IF you are a male over 16 and looking for a community organisation to join, your local Men's Shed might just be for you.

If you are interested in meeting other men of all ages and from all walks of life, building friendships, developing new skills, helping in the community, then the Men's Shed is the place to be.

Men’s Shed is a national service provider/not for profit recognised as one of the Australia’s largest male-based community development organisations. It was established in 2007 by a collection of Australian independent community-based Men’s Sheds to represent, support and promote the Men’s Shed movement.

However, Men’s Shed is struggling, not only in the Mountains (Snowy Monaro LGA) region, which has 14 Men’s Sheds, but nationally.

Attracting new and younger membership was one of the main points discussed when the Mountains division, which represents six Men’s Sheds, met at Nimmitabel’s Federal Hotel last week.

Host and Nimmitabel Men’s Shed spokesman Kelvin Fahey said members from Nimmitabel, Bombala, Cooma, Bredbo and Jindabyne Men’s Sheds were in attendance. Mr Fahey said the organisation has a lot to offer men of all ages, but with mostly an older membership, many were struggling with numbers. The Adaminaby Men’s Shed had recently closed, with 12 members diminishing to just two.

Men’s Sheds each have a base with different groups opening at different times, some once or twice a week, for members to get together.

Nimmitabel's shed was started by local men with the support of the Nimmitabel Lions Club in 2014, and meets in the disused railway station at 53 Miller Street.

NSW Branch Australian Men’s Shed Association Inc Zone 2 representative Lou Busuttil, who chaired the Nimmitabel meeting, said the organisation was looking at ways to encourage more men to consider joining.

“There seems to be a misconception that to be in a Men’s Shed you need to be older and retired,” he said. “But we accept and encourage members from the age of 16 and believe we have a lot to offer men of all ages," Mr Busuttil.

There are 1200 Men’s Sheds across Australia, with more than 2500 Men’s Sheds operating in 12 countries with more than 50,000 Australian men taking part.

“We are encouraging more members to join. The shortage is endemic around Australia, memberships are declining. At Bombala the blokes are in their 80s, and they are concerned that they are elderly, with no one to take over the executive roles. There is a misconception you have to be old, retired and a pensioner to be a member of a Men’s Shed," he said.

“There is no discrimination with ages, race, religion. It is a place for men to go to meet, to make friends, comradery, help men talk about problems, mental and physical, a place for assistance and mateship. A small membership fee covers public liability. Some drink coffee and chat, others do woodwork, metalwork, play pool.

“The catchphrase is All Men Work Together Shoulder to Shoulder. So, people can just go in and have a chat, you don’t have to do anything, just have a chat. The whole ethos is looking after each other.”

For more information or to find a Men’s Shed, visit www.mensshed.org