The area of Crown land - next to Taree Boy Scouts’ headquarters and near Woolla Road - will house what will be a manufacturing and meeting space for the activities of the 24 ‘shedders’, as well as office space and a connecting breezeway.

It will be the organisation’s first real home in its five year history, having enjoyed the goodwill of a community-minded property owner who offered space in the former Peters Creameries complex in Taree’s Railway Parade for the whole of its five years.

An architect is currently preparing plans for the purpose-built shed, and a development application is expected to go to Greater Taree City Council shortly.

Manning River Men’s Shed Inc chairperson Jim Wills and committee member Len Keogh said it’s an exciting time for their members, who have been fundraising for their own shed for most of the five years.

Work is expected to start early in the new year, they said, with the organisation hopeful of receiving a funding boost from its current application to the NSW Government Building Partnerships scheme.

Manning River Men’s Shed Inc meets Mondays and Wednesdays at 12 Railway Parade, between 10am and 3pm where members continue to work on their main project of wheelchairs for people who have lost limbs due to land mines in war-torn countries.

Using discarded bicycle wheels and other components, the men assemble the chairs which are distributed to needy countries overseas by Rotary.

Other projects currently underway at the Men’s Shed include the assembly of rocking horses for young children.

The group is auspiced with AMSA, the Australian Men’s Shed Association which has over 370 member sheds around Australia.

In the local area alone, there are existing and emerging AMSA sheds at Taree, Wingham, Forster Gloucester, Laurieton, Kendall and in the Hastings.

The movement has been involved at various levels in consultation with the government in its pursuit of a National Men’s Health Policy.