World’s First WA Marine Men’s Shed
The Randall 42 edwin abbott”is the first registered mens shed in the world and will carry a crew of 12, with two other smaller boats will be working up rivers and waterways around Perth as well as Fremantle Rockingham and Mandurah, helping to provide information to the public and communities, and of course our children! To help them understand the problems that the invasive species are causing now and in the future, the marine shed will perform different tasks and liaise with the scientific dept of the fisheries for advice and information on the outlaw species. While the collection of this data will be helpful to the dept of fisheries, we are also very happy to get the chance to help out Recfish in their efforts to preserve and regenerate our reefs for a sustainable future.
From its new home in the fishing boat harbour Fremantle .the Edwin Abbott ,will be taking part in practical , research while helping participants deal with a range of mental health, issues such as depression, and PSTD,. The first marine mens shed will run a number of half day trips for research of interaction with dolphins and autism. So the sheds primary goal is r e- engage some of the old salts, these are the men from the marine side of our workforce, whom to date have been a bit left out, with men sheds being the fastest growing phenomenon in Australia, the marine guys were dipping out.
It has taken three years to get the marine men’s shed of the drawing board and into the water. Terry Thompson the founder of heart and soul men’s shed in Forrestdale, had noticed while they were building the replica of captain cooks endeavour and using the same shipwrights that built the Bark endeavour in Fremantle harbour, that there must be a lot more maritime workers out there from that era! Yet nothing was being done to help them, in comparison to their trade counterparts on land. Terry knew that a marine men’s shed would-be a practical and worthwhile solution to get them involved. He formed a working group and, in 2015 he purchased the Edwin Abbott, an ex customs vessel built to customs specifications and survey! One of six built in home town Fremantle, which were built to patrol the NW coast and the incredible Kimberly region, destined to become the First marine men shed in Australia.
The First Marine Men’s Shed Committee, working with WAMSA the Western Australian men’s shed association and the AMSA, with the support from major sponsor Beyond tools have created this fantastic resource and are making it available for the benefit of the western Australian community.
www.firstmarine.org