The will hold its first general meeting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, May 29 in the Burn鈥檚 Lake Curling lounge. On the agenda for the first meeting, finding a permanent location.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to strike a committee to find an actual Men鈥檚 Shed,鈥� said Darryl Hutcheon. He is one of the three volunteer directors for 亚洲天堂 Lake Men鈥檚 Shed, along with Mark McLoughlin and Linda Uchacz.

Men鈥檚 Shed is a non-profit group that provides supportive and inclusive spaces for men to foster community through skill-sharing, shop activities and community projects. The 亚洲天堂 Lake chapter will be the fifty-first Men鈥檚 Shed in the province. 鈥淪heds鈥� can be anywhere, but Hutcheon said the best locations have two things in common.

鈥淎 men鈥檚 shed is centered on, basically a tool room and a coffee bar associated with it,鈥� Hutcheon said. In Fraser Lake, the Men鈥檚 Shed is located inside of a store.

There are a variety of activities offered on the Men鈥檚 Shed webpage, but Hutcheon said it鈥檚 the camaraderie that鈥檚 important in places like 亚洲天堂 Lake.

鈥淚t鈥檚 an aging population,鈥� Hutcheon said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 for the later generation. Guys have some place to go and something to do.鈥�

The focus for each Men鈥檚 Shed is different, but community projects are common. Hutcheon said that some chapters do volunteer repairs. In Fraser Lake they run a yard sale with restored donations.

鈥淚n Vanderhoof they build rafts for the lake shore,鈥� Hutcheon said.

亚洲天堂 Lake Men鈥檚 Shed will strike a second committee at it鈥檚 first meeting on May 29, to apply for grant funding that could help with finding a permanent location.

鈥淲e鈥檝e actually received about $2,000 worth of equipment from Vanderhoof,鈥� Hutcheon said. 鈥淲e need some place to plug it in.鈥�

HelpAge Canada has already provided some start up funding for the 亚洲天堂 Lake Men鈥檚 Shed Society.

Hutcheon said Mayor Henry Wiebe was instrumental in bringing Men鈥檚 Shed to 亚洲天堂 Lake. Wiebe contacted Jan Fennema, President of the about setting up the first meeting. Wiebe also found the temporary space for hosting meetings at the Curling Lounge.

Wiebe took a moment to thank the volunteers who helped open the Burn鈥檚 Lake Men鈥檚 Shed Society during Thursday鈥檚 committee meeting for the Regional District of Bulkley Nechako (RDBN).

Men鈥檚 Shed was started in Australia in 1998, but traces its roots to similar organizations in the 1970鈥檚 and 鈥�80鈥檚. The Australian Men鈥檚 Shed Association reports that today there are over 2,500 Men鈥檚 Shed locations around the world.

鈥淭he feeling there was that the old man felt best in his shed,鈥� Hutcheon said. 鈥淲e used that as a sort of starting point.鈥�

For more information about starting a Men鈥檚 Shed, or joining an existing shed, visit the Men鈥檚 Shed Association of British Columbia webpage.

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