On the workbench sit blank wooden honour boards being carved and shaven for new names at an old school, Mount Carmel College. Three volunteer craftsmen from the Kingston Men’s Shed carefully review their work. The sun shines through a window, illuminating the bench.

There is symmetry in this moment. Generations of Hobart women have been honoured for their academic and social contributions to the school. The three craftsmen have worked their entire lives and now, in retirement, pay respect through their craft to the women who helped shape them. The women whose names these boards will bear are being given a place by men who have given much and still have skills to share.

Who knows the honours and the women these new boards will add to Mount Carmel’s story? What we do know is that the craftsmen, Leighton, Colin, Alan and Tony, were a teacher, a tradesman, a manager and a carpenter. They spent their lives assisting others with their skills and today use those same skills to make a place for future generations to do the same.

We often honour those who excel and empower others, and rightly so. But watching these men measure and shape the wood to create a piece that the young women of Mount Carmel can look up to, to see the names of strong leaders and examples of good character, is a thing of honour. These are men who have given their lives and now give place to women in Tasmania’s future.

The tools and the timber are props to something deeper at the Men’s Shed: the friendships that are formed, shared labour, an appreciation of craftsmanship and often a laugh. You may not remember many specific jobs from a career, but you often remember the people you shared those tasks with.

To match the timber with Mount Carmel’s existing honour boards, the men found similar wood from an old home in Kingston built in the 1950s. It is not a task they often do, but the search for timber and the skill of the volunteers show the quality of care the Men’s Shed provides to Mount Carmel. It reflects the trust one generation has in another and the respect that senior men have for the aspirations of tomorrow’s women from Mount Carmel College.

All that from a workbench at a Men’s Shed.

Mrs Caroline Jager from Development and Community Relations came by to review the work and could not have been more pleased. It is to Mount Carmel’s credit that they recognised the Kingston Men’s Shed as a safe place to entrust today’s craftsmen with enshrining the names of future students.

The grain of the wood reflects the shared lines of community. Through these boards, young women will be honoured, and the craftsmen represent the fathers, grandparents and brothers who have stood, and continue to stand, with women as they go on to shape their futures. It honours the women in their lives too.

Like all projects at the Men’s Shed, this one has a story. Each is shared over a Nescafe and a conversation, often leading to a deeper community connection. This wood and these craftsmen may have aged, but the spirit of community is not lost on any of them and that adds to these Honour Boards. Honour is a timeless thing.

(author: David Barnes, Member of Kingston Men’s Shed – April 2026)