The long term future of the JMS was verbally asssured on Thursday 18th April 2013. Minister Collier’s Principal Policy Advisor Edward Simons, Education Department Director John Leaf and Acting Director Philip Newnham met with JMS executive members at Padbury and agreed to provide the JMS with much greater security of tenure.

Thanks to the generosity of the current government the JMS can now count on remaining at the current facility for the “foreseeable future.”

The last two words are mine because I did not want to preempt the actual wording of the new agreement which we were assured would be drawn up as a matter of priority.Unfortunately seven months has elapsed since that assurance was given and there is still no written agreement. While we’re probably worrying over nothing it would be nice to have everything in black and white because until that happens we’ve always got a cloud of doubt hanging over our heads.

All JMS members would be well advised not to rest on their laurels. Governments change and some future new regime may not be so well disposed to having a registered health promotion charity occupying valuable building space. In addition, our membership numbers continue to grow and it is only a matter of time before we outgrow our current premises. For that reason members should continue growing the JMS bulding fund to ensure the Joondalup Men’s Shed Inc., survives in perpetuity.