“The men are working hard to find a location for the shed and are currently speaking with Upper Hunter Shire Council about a suitable site,” she explained.

“Not afraid of hard work, they have worked to save funds for a shed and have submitted numerous grant applications, but continually hit a wall when it came to funding.

“I have been strong supporter of the Men’s Shed program, so much that the Aberdeen guys made me an honorary member, so it was fantastic to be able to give them a cheque for the shed.”

Mrs Watts said the sheds were an important place for local men to meet and undertake activities, or just have a chat with one of the boys.

“Unlike most women, men tend to be reluctant to talk about their emotions and that means they usually don’t ask for help,” she said.

“Men tend to try and deal with any issue they may face alone, which is why the sheds are a great place for the barriers to come down.

“I can’t wait for the Aberdeen men to begin construction, they have been very patient and I am so please that they can now move forward.”

Mrs Watts said the money from the Scone Neighbourhood Resource Centre was from the Virtual Shed program the centre had run for seven years.

“During that time, the Scone Neighbourhood Centre has offered activities and high-profile speakers as well as a health message to the rural men of the Upper Hunter through the Virtual Shed program,” she said.

“It has been a very successful program that has seen get-togethers at the RSL club, paddocks and community halls; and has brought people such as Jack Newton, Anh Do, Angry Anderson and Stephen Bradbury to our community.

“There was some money remaining from the program to bring another speaker to town, but we thought it would be better spent making a virtual shed into a real shed.

“The Virtual Shed program was what started the Upper Hunter and Aberdeen Men’s Sheds, so it is a great culmination that it has now helped to fund the Aberdeen shed.

“I know the members of the Aberdeen Shed will enjoy the facility and it will become a meeting place for many more local men in the future.”