Wednesday, 28 October 2026
Orbost and Dingley Village Take Out The First VMSA Annual Shed Awards
The Victorian Men’s Shed Association handed out its first Annual Shed Awards at the VMSA Conference on Wednesday 21 October. The awards recognise shedders, projects and sheds that have made an outstanding contribution to the movement across Victoria. The inaugural winners come from opposite ends of the state: Paul Faulkner of the Orbost Men’s Shed, and the Plastic Recycling Group at Dingley Village Men’s Shed.
VMSA board members Steve Jenkinson, Chloe Keogh and Andrew Stefanetti served as judges, and by all accounts it was no easy task. “It was so difficult to pick a winner as they were all amazing nominations,” Steve said.
Shed Member Champion: Paul Faulkner, Orbost Men’s Shed
The Shed Member Champion Award recognises an individual whose leadership, volunteering and support of fellow members has made a significant difference to their shed and community. Nominations must come from another member, and Paul’s came from the Orbost shed itself.
Members describe Paul as someone who plays a major role in the day-to-day running of the shed and can always be relied on. He works calmly and diplomatically, and makes sure every member feels welcome and included.
Much of his impact has come from lifting what the shed can offer. By researching and applying for grants, Paul helped secure the funding that let Orbost upgrade most of its large machinery and equipment, making the workshop safer and more capable. He has also set up a bicycle recycling program, in which donated bikes are restored by members and passed on to local families who might otherwise struggle to afford them, and a welding section where members can learn new skills and share their experience.
His most recent success is the Orbost Ladies Shed. Members say it has become a welcoming space where local women can learn woodworking and other practical skills, work on projects and socialise, and it has strengthened the shed’s ties with the wider community.
Paul has also encouraged members to take on projects for the town, including outdoor tables, a community notice board, a street library and book exchange, and town entry signs. In a small regional town, the nomination says, organisations like the Men’s Shed and Ladies Shed matter because they give people “somewhere they feel they belong.” Members add that much of what Paul does is done quietly, without seeking recognition.
Innovation Award: Plastic Recycling Group, Dingley Village Men’s Shed
The Innovation Award recognises a shed, program or individual whose new idea or approach has delivered meaningful results. This year it goes to a team that turns used milk bottles into park benches.
The story starts in 2019, when a group of retired engineers at Dingley Village set out to tackle plastic waste. David Taylor designed and refined a shredder to produce the right granule size. In 2020, Kevin Strahan and Warren Denmead built a custom extruder using the shed’s own lathes and welding bay, while Robert O’Brien designed and assembled its electronics. Wayne McPherson of Seaford manufacturer EXPLAS provided technical support.
When COVID-19 restrictions hit, the team kept going, running more than 500 trials in a member’s garage to get the temperature and speed settings right. Regular production began in 2022, using custom dies made in-house.
Since then the group has diverted more than 22,000 plastic milk containers from landfill and local waterways. Their output includes 36 two-person benches (each using 275 two-litre milk containers), nine benches with backrests (414 bottles each), 100 garden stakes at 1.8 metres, four Adirondack-style deck chairs and two small tables. They have also built six oversized bench seats for a local bowls club, plus planter boxes.
The current core team is Kevin Strahan, Ken Groves, Brian Esmond and Damien McShane, supported by the whole shed membership, who keep supplying empty containers. Shed President Peter O’Leary, who nominated the group, said the knowledge members have gained is “priceless.”
The team’s work has already been recognised nationally. They shared the AMSA Green Shed Award with Nepean Men’s Shed at last December’s AMSA awards night.
