Shed Ladies

The new Shed at Conyngham Street has expanded to also provide a service for women. Rose Squire and Helen Zakelj have been engaged to teach skills to women in the Shed. “Helen and I are really excited,” says Rose. “We’ve got some fantastic facilities here and a lot of equipment. There are opportunities for women to come down and have a nice cup of coffee, have a bit of a chat and learn some woodwork skills.”

L - R: Rose and Helen with Men's Shed Facilitator Evan Reay

Rose says women interested in developing skills they may already have and wanting to build on are welcome. “We’re in a position to cope with a wide range of expertise and if you’ve never picked up a hammer before don’t let that stop you because we can certainly help you with that.”

Helen says 20 years ago an opportunity like this just wasn’t available. “I think it’s fabulous because we are all living longer - a lot of people are isolated, both men and women, so it’s a fabulous space to be able to just catch up and get that little bit of something that maybe they’re not getting,” Helen says. “A lot of women are by themselves and they just want to do something, maybe their partners had always done for them. So just to be a little bit independent and do things, it might be just to learn how to undo a screw or a bolt if it’s stuck – just do something little it may make them feel a bit more self-sufficient.”

The two women are looking forward to the Shed ‘taking off’ and they are hoping it becomes a really good social hub for local residents.

“I firmly believe that any shed of this nature should be a community shed,” says Rose. “I think there should be equal opportunities for everyone to use the facilities because it is a fantastic place to be and an opportunity for people to get together socially and also to develop some skills.”

“I’ve got a long history in the building industry - I’m a self-employed carpenter/builder. I’ve been building houses and doing renovations and repairs for many years so hopefully I’ll be able to transfer those skills to the Shed here and be able to nut out any projects that people might like to tackle.”

Helen adds, “You may not know how to do anything or you may be very handy with the tools. Maybe we can teach someone how to change a washer, glue up that special piece of woodwork that may have been broken or repair something that’s been in the family for a long time. The Shed is just amazing, it’s warm it’s inviting the staff are really nice and welcoming.”