Narromine Community Women's Shed prepares for 10th anniversary

A desire for company led Leona Lodding to open the Narromine Community Women's Shed in 2013, and its 20-odd members travel from Gilgandra, Dubbo, Warren and Trangie to meet at the old Wesley Centre Church twice a week.

Women's sheds came into existence alongside men's sheds, bringing people from the community together to work on arts, crafts, building and other community-focused activities.

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"We have our ups, we have our downs," Ms Lodding told the Daily Liberal - but they do it together.

When this masthead spoke with Ms Lodding, she was mid-way through installing new cupboards the group had purchased using a $5000 regional community grant from the state government.

"I'm really wrapped in [Dubbo MP] Dugald Saunders for nominating us. We've had to work hard for everything we have," Ms Lodding said.

The grant also allowed the women to purchase trestle tables to work on and lay-out their wares at markets, as well as an A3 coloured printer.

Ms Lodding moved to Narromine 20 years ago when her husband retired from share-farming at Collie.

"I couldn't handle being home all the time," Ms Lodding said.

One day when she was feeling particularly low, while volunteering at Salvation Army, a colleague asked her: what's your ambition in life?

"I said I like doing anything with craft. He said why don't you organise something like that," Ms Lodding said.

"So I thought about opening something like this for people needing to get out and meet people - people wanting to learn different crafts.

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"We do just about everything and we do all sorts of things from leather work to sewing and knitting."

Now, Ms Lodding says she thinks women's sheds are just as important for the mental health of their members as men's sheds are.

The group crochets bonnets, capes and blankets for premature and sick newborns. They also raise money for the Flying Doctors, and make feeding aprons for a local nursing home.

Ida Johnson from Gilgandra joined for the company, and said "the girls are really nice".

"I like making those little capes for the babies. I love my knitting, my colouring in, my jigsaw puzzles, my card making, a variety of things," she said.

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Lizzy Adams from Narromine enjoys the "good company" and learning to do "different kinds of crafts".

"Everyone's really nice here. They welcome you when you come. Everyone says hello, how you going, what did you do on the weekend," Ms Adams said.

The Narromine Community Women's Shed is open 10am until 3pm on Mondays, and 9.30am until 2pm on Wednesdays, and new members are welcome to join at 138 Dandaloo Street, Narromine. The women range in age from around 50 to around 80 and younger members are welcome.

The group turns 10 next month and its members are putting together a celebration.