Women want a shed
West Gippsland Women's Shed is facilitating skill growth and social connection for local women.
Women's Sheds have been gaining popularity in Australia, with several popping up across Victoria in recent years, This is the first one in West Gippsland.
The new group was initiated by Bunyip and District Community House manager Nicole Lucas after she took a welding course for women in Korumburra.
"I thought maybe people would like to get together and talk about tools and have coffees," she said.
"I put an expression of interest out and within the first week I had 80 people, it was nuts."
Now, the group has nearly 200 members online and has connected with local Men's Sheds and businesses to begin forging its own place.
The Shed has partnered with the Drouin Men's Shed and Cardinia Men's Shed and will be using their facilities until they can find a space of their own.
"We've also got a really good partnership with the East Pakenham Bunnings... we are doing some programs through them. The first is a Ryobi workshop," Ms Lucas said.
"Ideally we'd like to run programs ourselves." The group is ideal for anyone wanting to develop new skills, work on a project or simply make new connections with other women.
"We've got so many people who have such great skills," Ms Lucas said.
"There's a couple of furniture recyclers in the group, re-upholsters... the knowledge sharing is brilliant."
Ms Lucas said the group has had some interest from Trades Victoria and Civil Training Australia, so members of the group have the opportunity to take their skills further and potentially enter the workforce.
Group member Kate Lessing said there was not much opportunity for women to come together and share or gain expertise.
"There are people from their 20s into their 80s, so it's multigeneration. Those generations of women can support and mentor each other," she explained.
"It's really important, the mental health aspect of it... increasing social connection improves mental health - there's just no doubt about it, the research has shown it over and over again all over the world," Ms Lessing said.
Whatever location they end up calling home, they hope to have it available for members to use whenever required.
"Without a shed, we are just a Women's," group member Paula Alan said.
The Shed is open to new members. TFor more information contact Nicole Lucas at: manager@bdch.com.au, or join the Facebook Page: 'West Gippsland Women's Shed'.