Our History

The opportunity to establish a Men’s Shed at the Showgrounds is an exceptional concept because of its location and proximity to the railway station and in an area of high-density accommodation.  
 

​Since 2016 four Western Suburbs Rotary Clubs had been planning a Men’s Shed in the area but were unable to secure a suitable site.  
 

Progress accelerated when a meeting was organised with Peter Cooper, the CEO of the Royal Agricultural Society and Trevor Gorey, the Rotary Club of Dalkeith’s representative on the Men’s Shed Planning Committee.  As it happened, the incoming RAS President had set a goal of starting a Men’s Shed on the Showgrounds precinct.
 

​The former Farm Animal Kingdom pavilion was offered by the RAS as the Shed site is ideal in terms of its size and location. 
 

With professional engineering and architectural talent tapped from within the Rotary Clubs, a development plan was drawn up to make the pavilion suitable for the Men’s Shed. 
 

​A Steering Committee comprising representative from six Rotary Clubs being Dalkeith, Nedlands, Crawley, Matilda Bay, West Perth, Bay View / Claremont and Western Endeavour, has taken responsibility for the project. 
 

​The Showgrounds Shed was incorporated as The Showgrounds Community Men’s Shed Inc. and the supporting Rotary Clubs have provided Seed Capital for the establishing costs of the new entity.
 

​A formal lease was agreed in March 2019 for a twenty-year period at a nominal annual rental and the Shed was officially opened on February 27th 2020 by the Premier and local dignitaries. 
 

The Beginnings

These pictures were taken whilst the Shed and Workshop were being renovated.

The Before

 

The Shed Garden At a Glance

The Before

These pictures were taken at the commencement and early stages of the Garden Revitalization project

 

The During

These pictures were taken during the Garden Revitalization project

 

and ready for Opening

These pictures were taken after the completion of the Garden Revitalization project

Some Facts about the Shed Garden

• Approx 180 sq meters of area
• Approx 140 sq meters of free pavers picked up from surrounding suburbs over a 6 week period
• Project completed in approx 12 weeks by a dedicated group of 7 guys and a Contract Paver
• All potted plants were sourced privately
• The Bicycle Workshop shares the Garden Area
• All Reticulation is serviced by the Showgrounds Bore

  "Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success."

  – Henry Ford