We were born out of the 2011 Brisbane floods. Fifteen years on, we're still doing the same thing: giving blokes a reason to get out of the house.
Our story, our people, our mission — and why the shed matters.
How the shed started
In January 2011, the Brisbane River broke its banks. The Centenary suburbs — Jindalee, Mount Ommaney, Middle Park, Westlake, Sinnamon Park — copped it hard. Homes gutted. Cars written off. A whole community trying to figure out what to do next.
In the middle of that, a handful of local blokes got together in an unpowered gardener's shed at the back of Jindalee Golf Course. They had a few tools, some timber, and a simple idea: if we've all got time on our hands, let's spend it helping people get their houses back.
That's how the Centenary Suburbs Men's Shed started. Not as a hobby group. As a response.
What we noticed — and it wasn't planned — was that the blokes doing the helping got something out of it too. Purpose. Mates. Something to do with their weeks. When the flood recovery wound down, the shed didn't. It had become something bigger than a clean-up crew.
Today we're still at it. Purpose-built facility on Monier Road. An art & craft studio. A garden. A workshop full of kit. And hundreds of blokes who've come through the doors and found what they were looking for — whether they knew they were looking for it or not.
What we're here to do
"The CSMS will provide a safe environment that promotes social inclusion by the ongoing environment for men to be productive, maintain an active mind and body, learn/relearn and share skills, attributes and experiences whilst enjoying social aspects of other men in similar circumstances."
That's our formal mission. Here's how we say it when nobody's writing it down:
Get blokes out of the house. Give 'em something to do with their hands. Make sure they've got someone to do it with. And build a few things for the community along the way.
What we stand for
Come as you are
You don't need to be a tradie, a retiree, or an introvert. We've had professors and brickies, loners and extroverts, blokes in their 30s and blokes in their 80s. Everyone gets the same welcome.
No one fixes a bloke except himself
We don't run a counselling service. We don't make anyone talk about anything they don't want to talk about. What we do is put you in a room full of people doing useful things — and experience shows that's where most of the healing happens anyway.
Build things that matter
Our community projects — street libraries, beehives, possum boxes, restorations — aren't side hustles. They're a core part of why we exist. The shed should give back, not just take up space.
Safe, tidy, properly run
Real facility. Real safety training. Real committee. Real governance. This is a registered charity with DGR status, a member of the Australian Men's Shed Association, and we take the "properly run" bit seriously.
The people who keep the lights on
Meet the executive team making sure the shed runs smoothly.
Ian Schroder
President
Leading the charge and usually found covered in sawdust working on a new community build.
Rob Troy
Secretary
The organizational backbone keeping our records straight and meetings on track.
Alan Banham
Treasurer
The shed doesn't run on air. Alan makes sure we've got the funds for timber, tools, and tea bags.
The committee and the regulars
Beyond the executive, we've got a full committee and a core of regular members who keep the place running — who opens up, who makes the coffee, who runs the art & craft studio, who manages the garden. If you come down, you'll meet them fast.
We're part of something bigger
The Centenary Suburbs Men's Shed is a member of the Australian Men's Shed Association (AMSA) — the national body representing more than 1,040 sheds across the country. AMSA sets the standards for how sheds are run, supports the community, and campaigns for men's health and wellbeing at a national level.
We stand with every other shed in Australia doing the same thing we do: keeping blokes connected, skilled, and out of isolation.
Who backs us
The shed doesn't charge enough in membership fees to cover what it costs to run. The rest comes from sponsors, grants, and the Shed Shop.
- Truis — IT and business support
- Ray White Sherwood/Graceville — our lead private sponsor
- Woodhouse — Timber Products
- ToolboxAI — Local Business Marketing systems
- Brisbane City Council — community grants and infrastructure
- The Federal Government — via various Men's Shed grants
- Plus multiple Community Sponsors — local businesses who chip in with materials, discounts and support
If you run a local business and you'd like to chip in — whether that's cash, tools, timber or time — email info@csms.org.au.
What we give back
Since we opened our doors, we've built hundreds of community items: street libraries, planters, beehives, possum boxes, park benches, school repairs, garden installations. Every one of them made by members of the shed, usually for cost or less.
The goal isn't to make money. It's to make a difference — and if you see a red London-style phone box library in the Centenary suburbs, odds are it came out of our workshop.
A registered charity, properly set up
- check_circleRegistered charity — ACNC registered, with all the compliance that goes with it.
- check_circleDGR status — donations over $2 are tax-deductible.
- check_circleIncorporated association — governed by a committee elected annually.
- check_circleAMSA member — national standards, national network.
If you want to back us with a donation — one-off, monthly, or in a will — we'll put it straight to work.
DonateWhere to find us
Address
125 Monier Road, Seventeen Mile Rocks QLD 4073
Postal
PO Box 3026, Darra QLD 4076
Contact
Open Hours
There's nearly always someone about, but if you're coming down for the first time, make it a Monday, Tuesday or Thursday morning, 7:00am to 11:30am.
Come see the place
Three ways to get involved — pick one.
- Join as a member — come down on a shed day or fill out the form.
- Donate — tax-deductible, every dollar goes into the shed.
- Sponsor — businesses, tools, timber, time.