The group currently meets most working mornings; our main meeting is at 10.00am on Thursdays. Akoonah Park Men's Shed was first established at a meeting organised by JOHN BYRON, retired Councillor and active member in the local Berwick Community along with JACK RAE of the Akoonah Park Committee of Management. On Sunday the 29th of April 2012 he called a meeting of likeminded men, and that marked the beginning of the Akoonah Park Men’s Shed. John was our first President, many of those 28 who attended the first meeting are still members today, sadly John passed away. Humble beginnings, we started with a broken-down steel shed that needed a lot of TLC. It was leased to us by the Akoonah Park Committee of Management, along with the plot of land on which the Shed stood. In the initial months we received many items of furniture, tools, etc to help us establish the shed. Men volunteered their time and with a lot of effort and hard work the renovations took place and they finished the shed to an acceptable standard. The membership at our shed grew rapidly, and it was not long before it became apparent that we needed more room. Akoonah Park Committee of Management approved the erection on an adjoining shed which now houses our hobby room, metal workshop, and our blacksmiths shop. This was all fitted out by the men, with much of the material generously donated by members and local businesses. By 2016 we had 178 members. The committee at the time became aware of the need for a recreation room, extra toilets. These amenities were needed as some men are not hands on people and more leisure / recreational areas with games facilities were needed. Here again with the approval of the Akoonah Park Management, permission was granted to construct the new extension. Money was raised via grants, the main one being a Federal Government Grant for the basic structure. Both Casey and Cardinia Hotel, approved allocation of funds for toilets, heating and air conditioning. Shed members raised the balance, enabling a new, and quality kitchen to be installed. Many shed members provided the labour and expertise to complete the extension in December 2016. We encourage all men to come and visit our Shed. You are welcome to come along and have a look, talk, and have a cup of coffee. If you decide to join, we have a once off joining fee and an annual membership fee; which is reviewed every year. We are open five days a week from around 9am to about 12pm. Thursday is strictly our social day with a hot meal served at lunch. The Shed is proudly affiliated with the Victorian Men’s Shed Association (VMSA).
