Dan Tehan (Wannon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

Mr Deputy Speaker Scott, can I join the member for Braddon in acknowledging you and congratulating you for your ascension to the throne of Deputy Speaker in the parliament.

It is an honour which is well deserved, and congratulations.

Can I speak today on the Portland Men's Shed. I had the honour of going and visiting them recently, and I would just like to take this opportunity here in the House to take my hat off to them and to commend them for the excellent job that they are doing in the reasonably difficult circumstances of establishing their own Men's Shed. Like I said at the time, I would love to support them in going into a permanent place where they can really seek to develop their shed. In particular, I would like to acknowledge Gerry Leonard, the president, Greg Bevan, the vice president, Wayne Earl, the secretary and committee members Geoff Kerr, Sam Robbin, John Smith, Keith Mackenzie and George Bryant.

As the member for Wannon, I get to visit a lot of wonderful community groups. The Portland Men's Shed is up there with all the others that I have visited. They have turned their shed from what were really the change rooms of the old abattoir at Portland into a facility which they can call home and be very proud of. They are doing great work within the shed. They are bringing people together; they are bringing men together so that they can talk about the issues that they confront, especially as they age. I must say that it was a memorable visit for me because I was able to hear firsthand about how the coming together under the roof of the shed has enabled people to talk about issues which otherwise they would not have been able to do. One of the members was able to pull me aside and say how he had been battling with depression, but that the Men's Shed had enabled him to get out of his house, to get amongst friends and to talk about the issues that he had been going through. That is what the Men's Sheds are all about, and it is fantastic to see that Portland has a shed equal to those across the country.

I would also like to thank them for the very generous gifts they gave me: the handmade wooden birdhouse which I now have at home, as well as the sign welcoming people inside my house. To the Portland Men's Shed: keep up the great work.

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