Surprise donation: Cobram students raise funds for local men’s shed

Cobram Men’s Shed secretary David Sezun said he was surprised to receive the donation.

“We knew nothing about it when Stephen rang up and said the Cobram school has got a donation for us ... so I was certainly surprised but (it was) welcome,” he said.

The Year 11 students are studying units one and two of the vocational major, which will lead them down an apprenticeship pathway.

Teacher Stephen Brooks said he taught the students two subjects: work-related skills and personal development.

“We work on different things like basic employability skills, resilience, communication, leadership and what that actually looks like,” Mr Brooks said.

“It basically culminates in this activity that they put on, and they got to choose if they have a fundraiser which charity they want to donate the money to.

“And so they chose the men's shed because they said that it could make the biggest difference, and it's also part of our local community.”

The students organised a barbecue and dunk tank on Tuesday, November 10 at the college.

Mr Brooks said the students completed all the paperwork, decided on the pricing and put together marketing material such as posters and social media posts.

“They're fantastic kids to work with, and they'll all do really well whatever they choose to do, I'm certain of that,” he said.

Mr Sezun said the men’s shed was a safe, non-judgmental environment where men could interact with other men.

“For some folks, it's a reason to get out of bed each day,” he said.

“You might find somebody's got a skill that you don't have, and they can help you in one way or another, so it's a sharing environment.

“We’re always looking for new members.”