Collgar Wind Farm site superintendent Barry Sayers and stakeholder manager Carmen Hantar present the $50,000 cheque to Merredin Men’s Shed Jim Flockart.
MERREDIN Men’s Shed members will finally get to build their shed after Collgar Wind Farm donated $50,000 towards the project.
Collgar Wind Farm’s chief executive Mike Gilmore and stakeholder manager Carmen Hantar visited the men’s ‘currently loaned’ shed site to present the $50,000 cheque.
Collgar Community Fund
Ms Hantar said the Collgar Wind Farm had a genuine interest in building the capacity of the communities in which they operated.
“A grants committee has been appointed to assess all applications and determine how best to allocate funds and in-kind contributions to maximise benefits for communities in the Merredin region,” she said.
“Any proposals put forth require the endorsement of the Shire of Merredin to ensure the community’s best interests are met as the main priority.”
The men themselves have also worked hard on a large number of handyman projects to raise money to build the shed, in addition to collecting and restoring vintage machinery for later display as a tourist attraction in and around the new shed.
Merredin Men’s Shed secretary Bev Flockart said they had also collected kitchen cupboards, a sink, stove and cook top which are stored till the new shed is ready to equip.
“We also have a cropping programme on the go in order to raise more funds for the project,” she said.
The men’s shed first external funding was $10,000 from the Westpac Foundation after Merredin manager Kerry Kretschmer put forward a proposal to Westpac.
Last month Lotterywest donated a $150,000 grant and the Merredin Shire Council has set aside the land for the shed within the recreation ground precinct, budgeted at $50,000 toward completion of the shed and $23,000 for site works.
Another main benefactor has been M and B Geier and Sons Contracting who have generously loaned to the men, free of charge, one of their rear sheds.
“This generosity has lasted just on two years, without the use of this shed, our Men’s Shed organisation would possibly not have been able to function as well as it has,” Mrs Flockart said.
Now the Men’s Shed will look at appointing a shed builder and consulting with the Merredin Shire development services team.
