Victorian Men's Shed Association

21/10/2026

What a day! 🛠️

Thank you to all the shedders and shed leaders from across Victoria who joined us for today’s VMSA Statewide Forum & AGM 2026.

Thank you to everyone who spoke today:
🎤 Our keynote speaker, David Schwarz, who spoke openly about his own experience with gambling addiction and the importance of looking after our wellbeing
🎤 The Luba Grigorovitch MP, Minister for Carers and Volunteers, with some fabulous news for shedders, more to come.
🎤 Rob Mitchell MP - Federal Labor Member for McEwen, Federal Member for McEwen and Chair of the Parliamentary Friends of Men’s Sheds
🎤 Jade Benham MP, Shadow Minister for Volunteers & Carers
🎤 Jamie Baker for Box Hill - One Nation
🎤 Debra Ong from BlazeAid, who shared the amazing work their volunteers do rebuilding fences and helping rural communities recover after natural disasters

🏆 One of the highlights was our first ever VMSA Awards! Congratulations to Paul from Orbost Men's Shed, our Champion Shed Member, and Dingley Village Men's Shed winner of the Innovation Award. A big thank you to everyone who nominated, and to board member Steve’s Shed, Men’s Shed at St. Andrews for making the awards.

A huge thank you to Greyhound Racing Victoria - GRV and The Meadows Conference & Events and CEO Scott Wuchatsch for their support, and to all of our sponsors and partners who came along to meet our shedders.

More photos and videos of the day to come!

19/10/2026

Same funding since 2012. Three times the sheds. 🛠️

Victoria’s Men’s Sheds keep men healthy, connected and giving back to their communities, but the funding hasn’t kept up. Our network has tripled in size while support has stayed at $1m a year.

We’re calling on the State Government to increase funding to $3m per annum from 2027/28, with ongoing indexation.

HOW YOU CAN HELP
Your support will help men’s sheds grow and secure their future. Share your support on our e-postcard below or put your name on a form at your local shed.

👉 https://www.vmsa.org.au/help-us-build-a-future/

18/10/2026

The Baxter Peninsula North Mens Shed rolled out the display tables at the Baxter Fire Brigade Open Day, showing the local community some of the handmade work coming out of the shed. 🛠️

The shedders were kept busy chatting with visitors about their projects and the work they do around Baxter. It was a great chance for the shed to connect with the community, and a nice reminder of how local groups back each other.

Thanks to the Baxter Fire Brigade for having the shed along 👏

12/10/2026

The Inverloch Men's Shed is buzzing on Thursday nights, with eight hall tables taking shape as part of the shed’s new eight-week furniture-making course. 🪚

Led by shedder Tim Allen, the course kicked off with a safety induction before getting into the real work: traditional joinery, tapered legs and mortise and tenon joints. Participants range from complete beginners to men dusting off skills from years gone by, and each will finish the course with a hall table they built themselves.

The course is about more than the woodwork. It is bringing new faces into the shed, with plenty of laughs, shared knowledge and the mateship that makes shed life what it is.

A great read from the South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.

Read the full article here:

The Inverloch Men’s Shed has launched an exciting eight-week furniture building course catering to all experience levels, whether participants are complete beginners or looking to dust off old skills.

09/10/2026

The Woodend Men's Shed recently received a Certificate of Appreciation from St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria for their generous donation of bags of kindling.

It is great to see the skills and efforts of shedders making a real difference to those most in need in their local community.

Well done to all involved at Woodend Men’s Shed! 🛠️

08/10/2026

🛠️ A yarn from the Shed 🛠️

Tangam-Kiewa Men's Shed have written their own yarn about the journey, from losing their home at Kiewa River Park, to a long fight led by president Jack Britton to keep the shed going, to construction now well underway on their new purpose-built home at Coulston Park.

"Good mates. Good yarns. A helping hand. And a place that welcomes you."

Have a read below. 👇

08/10/2026

Michelle Hits the Road Across the North East 🛠️🚗

Our Executive Officer Michelle has been on the road this week, visiting the Men’s Sheds at Euroa Men's Shed, Violet Town, Rutherglen Community Men's Shed, Wodonga Men's Shed, Wangaratta and Benalla.

It was a great opportunity to catch up with shedders, see the projects underway and hear firsthand what is happening across the region.

Michelle also took the opportunity to talk about our Help Us Build a Future campaign. Men’s Sheds in Victoria have been funded at the same level since 2012, despite the network tripling in size. VMSA is calling on the State Government to increase funding from $1 million to $3 million per year from 2027/28.

Here is how you can help:
🔧 Sign a support form at your local shed
🔧 Add your name to the e-postcard online: https://www.vmsa.org.au/help-us-build-a-future/

Every name counts. Stronger Men’s Sheds mean stronger communities.

08/10/2026

Attention shedders! Free training sessions available 🛠️

Justice Connect are running a series of free online training sessions designed specifically for Men's Sheds. Whether you are a committee member, coordinator or just keen to learn more about running your shed, these sessions are for you.

Upcoming sessions:

📋 Governing a Not-for-Profit Organisation — 29 October
The essentials of running your shed the right way.
https://www.vmsa.org.au/governing-a-not-for-profit-organisation/

🦺 Volunteer Safety — 12 November
Keep your shedders safe and know your responsibilities.
https://www.vmsa.org.au/volunteer-safety/

⚖️ Legal Tips for Managing Member Disputes and Board Conflict — 24 November
Practical advice for when things get tricky.
https://www.vmsa.org.au/legal-tips-for-managing-member-disputes-and-board-conflict/

🤝 Creating Positive Auspicing Relationships — 8 December
Understand how auspicing works and how to make it work for your shed.
https://www.vmsa.org.au/creating-positive-auspicing-relationships/

Spots are limited — register online now via the links.

This training is supported by the Victorian Government.

01/10/2026

📰 The September edition of Shed Talk is out now!

This bumper issue is packed with milestones, strong evidence for the movement, and everything you need to know as we head toward the election.

A few highlights:
📊 VMSA's first independent evaluation confirms Men's Sheds are essential community infrastructure
🏆 Nominations are open for the inaugural VMSA Annual Shed Awards
🪵 Celebrating 80 years of woodworking for shedder Cliff Walsh
🎉 Creswick Men's Friendship Shed celebrates 25 years

Read the full issue here:https://www.vmsa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/VMSA-Shed-Talk-SEPTEMBER-2026-1.pdf