The establishment of the first Traditional Owners Men’s Shed in Greater Shepparton is under way, with the project receiving significant support from community groups and council.
The local First Nations community has been trying to get a Men’s Shed going for more than four years, Uncle Ruben Baksh said.
Uncle Ruben is a Yorta Yorta man, and conducts walks on The Flats — a significant cultural site that became home to many Yorta Yorta people escaping institutional abuse at Cummeragunja.
Uncle Ruben said not enough had meaningfully been done to help First Nations people in the region, and City of Greater Shepparton Mayor Kim O’Keeffe coming on board to fast track this project was a step in the right direction towards reconciliation.
The initiative has been included in the Mooroopna Community Action Plan, with an objective to start a ‘Yiyirr Nitel’, which in the Yorta Yorta language means ‘men’s gathering’.
The focus of the First Nations Men’s Shed will be slightly different than traditional Men’s Sheds, with this facility focusing on local Traditional Owners arts and culture.
The idea is to create a cultural space where Elders can come together and mentor young people, connecting the generations and ensuring First Nations culture and traditions continue.
“The Elders will come along and have a cup of tea and get together and mentor the young men,” Uncle Ruben said.
“Our young men in the community, there is a few of them that have got nowhere to go, (so) they can come here and get support from their Elders.”
The Men’s Shed will not only work with First Nations youth, Uncle Ruben said, but all young people, bringing in school groups to teach the next generations about local First Nations culture.
“That’s what it’s all about, community,” he said.
The current location that is being surveyed for the Men’s Shed is behind KidsTown and The Connection function centre, and has a close proximity to The Flats.
However, Cr O’Keeffe said there was no guarantee that the site being surveyed would be approved, in which case they would look for an alternative site.
Mooroopna Men’s Shed president Severin Duhring said members were committed to supporting the establishment of the First Nations Men’s Shed in “any way we can”.
“We just thought it was a great opportunity to work with the Aboriginal community, getting the youth and the elderly all working together and bringing them to a spiritual place,” he said.
“They’ve got The Flats just across the road, they've got school buses turning up with kids, and they can work with those kids and teach them the history that’s here.”
Mr Duhring is also a member of the Mooroopna Kiwanis Club, which will support the First Nations Men’s Shed members to get their art out into the community, showcasing and exhibiting their works in murals across Greater Shepparton.