For four years now the Australian Men's Shed Association has been directed by a working committee who have strived to establish our Association and these members have dedicated time and effort to make AMSA a successful conduit for Shedders around Australia and overseas.

At the Hobart conference this was expanded to allow for the transition to a fully elected committee made of two members of each State Association. The committee also took the historic step forward by electing our first office bearers. The current committee stands as Mort Shearer (President - center), Gary Green (Vice President - right) Ted Donnelly (Secretary - left). The committee members are Graham Curnow and Bruce Turnull (QLD), Bill Johnstone (WA), John Waters (TAS), Ted Donnelly, Ruth Van Herk, Mort Shearer (NSW), Gary Green, Iain Beggs, Ron Mitchell (VIC) and David Helmers holding an ex-officio position as Executive Officer. With some states still working towards incorporation and elections, the committee and office bearers hold these positions until the next AGM in August 2010. The committee will operate from then on with two elected representatives from each State.

AMSA PRESIDENT  -  Mort Shearer

Mort hails from Port Macquarie and brings a varied background to AMSA. After working in a variety of business environments, Mort became involved in Mens Sheds, Mental Health and Suicide Prevention.  He was the prime mover in setting up the Hastings Mens Shed and has advised several other Sheds during their setup phase. Mort has also set up a number of Community Based Suicide Prevention Networks around NSW. He is also involved with Rotary, Lifeline, a disability support organisation and a youth support group.

AMSA VICE PRESIDENT  -  Gary Green

Trained as a Psychiatric Nurse in the early seventies and then also completed my Intellectual Disability Nurse training in the early eighties. I moved  from NSW to Orbost, East Gippsland (in far eastern Victoria) approximately 13 years ago and have worked as the Community Health Nurse in Orbost for the past 10 years. I started the Orbost Men’s Shed in 1999 and the Cabbage Tree Men’s Shed in 2009, organised the First National Men’s Shed Conference in 2005 (Lakes Entrance Victoria), was a founding committee member of the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA), was a founding committee member and currently President of the Victorian Men’s Shed Association (VMSA). I have recently resigned from my position in Orbost and am now working with the East Gippsland Division of General Practice. Having worked in Men’s Health and Community Health for over 10 years years I am passionate about Men’s Sheds as it is the most positive way of engaging with men that this country has seen. I believe that Men’s Sheds are so successful because the Men’s Shed movement had done things differently. They are informal, relaxed, non committal and low key etc. The research so far seems to support this notion.  I believe that, if Men’s Sheds wish to continue to engage with men in a meaningful way, then it is imperative that Men’s Sheds remain as an informal and ‘men friendly’ environment.

AMSA SECRETARY  -  Ted Donnelly

Ted was born in Yorkshire. He started work as a Polymer Chemist and had a number of positions in R&D, Production management & Marketing both in the UK and Australia. For the last 18 years

before retirement he was a Technical Consultant, based in the UK, but operating worldwide on new materials for electronic components, particularly printed circuits.

Ted was a founder member of the Lane Cove Community Men's Shed when it started in 1998, is still responsible for its day to day operation and has also helped with the start-up of several other Sheds. He is the co-author of the manual "Setting Up A Men's Shed", developed the website in 2005 and has administered it since. He has been involved in establishing and running AMSA since its inception in 2007.

AMSA EXECUTIVE OFFICER   -  David Helmers

Originally employed by Catholic Care Newcastle as the Coordinator for the Shed at Windale in 2006 for a 12 month term, nearly 4 years later David has dedicated that last 2 years to the development of the Australian Men’s Shed Association. The idea of creating an Association to collectively represent Men’s Sheds National and to freely share information between sheds was conceived at the 2nd National Conference in Manly 2007. Since then AMSA has grown from strength to strength to what is now regarded as the largest Men’s Association in the country. David has represented AMSA at the Senate Hearing into Men’s Health, the National round Table Meeting on the Men’s Health Policy as well as continuously lobbied for the Association and our members at all levels of Government.      

Prior to this position David was the General Manager of a large Association, this is why he could see so much opportunity for AMSA, with experience in administration, marketing and tertiary studies, David also has over 17 years experience in a medium sized family business, so his background is quite diverse.

In his spare time David spends time in his shed at home renovating his house or at the Shed at Windale where he is a wood working enthusiast

Committee Members

QLDMSA Graeme Curnow

Graeme took early retirement in 2007 after a career which embraced a diverse range of industries, Pharmaceutical, Cosmetics and Household Goods manufacture, Heavy Engineering and Gambling (not gamboling). He had worked as a Chemist, next in Production Management and then within the whole spectrum Personnel Management.

Shortly after retiring Graeme became involved in the establishment of a Men’s Shed in the western Brisbane suburb of Kenmore under the auspicing of Brisbane City Council. For the past 2 years “Shed West” has functioned with weekly gatherings in a former Scout Hall, prone to flooding, and over 120 men expressed interest in participating at a Shed Workshop, in that period. Shed West is within days of opening that workshop, on a former Council Depot Site where it will provide access to Woodworking machines, Metal working machines, Welders and Computer Terminals.  Graeme became involved with AMSA when the BCC contact person asked him to take over this liaison from her.  

With the formation of the Queensland Men’s Shed Association, earlier this year, Graeme became the inaugural President.

Bruce Turnbull is the secretary of the Queensland Men’s Shed Association Inc (QMSA) which was formed early 2009 and Incorporated in June 2009.  The QMSA is affiliated with the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA).  He is also the Coordinator Members Services of the Sunnybank RSL which includes the Sunnybank RSL and Community Drop in Shed and is qualified as welfare and pensions officer.  He is also trained by Department of Veterans Affairs as a Men’s Health Peer Education Representative.  His career embraced 24 years in the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps, where he was awarded the British Empire Medal in 1976, he work as a field medic and Operating Theatre Technician and various training and administrative positions.  Since retiring from the service he has held various management positions in the medical and aged care fields.

NSWMSA Ruth van Herk

Ruth has been involved with Community Men’s Sheds for 10 years.  Employed as the co-ordinator of the Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed, and as UnitingCare Ageing Northern Sydney Region’s representative for Men’s Sheds, she has been integral in the promotion and expansion of Men’s Sheds nationally. She co-authored the “Setting up a Men’s Shed” Manual with Ted Donnelly which has now helped over 300 Sheds around Australia. Through UnitingCare’s auspices she convened the 2007 2nd National Men’s Shed Conference at Manly.  Her background in Nursing, Post-grad work in Counselling and current Directorship of a popular and well attended Counselling/Life Skills Course (established for 40 years), have encouraged insightful and perceptive application of such skills when considering matters for discussion on the Steering Committees for the formation of AMSA and its continuing work at a National level. Besides multiple phone enquiries and travelling widely to share skills and information to help establish Sheds, she hosts about 30 visits per year at the Lane Cove Shed where potential Shed Steering Committees from all over the country can discuss all aspects of Shed set up and management. Ruth has also been integral in linking current Men’s Health initiatives with Men’s Sheds, and is continuing to liaise with Councils and Government Departments about further work in this area.

WAMSA  Bill Johnston

TASMSA  John Waters