The group celebrated its tenth year on the site at Sanctuary Point on Wednesday, December 13.

As recipients of the Woolworths Vincentia community morning tea, volunteers gathered to enjoy a treat and celebrate the occasion. 

The Bay and Basin Men’s Shed is part of Bay & Basin Community Resource and boasts around 60 volunteers. 

It involves a range of community members in its activities, with school children, disability groups, aged care groups and radio participants involved in many parts of the facility. 

The shed recently hosted students from Falls Creek Public School, Vincentia Public School and Sanctuary Point Public School. 

Sanctuary Point children helped create an outdoor seating bench which will feature in the Year 6 playground. 

The shed is set to expand its operations soon, after Bay & Basin Community Resource recently bought 2.5 acres behind the site. 

Volunteers have been working with a local artist to create 12 different murals featuring local birdlife.

The murals will be visible from the road and will be set on rotating frames so that they can be continually updated. 

The Bay and Basin Community Resource Work for the Dole groups also proved to be a highlight for the Men’s Shed in 2017. 

From creating garden beds to building the new ‘Bay and Basin Chook Resort’, workers helped improve the facility and picked up valuable skills along the way. 

Steve Collins, program support worker, said the initiative was successful. 

“We had people coming with little skills, to now being able to create these amazing things,” he said. 

“It was a great activity and it generated a lot of interest. It also gave them a diversity in skills.” 

Mr Collins said in just 26 weeks, workers helped create permanent garden beds overflowing with fresh produce, chook pens, permanent fencing and more. 

“It’s a wonderful community asset now,” he said. 

Program participants graduated a fortnight ago, with homemade pizzas served up using the site’s pizza oven and own produce. 

The Bay and Basin Men’s Shed is located at 18 Sanctuary Point Rd, Sanctuary Point (Just down from the hardware store) 

The sheds opening hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 9am-3.30pm and Friday from 9am-12pm.

If you are interested in supporting the shed or becoming a volunteer contact the Community Services Project Officer on 4443 7681.