Gyprock plasterboard and Cemintel wallboard provided the internal lining for the office, kitchen and toilets. The shed will provide a vital community role and is due to open in late 2018.

It was a long, exhaustive effort by community leader Brian Lindfield to see the project get off the ground. After all, he says, it’s something he knows the Cooloola community desperately needs. “When you go out and you talk to people in the community, you hear the same stories,” he says, “There are a lot of retired servicemen and women in Cooloola, and one of the things I’m told regularly is that they need something to get them out of the house.”

The shed will include disabled bathroom facilities, a first aid room which includes a hospital bed and a defibrillator, a recreation/training room, workshop, commercial kitchen and undercover outdoor area. It encourages locals of all walks of life to come together and get productive, with many across the region (and state) often suffering in silence. The taboos surrounding mental health, particularly amongst men, in the region can be difficult to dismantle.

Beyond its immediate use as a men’s shed, Brian also added that because it is being built to modern cyclone standards, the shed could also double as an emergency shelter in the event of a natural disaster.

“THE ELECTRICITY SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO BE SELF-SUFFICIENT, MEANING WE’LL HAVE ACCESS TO POWER IF THE MAIN GRID SHOULD IT HAPPEN TO GO DOWN. WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK GYPROCK AND CEMINTEL FOR THEIR KIND SUPPORT OF A PROJECT LOCATED INA REGIONAL COMMUNITY FULL OF SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN.”


Winter 2018