Gnowangerup Mens Shed
Gnowangerup is a township 370 km southeast of Perth in Western Australia. It has a population of just over six hundred people and its name translates from the aboriginal to mean, "place where the mallee hen nests"!
The Shed membership is modest, less then a dozen, due to a lack of support and open personal objection to the men's sheds projects. There are those in this community that do not believe in caravan parks or in mensheds and believe that tourists are a nuisance?
In spite of this the menshed has two major projects -
- menshed that restores abandoned farm machinery and old vehicles!
- A “comfort stop and Information centre” for tourists busses, cars and caravans!
This community has another major problem; it has a serious problem with vandalism. Community street furniture like shop signs and florescent advertising signs are smashed to smithereens. The place looks like a “no go” zone after dark! I mention this as it is in direct contrast to another community with a well supported menshed (I refer to my story on the Donnybrook Menshed.)
In spite of these major obstacles to their progress, our Menshed men are a pretty resolute bunch with their sights set on doing something meaningful for their community. Sure there are no easy solutions to changing individual attitudes. But citizens who put something back into their own community are the real wealth of desperate communities. To our men in the Gnowangerup Menshed, we are with you all the way.