The Toowoomba West Men’s Shed has given older men a sense of worth, mateship and strengthened the community for the past 10 years.

Retired mental health worker Murray Trewavas founded the Toowoomba West Men’s Shed in 2013 as a way to help combat the shockingly high rate of suicide in men aged over 85.

New president Rob Heading said the shed recently received a grant to replace their ageing tools and equipment.

“We will be purchasing a heavy-duty timber thickness planer so we can recycle more pallet wood as new timber is extremely expensive to buy now,” Mr Heading said.

“We will be servicing our old gear to on-sell and generate some money. What can’t be sold will be stripped down and recycled,” he said.

“We will donate the money to the Women’s Shed and the Lions Club so other organisations can benefit from our windfall.”

Member for Toowoomba South David Janetzki MP said men’s sheds played a vital role in helping older men regain a sense of purpose in life and enjoy mateship which was often lost after retirement.

“We know that men don’t always like to talk face-to-face so here they can work shoulder-to-shoulder on meaningful projects in the company of other men,” Mr Janetzki said.

“Their handiwork is evident throughout the Toowoomba community including handcrafted wooden toys at our hospitals, buddy benches in our schools and furniture for our charity groups,” he said.

“And then when it’s tools down for morning tea, there is plenty of chatter, laughter and a few tall tales.”

The Toowoomba West Men’s Shed is currently building 150 nesting boxes for birds and possums which local environmental group HOPE will distribute free-of-charge to landcare groups in the region.

The shed is located on Glenvale Road and is open from 9am to midday on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.