Tony Smith (Casey, Liberal Party, Deputy Chairman , Coalition Policy Development Committee) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last week I had the pleasure of visiting Ben's Shed in Yarra Junction. Ben's Shed, like many men's sheds across our community, operates on an informal basis throughout the week for a varied age group of local men who work together, talk together, support each other and in doing so contribute greatly to the local community. Ben's Shed is a fixture of the Yarra Junction community. As well as working on furniture and other woodwork products, they play an important role in teaching local schoolchildren throughout the Yarra Valley some of the craft that they perform. Schools including Gladysdale Primary School, Wesburn, Launching Place, Woori Yallock and Millwarra will visit this wonderful community facility on a regular basis.

I want to pay tribute to all of the locals who participate in Ben's Shed: the president, Richard Greenlees; the vice president, Bob Finch; the secretary, Rob Barber; the Treasurer, David Leslie; and all the other members I met last week when I was in Yarra Junction with my mobile office. It was great to drop in and see them. I had the pleasure—and I know the member for Dunkley will welcome this—of having lunch with them on hot dog day in Yarra Junction.