Parklands Albury Wodonga is grateful for the contributions of the Wodonga Men’s Shed in fabricating a significant volume of park furniture and park infrastructure for various projects over recent years.

It is certainly fitting that the Wodonga Men’s Shed contribution to our community goes down in the history books as Dr Helen Haines speech is recorded in Hansard…

Helen Haines Wodong Men’s Shed speech:

“The old saying that ‘Every cloud has a silver lining’ springs to mind when I think of the Wodonga Men’s Shed.
After being in hibernation for most of 2020, the shed has now reopened with a boom!
Freedom has seen an increase in demand from men wanting to join the shed – to be doing something useful and to find camaraderie.
There has also been an increase in requests for items from the community – such as animal sculptures for an Indigenous walk and furniture for pre-schools.
And just to hammer home the scale of new demand, the shed has now extended its hours to open on Saturdays.
Some men come along to work on their own projects, some on community projects, while others come for a cuppa and a chat. And it doesn’t matter – everyone is welcome at Wodonga Men’s Shed.
The Wodonga Men’s Shed is all about connection, care, and friendship.
And during the height of the pandemic, the committee was busy – putting in welfare calls to check up on their mates.
The increased membership of 84 shows what an important role Men’s Sheds play in our community, and I am pleased to see a number of Women’s Sheds also starting up.
I commend all involved with the Wodonga Men’s Shed, Bill Donovan, Mick McInerney, the committee, and all the members for making the most of this fantastic facility that is just an absolute shining star in our local community.”

Parklands are also delighted to report that the hand rail stanchions that have recently been fabricated at the Wodonga Men’s Shed have been installed on the first of four railway bridges on Gateway Island.

Thank you to Bushfire Recovery Victoria for the much appreciated financial support for our community and community partners to deliver on this project. It has been great to be able to provide employment to highly skilled former volunteers. Big thanks also go to Abolcon Steel, Barro Group and Excel Gray Brunnei for their sponsorship and in kind contributions.