Cobram Men’s Shed a place to escape for men and women

“If you have any ailments, you can talk about them. If you want to do work, you can. If you want to do nothing, you can sit in the lunch room and drink coffee and have a chat in there,” he said.

The shed is located at 43-45 Punt Rd and according to Mr Bailey, the name is somewhat of a misnomer.

“It’s a place for people, both men and women, to gather. Not just men,” he said.

For those wishing to work, the Men’s Shed has a wide range of carpentry tools for members to lose themselves with as they build various items.

“We make signs, clocks, prams — anything you want. We have a window at the Bendigo Bank and at the optometrist where we put all our finished products,” Mr Bailey said.

According to Mr Bailey, the shed is particularly popular with the older generations.

“We have a lot of elderly who come here. They have nowhere else to go and they like to get away... People who don’t want to be stuck home can come out and have a chat and socialise with others,” he said.

Despite the appeal to older people, Mr Bailey is keen to emphasise the shed is open to all ages.

“Doesn’t matter about the age. You can be 20 and still come,” he said.

The group meets weekdays between 9am and noon, and the shed prides itself as an place of refuge from the stresses of life.

“It’s an outlet from stress, as people can talk about what problems they are facing in a safe and non-judgmental environment,” Mr Bailey said.

For anyone thinking about joining, new members are given three free visits without obligation to sign up.

Should they wish to join after that, membership costs $70 annually and includes everything from use of the tools to coffee and biscuits.

“Just come along and just have a look. You get three visits for free and there is no obligation to join,” Mr Bailey said.