Samford Area
Mens Shed

What’s The Men’s Shed All About?

The Samford Area Men's Shed extends an open invitation to all men, young and old, to drop in to our Shed to meet the men and see what this Men’s Shed is all about.

Our shed has been operating in the Samford area for more than ten years and has developed into a place where men can meet and enjoy each other’s friendship and company and in a safe and accepting environment.

The Shed not only boasts a fully equipped workshop where skilled and unskilled men can work together on creative projects but also offers other activities such as art, photography, social events and community projects as well.

Tuesday mornings are a special time for the men at Samford Area Men’s Shed. This is the day that the men get together for their weekly meeting. We call it a ‘Talk-fest’. The men start arriving at about 9am and spend time, just chatting over a cup of coffee, tea, a ‘bikkie’ or two and even baskets of fresh fruit.

This is the best day to come along to the Shed to meet the men and see what goes on.

The Shed is located at the far end of Showgrounds Drive in Highvale. Just turn left in through the gates near the high voltage electricity tower. The Shed is usually open on Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm.

You can also follow us on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080676183375

Men’s Sheds have long been recognised for their demonstrated success in contributing to improvements in male health and wellness by reducing social isolation and increasing social engagement and connectedness. Maintaining strong social connections is vital for good mental health; so isolation and loneliness are serious problems. Sheds provide men with a safe, male-friendly environment for men to come together and have a meaningful purpose, to share experiences and sometimes share their problems.

Although Men’s Shed are most commonly known for hosting back yard shed activities such as woodworking and metal working – there are a lot of other things going on as well.

At Samford Area Men’s Shed – affectionally known as ‘SAMS’ – there is a whole range of other activities on offer.

Let’s look back at some of the activities and events that have been happening at ‘SAMS’ in the last year or so.

For years, ‘SAMS’ trudged along with a slow and cumbersome internet connection. Frustration gave way to a longing for a better, faster internet connection.

It was quite a few months in the inception, planning and installation – but in October 2024, we connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN). Now, the men at ‘SAMS’ are connected to the World and can access information, ideas and inspiration from everywhere.

It might surprise you to know that the Shed has a core group of keen members who enjoy going to concerts and live theatre. In October, the Concert Group went to see the live performance of ‘Wicked’ and none were disappointed by the experience! There will be many events like this planned in 2025!

In September, those men who have a keen and intense love of racing cars decided that the place to be would have to be the Dick Johnson Museum and Workshop.  The number who were eager to go far exceeded the number who could actually fit in. Not to worry – there are more visits planned for the future.

After months of planning, preparation and construction, the new central dust extraction system (aka ‘Slim’) was set to work!  The inclusion of ‘Slim’ in the Shed environment has not only resulted in a huge decluttering of the Woodies workshop but has also facilitated a cleaner and safer place for the men to work

In September, the Woodies took delivery of their new Vicmarc 150 lathe - a small but modern lather which complements its neighbouring bigger brothers and will add to the capacity of the enthusiastic wood turning group.

The Steelies are really chuffed with their new Unimig Viper 30 computer aided plasma cutter. The men are now busily cutting out all manner of shapes, designs and decorations in readiness for Christmas and other fund raising events that happen during the year.

Samford Area Men’s Shed have a group of Mad Keen Photographers!

The photographic group aka: The Shutterbugs meets every Monday morning at 9am to talk all things photographic. There are days when The Shutterbugs don’t meet at the Shed but rather go out into the big wide world to take photographs of anything and everything moving or standing still.

Samford Area Men’s Shed also have a dedicated cohort of very talented visual artists. The ‘SAMS’ artists have been creating some very notable works of art, some of which has received awards at the Samford Show (and further afield) and also attracted the attention of purchasers of art.

Samford Area Men’s Shed is promotes the mental and physical wellbeing of all the men. One way this is achieved is by facilitating a Walking Group.

If you happen to see a group of men walking around Samford Downs and having way too much fun, it is likely to be SAMS Walking Group. Each Tuesday before our morning tea get together a group of members go for a walk with the intention of improving their health and enjoying the company of their mates. The size of the group and the route taken varies but one thing is certain, they are better for the experience.

Volunteering at the BBQ at Bunnings Keperra is a lot of fun and the money raised supports the various Shed activities. Over the years we have developed a good relationship with Bunnings and we look forward to it continuing. A big thanks goes out to all members who help out on the two or three days which are scheduled each year and especially to our hardworking co-ordinator Darryl James who makes each event run smoothly.

2025

The Village Pump 14/02/2025 by SDPPA - Giles

The Village Pump 31/01/25 by SDPPA - Bob

2024

The Village Pump 13/12/2024 by SDPPA - Neil

The Village Pump 29/11/2024 by SDPPA - Brendan

The Village Pump 15/11/2024 by SDPPA - Dave

The Village Pump 01/11/2024 by SDPPA - Dearsie

The Village Pump 18/10/2024 by SDPPA - Les

The Village Pump 04/10/2024 by SDPPA - John

The Village Pump 20/9/2024 by SDPPA - Mike

The Village Pump 06/9/2024 by SDPPA – George

The Village Pump 23/8/2024 by SDPPA - Garry

The Village Pump 9/8/2024 by SDPPA- Ron

The Village Pump 26/7/2024 by SDPPA - Fraser

The Village Pump 12/7/2024 by SDPPA - Jeff

The Village Pump 28/06/24 by SDPPA - John

The Village Pump 14/06/24 by SDPPA - Bevan

The Village Pump 31/05/24 by SDPPA - Graham

The Village Pump 17/05/24 by SDPPA - Diggers

The Village Pump 3/05/24 by SDPPA - Ken

The Village Pump 19/04/24 by SDPPA - Ron

The Village Pump 05/04/24 by SDPPA - Brian

The Village Pump 22/03/24 by SDPPA - Rob

The Village Pump 08/03/24 by SDPPA - Jim

The Village Pump 23/02/24 by SDPPA - Mort

The Village Pump 09/02/24 by SDPPA - Robert

The Men's Shed has many woodwork, steelwork and art articles for sale.  Whether they be utilitarian or aesthetic, we may have something that's just right for you.  

Also... Christmas is rapidly approaching and our members are hard at work making decorations and toys to delight children and adults alike! !

And if we don't have exactly what you need/want on hand, there's a group of very experienced craftsmen available who will no doubt be able to custom make that special item.

In addition, we regularly get enquiries and commissions from local residents for the restoration of much loved furniture, and even repair/refurbishment of large steel items such as trailers.

In 2022 a company called Simply Stories approached our SHED to do a short video on the Men Shed and what we do. 

This is the result and we hope it inspires all men to get out and get to know others in their community.

Click on this link to view the video.    Simply Stories

SAMS is happy to pitch in and help our community when the opportunity arises. For several years now SAMS members have assisted the Samford Riding for the Disabled by bagging horse manure which is then sold to raise funds. The team is aptly referred to as the 'Poo Patrol'.

SAMS history covering the period 2011 - 2015 is now in the "Members" section. Dennis Arnold has done a wonderful job of compiling information about our formative years and it makes for very interesting reading.