Lyndoch Living lifestyle team leader Stephen Grigson (left) and Shane Wilson from the Warrnambool Lattes cycling group check out the facilities on offer at Lyndoch’s new men’s shed after its official opening yesterday.
MEMBERS of the Warrnambool Lattes cycling group appreciate the benefits of blokes getting together and “chewing the fat”.
They do a lot of it over a coffee after their regular fun and fitness rides together.
So when Lattes member Phil McKenzie, a maintenance manager at Lyndoch Living, suggested the group support the establishment of a men’s shed at Lyndoch, they put the wheels in motion.
Lattes spokesman Shane Wilson said the group saw the men’s shed as an opportunity for older men to enjoy the same benefits of social interaction the riders did.
The Lattes raised $10,000 towards the transformation of a former accommodation unit and garage by the Hopkins River at Lyndoch into the men’s shed, which was officially opened yesterday.
Mr Wilson said the group had gained a great response from about 20 small businesses in Warrnambool who had contributed the bulk of the group’s donation.
The refurbishment also received in-kind support from Warrnambool building and airconditioning firms.
Lyndoch Living lifestyle team leader Stephen Grigson said the number of male residents at Lyndoch was rising as men gave greater priority to their health and were living longer.
The shed was an opportunity to combat the isolated circumstances in which many elderly men lived, he said.
As well as woodwork and building projects, the Lyndoch shed would also provide, art, gardening and education in the use of technology such as the internet so people could communicate better with others in the wider community.
ehimmelreich@standard.fairfax.com.au
