarkable thing is that as the membership expands so too does the diversity of projects and skills, and the shed facilities expand to cope, all with the tremendous ongoing support of The Centre (Dural Baptist Church) which established the shed in 2011. Part of the mentoring is in encouraging the Whitelion and the Warrahgroups to complete projects that can be donated to others, with items being donated to a hospital, youth groups, and also Ronald Macdonald House.
The men recently observed the “Friday boys at risk” school boys who were helping to get a big timber project finished for Warrah to meet a deadline, could not stop for lunch, (which they love), in order to finish the job for Warrah. These little things, maybe small milestones, give great encouragement to the men.
If you would like to gain more information about the shed or even donate funds to help these programmes to continue, please contact the shed on 8989 0000 or [email protected] or the website www.duralmensshed.org