What started as a small gathering is now a huge movement – and it’s coming to Goodies Junction. Photo: Valentina Di Maggio.
Canberra’s first and only Women’s Shed has expanded its education series, now offering monthly workshops at Goodies Junction in Symonston.
Thrifty visitors will be able to take secondhand furniture they find inside Goodies to the mobile workshop where they can learn new techniques for refurbishing their treasures.
Each session is designed to teach local women basic carpentry skills, improve their confidence using power tools, and encourage them to restore, repurpose or reuse materials that would otherwise go to landfill.
CEO Sunita Kotnala founded Women’s Shed Canberra in 2020, having moved from Sydney just before lockdown. She felt isolated and wondered if other women felt the same way.
“I have always enjoyed turning something old into something new, something broken into something beautiful, and building a piece with my own hands,” Sunita told Region.
“I got to learn practical carpentry in Sydney through SALT (Supporting and Linking Tradeswomen), and when I found out Canberra didn’t have a similar service for women, I decided to start it myself.
“Power tools can intimidate a lot of women, especially those who have never worked with them before, but it doesn’t have to be scary. It can be fun, it’s useful and, most importantly, empowering.”
Demand skyrocketed, and in October 2024, in what Sunita describes as one of her “proudest accomplishments”, the organisation moved into its own building.
“It provided us with much-needed space to host new events and a home base for our mobile workshop,” Sunita said.
“Women can build something new from scratch or bring their own projects from home to work on, with the help of our qualified tradie facilitators.”
Some members who have been with Women’s Shed since the beginning are now confident enough to help out with demonstrations and advice. Photo: Valentina Di Maggio.
Greens MLA Laura Nuttall participated in a birdhouse project workshop at WSC’s new Greenway facility, which she described as a beautiful, safe and supportive environment.
“Whether it is the barrier entering the [trades] industry or staying despite intimidating workplaces and lingering stereotypes, across the board, women are not even close to equal representation,” she said to ACT Parliament earlier this month.
“With trades industries now facing skill shortages, I believe part of the answer could be challenging the lack of desirability the industry offers for women and providing more opportunities to build confidence with power tools. Organisations like Women’s Shed do a great job bridging this gap.”
Women’s Shed Canberra X Goodies Junction workshop series for 2025 will run on select Saturdays from 1 pm to 3 pm at the resource management centre on Mugga Lane.
- Intro to Power Tools – 15 February, 15 March
- Furniture Restoration – 19 April, 17 May
- Upholstery – 14 June, 19 July
- Cat Enclosure – 16 August, 20 September, 18 October and 15 November.
Qualified facilitators will run the workshops using Women’s Shed tools, which are equipped by the organisation’s Restore, Repurpose, Reuse Mobile Shed van. In 2024, the van won the organisation a $37,760 Community Zero Emissions Grant.
Sunita said she was excited to engage with women from all walks of life at the new workshops.
“It’s great to be able to service a new area with our mobile workshop,” she said.
“We want to empower women to be more confident and independent in their everyday lives, whether that’s saving money by fixing a leaky tap themselves, building a planter box at home with their kids, or just feeling like they have a warm, welcoming community behind them.”
For more information, visit Women’s Shed Canberra.
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