Dubbo Community Men’s Shed secretary John Gibson points to masses of research which shows us that we can do certain things to improve our moods, reduce the risk of depression, strengthen relationships, keep us healthy and even add up to seven years to our lives, and he says it all comes down to living well.

The local group recently hosted its Living Well Expo in Dubbo which saw more than 30 exhibitors covering everything from health support networks, to community groups and trade demonstrations.

There were plenty of demonstrations of activities which can also provide interest and stress relief for people, from African drumming and beekeeping, to yoga and woodturning.

“The day also featured presentations from health and wellbeing practitioners – combining the nuts and bolts of what we come together for with some great resources to foster mental health and wellness,” Mr Gibson said.

“We’ve organised this event in conjunction with the Australian Men’s Shed Association. Marty from the Association organised a lot of the service providers and we organised the set-up – it worked out very well.”

He told Dubbo Photo News that, based on feedback from participating organisations and members of the public, the Wellbeing Expo will only grow in coming years.

“For sure, yes, we could do this probably every couple of years. We’re hoping more and more people will know about it,” he said, pointing out that people who are struggling in any way can visit the Expo be almost sure to find a provider that can help.

“Definitely, there’s a lot of mental health groups here, we’ve got U3A, we’ve got heart health, aged care facilities, the Beekeepers’ Association, and we’ve got the Groovy Booby Bus as well, so this event is very important for both men and women, it’s very good.”

Shed president Kevin Sinclair agreed and believes the event is a recognition of the way the community now sees the local blokes.

He says the word ‘community’ is embedded in the title of the Dubbo Community Men’s Shed for a vital and practical reason – and says it’s far more than a simple word.

“It’s great to see that people from all sorts of community groups in Dubbo have come together to support us because of the work we do for the community throughout the year. It’s tremendous to see the support that they’re giving us.”