Highlights
- Canberra Women’s Shed shall train women in handyman jobs like woodwork, repairs, plumbing and electricals.
- Canberra Women's Shed has 15 members.
- Many locals came forward to help.
The Canberra Women’s Shed shall train women in handyman jobs like woodwork, repairs, plumbing and electricals, says President Sunita Kotnala who along with vice-president Robby McGarvey established the capital's first Women's Shed.
"In today’s time and age, it is imperative for women to be their own support system, their own messiah. Women should be able to complete the smallest tasks and achieve the biggest milestones with their own skillsets. This is the ideology with which we have founded the Canberra Women’s Shed," Ms Kotnala told SBS Hindi.
Sunita says she holds a Masters in Social Work and has been actively involved in work relating to domestic violence and women empowerment.
"I have always believed that women must be self-reliant and this is why when I first came to know about the Sydney Women’s Shed, I immediately joined it," she says.
She learned how to use the basic tools like the drill, sander and a few more complicated ones, like the electrical saw at the shed.
When, in January, she decided to sell her house and move to Canberra, not only these skills came handy, but saved her a pretty penny on repairs and appreciated the value of her property as well.
"The boost to the self-confidence was an added plus," she says.
Sunita moved to Canberra at a time when the pandemic had rendered the city shut.
"I decided to volunteer at the Kingston Organic Community Market, where I met Robby McGreevy. When I shared my experience of putting to use the learnings of the Women Shed, the other women volunteers also became keen to start something alike in Canberra," she says.
Sunita and Robby then took upon themselves to find the resources to start the Shed.
कैनबेरा विमेंस शेड की संस्थापक सुनीता कोटनाला (बाएँ) और सह-संस्थापक रोबी मकगार्वी (दायें) Source: Sunita Kotnala
For a typical training shed, one requires a huge space, workstations and the tools to train the women.
"I approached Thor’s Hammer in Griffith for help," she says.
"Thor’s Hammer is a furniture design workshop where they upscale and recycle timber from all over Australia. Their ideology of ecological conservation and empowerment matched our ideology. When we shared this idea with the proprietor Thor Diesendorf, not only did he agree to provide the space in his warehouse, he also got two workstations ready for the shed to use," she says.
Next, the Head of the regional chapter of the Australia Men’s Shed Association, Jim Thornton helped them out with legal registration and identity.
"Jim helped us become an incorporated association and figure out the insurance legalities," she says.
The Canberra Women’s Shed has now been officially founded and in the initial stage, will train women participants in woodwork and gradually expand to plumbing and electricals.
"We already have 15 members. Many more want to join in," she says.
Sunita says she has fought many life battles alone and this is why she understands the value of self-empowerment.
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