On any given Monday or Friday morning in the Scenic Rim town of Boonah, the kettle is on by 10am at the Boonah Activity Shed.
Some visitors come to work with timber or metal. Others simply arrive for a cup of tea, a slice of cake and conversation.
It is exactly the kind of space the founders hoped to create: a welcoming hub where people could connect, learn practical skills and look out for each other.
Established in 2021, the Boonah Activity Shed is unique in one important way. It became the first mixed shed in Queensland, welcoming both men and women as members while also maintaining affiliation with the Australian Men’s Shed Association.
At the time, the concept raised a few eyebrows.
“Our first female president went to a men’s shed presidents’ meeting and it was an interesting experience,” secretary Tim Keeler recalled with a smile. “People weren’t being rude, but they were curious.”
Her response broke the ice.
“She said the women had diversified the offerings of the shed and provided much better morning tea!”
What began modestly beneath a building at the local showgrounds has grown steadily into a thriving community initiative.
In its early days, the group operated out of temporary accommodation under one of the buildings at the Boonah Show Society. But, after a determined period of fundraising, members were able to construct a dedicated shed at the showgrounds in 2022.
The partnership with the show society remains strong.
“We support them in the show and they support us by mowing the grass,” Mr Keeler said.
“It’s a good relationship.”
While the shed offers woodworking, metalwork and pyrography, its deeper purpose is far more human.
“It really started because there was a need for camaraderie, a place for people to go and do stuff,” he said.
Over time, that simple idea has evolved into a regular social gathering point for the whole community.
Locals know that if they turn up mid-morning on a Monday or Friday, the doors will be open and the kettle will be boiling.
“We have people from the caravan park, we have people who don’t build anything, they just call in for a cuppa and a chat,” he said.
To encourage even more social connection, every two months the tools are shelved and the shed hosts a card morning. A different crowd arrives, often women looking for a social outlet and the focus shifts from projects to friendly competition over a deck of cards.
Inside the workshop itself, members stay busy with a wide variety of practical projects.
Some restore furniture or repair broken items brought in by locals: chairs from the retirement village, doors, chicken coops or treasured heirlooms.
One memorable job involved repairing an antique tray a woman had inherited from her grandmother.
“It was falling apart,” Mr Keeler said. “She brought it along and the shed members repaired it.”
Others work on more creative endeavours.
Skilled woodturners regularly produce beautifully finished bowls, though few ever keep them.
Instead, the items are often donated to community raffles or fundraising events. Local groups such as the Country Women’s Association of Australia frequently receive handcrafted prizes from the shed.
Pyrography — the art of burning designs into wood — has also become popular among members. Recently, detailed dog portraits were created on timber plaques and donated to the town’s “Dog’s Day Out” fundraiser.
“It becomes a bit of a self-perpetuating program,” Mr Keeler said. “The shed helps the community and the community supports the shed.”
But perhaps the most powerful example of the shed’s community impact has come through its partnership with the Fassifern District Suicide Prevention Group.
Together they produced more than 30 small blue tractors – hand-crafted wooden models placed on donation boxes around Boonah and surrounding towns.
The tractors, symbolic of the region’s agricultural roots, collect spare change for mental health initiatives and suicide prevention programs.
The idea proved so innovative it was even mentioned at an international mental health conference in Sydney.
For shed members, that recognition reinforced what they already knew: that their small workshop could make a meaningful difference.
“I think that’s one of the things we love about the shed,” Mr Keeler said. “It’s a bit of a refuge, but it also makes an enormous contribution to the wider community.”
The shed also works closely with the local high school, welcoming students for visits and hands-on learning opportunities.
Support extends further still through connections with the National Disability Insurance Scheme, offering young people with disabilities the chance to learn practical skills.
“If a young person, particularly a young man, has an interest in working with his hands, we welcome them,” Mr Keeler said.
One regular visitor, Darby, attends with his carer and has developed a talent for pyrography. His timber artwork often becomes Christmas gifts for family and friends.
Behind the scenes, however, members are increasingly focused on another challenge facing rural Australia: mental health in farming communities.
Life on the land can be rewarding, but it also brings relentless pressures, from unpredictable weather to financial stress and rising input costs.
The shed hopes to play a role in addressing those issues.
On 16 April, the Boonah Activity Shed will host a major community event featuring a wellness expo, a shared dinner and a screening of the Australian film Just a Farmer, which explores mental health challenges in rural communities.
The level of community support has surprised organisers.
“It’s blown us away how many organisations have got behind it,” Mr Keeler said.
Fundraising events are also building momentum. One upcoming initiative is a unique “farm golf day”, where a local farmer has mowed a makeshift golf course around his property.
Participants will play the unusual course while raising funds for mental health and suicide prevention.
Across town, other groups are stepping up too, including a youth-focused Blue Light Disco at the local school to raise awareness of youth suicide.
“It’s quite interesting,” Mr Keeler said. “The community is trying to take control and help (those with poor mental health).”
The motivation is clear. Many farmers and rural workers carry enormous pressures quietly, reluctant to ask for help.
“Nine times out of 10, these blokes in particular, they don’t ask for it,” he said.
“That’s where we’ve got to break down those barriers.”
Economic uncertainty, rising costs and global instability are adding to the strain for farming families.
But the Boonah Activity Shed hopes its welcoming atmosphere can offer something simple yet powerful: connection.
Membership currently sits at 29 people, split almost evenly between men and women.
More importantly, friendships forged inside the shed walls are lasting well beyond them.
“Mighty friendships,” Mr Keeler said. “The friendships formed here go beyond the shed. And I think that’s the best way to explain it.”
Because, sometimes, the most important thing a community can build is not made of timber or steel but trust, support and a place where people know they are not alone.
