Boddington forms its first women’s shed to create a safe space to learn and share skills

The first women’s shed in Boddington has been formed to create a supportive environment for women to talk, learn and share hands-on skills.

Jayne Enchelmaier is the founder and chairwoman of the Boddington Women’s Shed, situated within the men’s shed headquarters on Johnston Street.

After moving to Boddington fewer than six months ago, Ms Enchelmaier felt like the town lacked a supportive space for women to work with tools.

“I came from a shed in Queensland and absolutely loved the community that was built around women of different ages and backgrounds,” she said. “I really wanted to bring that community to Boddington because it wasn’t here, especially for younger people.

“I wanted to give to the community what that shed gave to me, just the access to tools and access to a group of people.”

The first workshop was held last week where the members learnt how to make reindeer sculptures out of wooden logs, and how to use the different tools and machinery.

The group has since attracted 13 members and is continuing to grow.

“Out of those 13 people, 10 of them were new to Boddington within the past six months and hadn’t really joined anything because they hadn’t found anything that resonated with them,” Ms Enchelmaier said.

“That was really affirming to me that I was on the right path and finding my place in the community.

“I wanted to create access for people to learn new skills or for people to share the knowledge they have.”

Men’s sheds have been running across the country for more than 20 years as a place where men can talk while working with their hands. Ms Enchelmaier said although women’s shed were becoming more common, there was still a stigma around women working with tools.

“The women’s shed is a safe space for people to come and learn something and then start to get the confidence to learn more skills to be able to help themselves out around the house,” she said.

“There is still that stigma around women and tools, which I don’t think is right.

“I grew up in a family where girls can do everything that boys can do and boys can do everything that girls can do.”

Ms Enchelmaier said the women’s shed also aimed to create a space for women to talk openly without judgement.

Members from the men’s shed have been attending the workshops to help get the new members acquainted with the tools.

“We normally have one or a couple of members from the men’s shed there to help us with the tools should we need help,” she said.

“Most of our members had never used a drop saw before last Sunday.

“It was fantastic because once you know how to use those kinds of tools, you can make all sorts of things.”

The Boddington Women’s Shed runs from 9am to 12pm on Tuesdays and Fridays and 12pm to 3pm on Sundays.

For details, visit the Boddington Women’s Shed Facebook page.