A new TAFE course which has been established in conjunction with the Orange Women's Shed appears to be fulfilling a real need in the community.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Within hours of the short night course being advertised on social media, all places were full and a waiting list had accumulated.
Orange Women's Shed president Michelle Einsaar had thought there would be a few ladies keen to learn how to use basic power tools but the response was unprecedented.
"My phone didn't stop going off. There were messages and Facebook enquiries all day. It seems quite a few ladies want to do something like this but don't have the time during the day so the fact it was an evening course attracted quite a bit of interest," she said.
"I was [surprised]. I thought we'd get a couple of enquiries but no, we got quite a few and I'm still getting messages."
The age range of those who have signed up so far has varied greatly with Ms Einsaar estimating that the youngest was in her mid-20s while the oldest was in her 70s.
Despite the cultural shift in strict gender-roles which had taken place since many members of the Women's Shed had been at school, Ms Einsaar said there were clearly still barriers preventing girls from being taught basic handy-person skills.
"There's equal opportunity [now] but still we found some of the younger ladies coming in weren't promoted the option at school - it was childcare, or hairdressing. They weren't really encouraged to try mechanical or engineering [subjects]," she said.
"Unless they've got a dad who's handy or a mum who's handy to pass those skills on, the younger ladies are still missing out on the basic education on how to use simple tools."
Despite the seven week course now being full, Ms Einsaar is still taking people's names with the intention of creating a second one.
The female-only course will teach participants how to use a jig-saw, mitre-saw, drop-saw and drill, to name a few.
The course is free but applicants must be members of the Orange Women's Shed which is $20 a year.
The Shed is open every Wednesday and Friday from 9.30am - 12.30pm, and is located behind Wangarang Industries on Forest Road opposite Jack Brabham Oval. New members are always welcome.
For more information contact orangewsinc@gmail.com or head to the Orange Women's Shed's Facebook page.
HAVE YOUR SAY
- Send us a letter to the editor using the form below