A SOUTH Australian-first place of community, learning and respite for women of the north is on the way, with its founder hopeful it can enrich the lives of local ladies.
The Playford Women’s Shed is set to open on Sunday, March 8, also International Women’s Day, and provide a space for
females to meet, participate in educational programs and have fun.
Raelene Wlochowicz created the idea for a women’s shed in November, when she was looking for a way to meet new people after retirement.
She was told groups for women were scarce, but local men often joined men’s sheds to fill their time.
Within two months, Mrs Wlochowicz had found a group of supporters to form an organisation board and also found a location – the old Para West Adult Campus at Davoren Park.
She said northern women deserved a place to socialise and receive support, similar to the men’s shed movement popular across Australia.
“One of the ladies here has fibromyalgia, so some days it’s really hard to do anything,” she said.
“When I was talking to her I asked what she does on her good days. And she said she just sits around at home because she can’t afford anything else.
“Now, she can come here. If she’s having a good day she can come around, have a coffee and lunch and play around in the garden.
A group of women standing strong together; absolutely we can do anything.”
The Playford Women’s Shed will be the first of its kind in the state, and will offer cooking, craft, gardening, handiwork and other classes throughout the week.
Mrs Wlochowicz also hopes to work with local domestic violence prevention organisations to give women fleeing violence a place to visit for support.
A $1 op-shop will also open at the shed.
Mrs Wlochowicz said it will be an inclusive place for all women.
“Once we get programs happening they won’t cost a lot. It will only be enough to cover the time of the person running the class,” she said.
“Not only do we want to be a place to hang out, we want to introduce programs around diabetes and other aspects of women’s health.
“We want to help people access breast screens and pap smears. We want to be able to talk about that stuff.
“A lot of women don’t do anything about it. But if you’ve got encouragement from other women to talk about it. It may be a different matter.”
The unkempt state of the
former adult campus posed a problem for Mrs Wlochowicz, but an army of volunteers
helped her clean out the abandoned building, cut back the overgrown garden and fix broken facilities.
The organising committee is searching for a plumber to help it repair parts of the kitchen to get it up and running.
Anyone who wants to help out the women’s shed in any way can contact Mrs Wlochowicz on 0409 576 003.
The opening of the women’s shed will be held on Sunday, March 8, at the Para West Adult Campus on Edgecomb Road, Davoren Park, from 11am.