Old golf course tools go to Cockburn Community Men’s Shed

Scrap metal, old tools and bits of timber from the former Glen Iris Golf Course are all set to get a new lease on life thanks to the Cockburn Community Men’s Shed.

Skilled at repurposing, recycling, restoring and re-using, a group of Men’s Shed volunteers have collected a wide variety of materials and equipment from the old maintenance shed at the site.

Donated by the Glen Iris Estate project team, their haul includes a welding machine, engine crane, drop-saw, grinders, wooden rake handles and steel frames.

The 85 members of the Cockburn Community Men’s Shed will use the materials and equipment across a variety of projects and hobbies, from creating furniture, ‘junk art’ and wacky inventions, to making swings and seating for community-based initiatives.

Scott Cavanagh, from Cockburn Community Men’s Shed, said the group was delighted to have been invited to take its pick from such a large and varied selection of items.

“The wooden rake handles, for example, will likely be used in children’s swings, while the steel poles could well be turned into table legs,” Mr Cavanagh said.

“Having an extra welding machine means more members will be able to learn metalworking skills.”

There are more than 1,000 Men’s Sheds registered with the Australian Men’s Shed Association, giving men, especially those who are retired or semi-retired, a sense of purpose and self-esteem, and encouraging improved physical health and mental wellbeing.

Jarrod Rendell, Principal of Acumen Development Solutions, said the Glen Iris Estate project team was pleased to have been able to donate the tools and materials to such a worthwhile cause.

“We have no doubt that what seems like a random collection of metal, machinery, tools and timber will be put to very good use,” Mr Rendell said.

The Cockburn Community Men’s Shed has even found a home in the Wheatbelt for a 17-year-old, engine-less tractor that had been languishing in the maintenance shed.

The broken-down vehicle is set to be brought back to life by a Cuballing Men’s Shed member who restores old tractors.