Community
13 June, 2025
The Sheddies to celebrate 20 years
THE Tin Shed Singers will this weekend celebrate their 20th anniversary.
The group, which was formed in 2005, will celebrate the special milestone with a gathering at the Mozart Hall from 6pm tomorrow (Saturday).
According to the group’s communications officer, Pasquale Mammone, this weekend’s event will see the beginning of the group “winding down.”
“We still have around 15 to 20 active members who meet each week, and we have a few performances schedule for this year, along with an appearance at next year’s Port Fairy Folk Festival but we are starting to wind down a bit.”
The Tin Shed Singers, also known as the ‘Sheddies,’ originated from a workshop by Stephen Taberner back in 2005.
“Elizabeth McKay (Community Music Victoria representative) and Philip Shaw had been talking about starting a men’s singing group for some time prior to then to provide an enjoyable focus for local men as well as providing a non-competitive way for men to socialise,” Pasquale said.
“These discussions kept running into the same barrier... who would lead such a group? All efforts to identify and recruit a local man had failed.
“After many months of trying, it became clear that despite having no formal musical background and never having led any group it was going to be Philip or nobody.
“He agreed to lead the group on a temporary basis until a proper leader could be appointed.”
The Taberner workshop attracted a large number of singers, including men, so Philip and Elizabeth decided that this was the ‘now or never’ moment.
“Philip emailed the men who attended the workshop and advertised more widely that a singing group for men would be starting up and, bolstered by a number of positive responses, set the first session for Thursday, June 2.”
From this very tentative start the group continued, moved to Emmanuel College Chapel, and worked at developing repertoire and making the sessions enjoyable both musically and socially.
While this was a slow process, members were patient and over time numbers grew.
By 2007 the group had decided on a name (the Tin Shed Singers) and had a new home at the Mozart Hall; which has remained the base of ‘Sheddie’ activities ever since.
Some of the group’s early public appearances included performances at Flagstaff Hill, the Western District Choral Festival and Gnatannwarr Multicultural Festival.
“The Tin Shed Singers is not associated with the men’s shed association at all,” Pasquale said.
“We applaud the goals and activities of the men’s shed movement but we are a very different group.
“We give men an opportunity to socialise through a shared activity of singing.”
Throughout the years the Sheddies have supported various other groups including South West Healthcare, Rotary, Lions, St Brigid’s and many others.
“We were thrilled to have been adopted by Danny Spooner as shantymen at the Port Fairy Folk Festival, a role that we maintain each year along with the Southern Ocean Sea Band following Danny’s passing in 2017.”
While some members are now “showing signs of ageing” the group limits its performances to 12 a year, but the enthusiasm remains high.
“We’re all looking forward to this weekend’s celebrations; it will give us a chance to reminisce about the Sheddie journey with current and former Sheddies and others who have supported us along the way.”
