New business partners and sisters Melanie Coultas and Michelle Garside were delighted to collect 20 custom-made table art easels from the Highfields Men’s shed this week. The easels are adjustable and are placed on tables, enabling participants of all ages to actively engage in art activities, particularly those with restricted physical movement. Melanie and Michelle recently launched ‘Joyful Arts, Music and Mindfulness’ with the aim to offer arts, crafts, music, performance and mindfulness activities across the Darling Downs and South-West Queensland. They decided to contact the Men’s shed to see whether they could make the easels locally. Secretary of the Highfields Men’s Shed David Prout explained that the men enjoyed working on a different challenge. “We were sent a couple of photos of what Michelle and Melanie were looking for, so we drafted several designs and did some testing before settling on the final look,” he said. “We were able to re-use materials that we already had in the workshop, which is always satisfying.” Managing Director of Joyful, Melanie Coultas said that the Men’s Shed commitment to repurposing used wood products wherever possible, aligns with their business values of recycling and sustainability. “We are keen to work with local service clubs as much as we can, particularly those that use eco-friendly and recycling methods,” Ms. Coultas said. “We are planning to offer our services right across South West Queensland to bring a bit of joy into people’s lives no matter their abilities, particularly those in more rural areas who don’t have easy access to the creative arts.” The Men’s Shed has been actively making and repairing items for community use over the past decade. “So far this year we have constructed a variety of items including myna bird traps, bee hotels and bird houses, as well as repairs to furniture,” Mr Prout said. “We have over 50 men that attend over the course of a month, so it’s great that we are able to provide varied and interesting items to work on.” For more information, contact Melanie Coultas on 0424 766865