The Noosa Men’s Shed recently celebrated their 10th birthday with members, supporters and friends attending the special event.
The progress that Noosa Men’s Shed has made in this decade is testament to what can be achieved when people believe in their goals and are prepared to put the work in to realise them.
Australia is the birthplace of the Men’s Shed movement which has grown to encompass thousands of sheds established in more than a dozen countries across the globe.
In 2005, there were 200 Men’s Sheds in Australia. Fast forward to 2024, and there are more than 1200 Sheds spread across the country.
Women’s Sheds, or Community Sheds that welcome both men and women are the new wave of this movement. A great example of this is the Noosa Women’s Shed, which is under construction just across the road from the Men’s Shed.
Sheds are amazing and versatile places where people can build connections with their peers and their community, where they can develop new skills, find a support network, and access physical and mental health programs, services, and resources.
Sheds play an important role in supporting health and wellbeing, they provide social inclusion opportunities, and give people a place they can tinker, create, work on projects, develop new skills, and pass on knowledge to others.
We know that social connections and strong supportive networks are instrumental in improving mental and physical health outcomes, particularly for men, who are more likely to experience difficulties in seeking support for personal struggles.
The importance of strong connections and support networks can not be underestimated, and the Men’s Shed Movement is world leader in bringing men together, supporting them to lead a positive and healthier lifestyle, while strengthening their wider communities.
The Noosa Men’s Shed Motto is “Building a Better and Happier Tomorrow” – which is a goal that we can all aspire to.
In less cheerful news, tax time is the time of year when scammers are sending text messages and emails pretending to be myGov or Services Australia. They will ask you to click on a link so they can steal your sign in details, personal information, and ultimately your money!
Scammers might say are that you can get a one-time payment, rebate, or other kind of refund, that there is a problem with your tax return or myGov account, or there have been changes to your account, your details need to be updated, or your account is about to be frozen or suspended.
Please, do not click on these links or any attachments in emails or text messages. You can find out more by visiting servicesaustralia.gov.au/how-to-know-if-its-scam? and scamwatch.gov.au.
Because cyber criminals are constantly looking for new ways to steal your data, it is important to practice cyber hygiene to keep your devices in good health and improve your online security.
Pwned is an industry term that means your data has been exposed to cybercriminals. You can check to see if your email or phone number has been involved in a data breach by visiting haveibeenpwned.com. This website also lets you sign up to be notified if future pwnage occurs and your accounts are compromised.
These days we have so many different online accounts that it can be difficult to keep track of your passwords. Most of us are guilty of reusing passwords or having favourite passwords that are easy to remember. While password reuse is quite normal, it is also quite risky. Because it is so common and easy, most of us are not aware of the potential impact.
Cyber criminals launch credential stuffing attacks, where they take advantage of reused credentials by automating login attempts against systems using known email and password pairs that have been exposed by data breaches.
The importance of using strong individual passwords or password phrases for different accounts is the first step in practicing good cyber hygiene, and the next step is enabling two or multi factor authentication to stop hackers and cyber criminals who may have your password from gaining access to your account.
