Logan Village Men's Shed members have had an item ticked off their wish list, thanks to the generosity and support of Logan City Council.
Club president Warren Milevskiy received a grant of $2100 on Friday, presented by Division 4 councillor Laurie Koranski and Division 9 councillor Phil Pidgeon, which will go towards buying the Men’s Shed a new wood lathe – a machine used to smooth and shape timber.
“It’s going to be great,” Mr Milevskiy said.
“We have 34 members and we are continuing to grow, and a lot of the blokes that come in want to learn how to wood turn.
“Our new machine will be safer, quicker and more reliable, and we can’t wait to get it in.”
The Logan Village Men’s Shed, much like the thousands of Men’s Sheds across the nation, provides a safe place for men to socialise and tinker, while engaging in projects to benefit the community.
“In just two years, since starting, we’ve been able to help the ride and disability association, local schools with projects, the lions club with maintenance, and we’ve even made a nice little table and chairs for councillor Pidgeon’s grand-kids,” Mr Milevskiy said.
“We love keeping ourselves busy with whatever we can tinker with and create, and I think the next item on our wish list would be to have a bigger space.
“If we keep growing the way we are in members, our club is going to get squishy very quickly.”
Councillor Pidgeon and councillor Koranski said they equally funded the grant out of the Mayor and Councillors' Community Benefit Fund.
“The Men’s Shed is not just a place for old and young blokes to come together and make toys or furniture; it’s a place where gentlemen can discuss concerns, issues and let off steam by socialising,” Mr Pidgeon said.
“That’s why we are so pleased to help this group in some way.
“They benefit the community so much already, and we just wanted to help the members continue doing that.”
Ms Koranski encouraged other community groups and not-for-profit organisations to contact council with ideas and group initiatives which might need funding.
“We are hugely excited and supportive of the great work any community group does within our region,” she said.
“Giving back is definitely the fun part of our job, and if we can help a group in some small way, we will try our best to make it happen.”