Projects & Activities

Moonta Community Shed

Our Moonta Community Shed has been operating over 3 years now and there are plenty of positives in what we have achieved and what the Community Shed environment has done to improve the social interation, self esteem and usefulness of retirees and the disadvantaged.

A Community Resource Office has been established at the Community Shed facility with the support of grant funding from the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal to provide office and computing resources for local community clubs and groups, including the Community Shed.

More recently, an Annex to the CAC building has been constructed with the assistance of a further grant from the Forsyth Foundation and Wesley Uniting Care to store timber and other donated products and to extend the workshop area to accommodate a dust free paint shop.

Our latest addition is a Recreation and BBQ area for shed members ( see separate heading ), which was built with the assistance of a Premier & Cabinet grant.

We greatly appreciate the support of the Foundation for Rural and regional Renewal and the Forsyth Foundation and Wesley Uniting Care and Premier & Cabinet.  Through their generosity, we have made a real difference to the wellbeing of our volunteers and those in need within our community.

Our Community Shed is open on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 9am to 4pm. We have a core group of 15 members and several casual members. We would prefer to be known as a Community Shed rather than a "Mens Shed" and we have left the door open and actively encouraged women to become involved. At this stage some interest and a number of enquiries from women have been received.

Unlike most other Sheds we are not dependent on the support of Institutions. Being truely community based, we have the freedom to operate and evolve according to the wishes of our member group and although financial resourcing is a challenge we are proud to have achieved financial viability within our first 12 months and our challenge now is longer term sustainability.

We are doing this by producing a range of saleable products in our woodwork and metalwork workshops for the local community. We also produce and toys for overseas needy children which are distributed through the Uniting Church and we undertake furniture restoration work for the elderly and resale purposes.

 In 2006 we won a Tidy Towns Commendation Award which recognised the Community Shed's contribution to the Moonta & District Community and its program of recycling and restoration.

Above all, we are enjoying the experience and we are providing a worthwhile service to our community.

Activities

The Broadband for Seniors Kiosk at the Community Resource Office is operating well. Tutors Pamela and Doug are providing free training to a number of Seniors in the basics of using the computer and accessing the internet.

Shed resources are also being used by two students from the Moonta area school who are receiving woodworking training under the supervision of Paul.

John from Carer's Link at Disabilities SA is also supervising Adam and Chris who are receiving training in basic woodworking by Shed members.

The Welding Bay has been relocated to the new Shed building and Des and the boys are enjoying the extra working space which better accommodates their significant display frame building project for the Quilters Group.

New Member Keith is looking forward to starting next week. He was quite impressed with what he saw during his walk around and has already met a number of the shed members.