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By Sally Dulson
When you step inside the Hawkesbury Men’s Shed in Richmond, you walk into a fully equipped woodworking workshop. Tools line the walls, projects are neatly stacked, and the smell of fresh sawdust lingers. The benches and handmade furniture — the Shed’s best-known creations — are tucked away, waiting for market day.
The Hawkesbury Men’s Shed Richmond began in 2012 with just a handful of members. Today, close to 40 are on the books.
“People come, people go, people die — such is life. But here, there’s always someone to have a yarn with." - Current President Ken Stone
The Shed operates as a not-for-profit, raising money to cover rent and equipment by selling handcrafted benches, sewing-machine tables, bee hotels and more at community markets. They also give back by taking on projects for locals — from building ramps for elderly residents to helping the Country Women’s Association in Richmond improve access to their hall.
But what happens inside is about much more than making things.
Mike Maher, who has been coming for six years, explains.
“It keeps me out of the pub. The atmosphere’s friendly. Some blokes come in really uptight at first, but after a while they relax, they talk. It makes a difference.” - Mike Maher
And when I visited, that difference was clear. Conversation flowed easily from tools and timber into stories about health, family, even life’s hardest knocks. Men who might once have kept those feelings bottled up were opening up — not with fanfare, but in the natural rhythm of shared work. That, perhaps, is the true magic of the Men’s Shed: the activity comes first, the friendships and connection follow.
Men of all ages are welcome at the Men’s Shed. You don’t need to know your way around a power tool to join either. As men age, it is common to lose touch with friends after retirement, increasingly depending on their partner’s social circle instead. The Shed offers something rare — a place where men can turn up, pick up a project, and end up with a community. Some paint, some build, some just share a cuppa and a biscuit. All leave with more than they arrived with.
On Saturday, November 1, the Hawkesbury Men’s Shed is opening its doors for a special community sale from 9am to noon at 23 Bosworth Street, Richmond. On offer will be second-hand, tagged power tools, saws and drills, as well as items crafted by members — from planter boxes and children’s toys, renovated outdoor furniture and more. There’ll also be tents, bric-a-brac, and plenty of bargains, alongside a sausage sizzle, coffee and tea. It’s a chance to discover firsthand how this small Richmond space is helping men stay active, purposeful and connected.
