This week is National Men’s Health Week. The theme this year was “Healthy Body – Healthy Mind: Keeping the Balance”. It was a great opportunity to raise men’s awareness of the benefits of keeping healthy. I couldn’t think of a better organisation to collaborate on this with than one of my electorate’s local men’s sheds, Mt Gravatt Men’s Shed.

As their President Murray Rogash tells me, men’s sheds are much more than group workshops. They’re health initiatives that improve their members’ physical, mental and social health.

Mt Gravatt Men’s Shed offers a variety of health activities such as fitness classes. It counts among its 292 members a medical doctor, psychologist and Minister of Religion, who help cater to other members’ health needs. It also provides health check-ups to members through the Australian Men’s Shed Association’s Spanner in the Works program.

Last Tuesday I was pleased to contribute to Mt Gravatt Men’s Shed’s health initiatives with a Men’s Health Week morning tea. I was joined by special guest and local GP Dr David Hunt, who spoke on the crucial health issues older men face and the importance of regular check-ups. Dr Hunt has treated a number of men from the Shed. He tells me the Shed has made a positive difference in their lives, and that men’s sheds are a vital community health resource.

No doubt men’s sheds help to save lives. I’m proud to support the men’s sheds in my electorate, and I commend them for their work improving local men’s health.