Background

Background About Us

New Peninsula Men’s Shed (Mount Martha), hereafter referred to as ‘The Shed’, is a rapidly growing community based organisation and facility operating in Mount Martha on the Mornington Peninsula.

The Shed was originally formed in 2014 and was officially opened in June 2015 by the Hon. Greg Hunt (MP for the federal electorate of Flinders).

The Shed is affiliated with the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA), the Victorian Men’s Shed Association (VMSA), is an active partner with the Mornington Peninsula Men’s Shed Network (MPMSN) and works closely with the Mornington Peninsula Shire (MPS).

The Shed is independent and is located on land owned by New Peninsula Baptist Church Inc. (NPBC Inc.). NPBC Inc. is an incorporated ‘not for profit’ organisation which provides auspicing support and facilities, utilities & services used by The Shed.  Although there is a close working relationship between the Shed and NPBC Inc. the Shed operates on an ‘arm’s length’ basis with an Auspicing Agreement, a Lease Agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place.

The Shed operates as a ‘not for profit’ organisation.  It maintains its own rules and is responsible for its own governance and financing through the Shed Management committee who are elected by the members.

Membership of the Shed is open to all men in the community and the management committee work hard to keep the annual fees as low as possible.  The Shed understands that it offers the lowest yearly subscription of any shed on the Peninsula.  For any member who is troubled by the fee, it is waived altogether.

Our members live across the Peninsula from Frankston to Rosebud with less than 25% of the members living in the immediate Mt Martha area.

The Shed is heavily committed to community service work and its’ programmes and activities reflect this with support being given to a large number of ‘not for profit’ community voluntary organisations around the Mornington Peninsula area.

The Shed commenced in 2014 with 17 members and has rapidly grown to 65 members in December 2017 (Ed. understood to be 75 currently).  There is currently no cap on member numbers.  However the current Shed space is not capable of accommodating all members on the days the shed is open.  The Committee is currently working to fund and construct a new building that will ultimately provide capacity to accommodate projected members of up to 200
(Ed.  This building is now beyond lockup stage with the internal fit out and surrounding grounds beautification already underway.  The expected completion date for this should be before the end of 2019.  In the meantime, while many members are engaged in completing the fit out, others are continuing to carry out projects using the old Shed accommodation.).


Mission Statement

Our mission is to support our members by providing them with a safe, creative and friendly environment in which they can improve their physical and mental well-being and their sense of self-worth gained by doing work for others and through the ability to form close friendships with other men.


Vision
  • Our vision is to support the health and well-being of men who reside in the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston region.

Values and Key Strategies to Achieve Them
  • To provide a facility where members feel comfortable and where they can socialize, use their practical skills and learn new ones to contribute to the community, leading to enrichment of their physical and mental health and well-being.

The specific values and key strategies of the Shed are to support the general welfare needs of men of all ages and backgrounds in the Mornington Peninsula and Frankston region.  This will be achieved by:

    1. Providing a welcoming environment where men can attend and interact with others in a supportive manner.
    2. Operating our shed with an atmosphere of trust, comradeship, support and good will ensuring that men’s physical, emotional, and mental needs are met.
    3. Expanding the activities on offer to cater for member’s needs.
    4. Providing a venue for social interaction among members.
    5. Developing a culture that will provide opportunities, assistance, information, and support to members.
    6. Caring for our men’s welfare through a welfare team (includes a confidante) who oversee and monitor needs, sickness and the celebration of members birthdays and special events.
    7. Providing a safe and practical environment for men to meet, make social connections and actively participate in various community events.
    8. Conducting regular surveys of members’ interests and so identify the possibilities available to the shed.
    9. Monitoring member feedback about the number of community events participated in.
    10. Providing support to other Men’s Sheds set up in Mornington Peninsula and Frankston area and participating as a partner in the local network of Men’s Sheds.