On Monday, a formal agreement to lease the men’s shed land was signed by members of the men’s shed steering committee and the Australian Rural Education Centre (AREC). And, before long, the excited boys were driving the stakes into the ground to show where the concrete slab would be laid.

Chairman of the men’s shed steering committee, Andrew Whale said Monday was an historic day.

“The journey to get to this point began more than 12 months ago and it’s great to have it all agreed to by signing the agreement (on Monday).

“AREC has been very supportive through the whole process,” he said.

Mr Whale pointed out that this would be the first purpose-built men’s shed in the state.

“Doing it this way means you can custom design it and make it more user friendly.

“The final design for the Mudgee shed separates clean from dirty areas and satisfies everyone’s needs.”

Local builder Greg Toole has been on the steering committee since its inception and will act as supervisor/coordinator on the project.

“It’s a real team effort and builders, carpenters, electricians and plumbers will all be donating their time during the construction phase,” Mr Whale said.

Steve Garland said AREC had indicated interest in the project 12 months ago as it believed it was ideally suited to fulfill the needs of the project.

“AREC is only two kilometres from town and is on a regular bus route servicing TAFE.

“We also run a scope of other projects out here so men’s shed participants can become involved in a range of activities such as vineyard management.

“In addition, there is the annual Small Farm Field Days which will provide a great opportunity for the men’s shed to get the message out to a large number of people about the importance of managing men’s mental health issues.

“Further, this has the potential to lead to a vast range of fund-raising opportunities and to highlight this important issue on an annual basis.

“This is exactly the right place for the project and it’s a great project.

“It’s the perfect marriage between community organisations,” he said.