Midland Men’s Shed president Dave Savage said the ‘shedders’ had found a temporary home until a new facility was built with the Cornwell House Association.
“Events seem to be moving quickly,” he said.
The men went to Parliament House on August 24 for a morning tea with Ms Hayden.
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READ NOW“After negotiating with the City of Swan she has secured an agreement whereby Midland Men’s Shed will finally be given a temporary home for our Shed,” Mr Savage said.
“It will be in a building at the end of Swan Avenue, Midvale, which is presently occupied by a dance group which is anxious to move.
“The City is willing to assist them and Ms Hayden said we should be in possession of the building in six weeks time.”
Mr Savage said the group was very excited about the prospect of getting a new home after six years in temporary accommodation at the Uniting Church Hall on Great Eastern Highway in Bellevue.
Mr Savage said several members had a quick look at the outside of the building and agreed it would be suitable for the group’s needs.
“I am aware that we have had many false starts over the past six years but this is the closest we have come so far,” he said.
“If things work out well there will be a lot of work to do and expenses to bear.”
Mr Savage said it was the biggest thing to happen to the Men’s Shed in its history.
A rapid increase in members at the Midland Men’s Shed meant the original site proposed for a shed would be too small to accommodate the group properly.
The City of Swan has worked with the group to identify a range of local community groups in need of workshop facilities to form the Cornwell House Association.
This association includes the Midland Men’s Shed, the Machinery Preservation club, the Hand Tool Preservation Society, the WA Book Binders Guild, the CWA Midland Branch, Artifactory and Bicycles for Humanity.
City of Swan acting chief executive Jim Coten said Midland Brick/Boral Group had been very supportive, providing equipment and materials for the development project.
“The new facility is being designed to accommodate more than 30 community groups, with additional storage space being considered to address the increasing number of community groups emerging over time to provide an enhanced lifestyle for the City and region,” he said.
Mr Coten said that while the planning work was underway, the City had been actively lobbying the State and Federal governments for funding contributions towards the project.