Women need more representation in our communities. A new social group called Beechworth & beyond is all about up-cycling and recycling in any medium. Whilst only a local Facebook community group at this stage, we plan to share fun, creative projects for your garden, home, office or public spaces.

Our core focus is sharing skills and ideas with like-minded individuals to reduce our landfill. Whilst we accept membership from men, women and children, it is possible to take our community one step further.

Hopefully we can grow like a men’s shed for but for "ladies". Thinking out of the square can be a means to an end, and a whole new beginning all at the same time. Orange has already done this.

They draw together a can-do attitude towards learning. They include trade skills that foster independence, be it simple home repairs or forgotten crafts. Their principles construct a community connection that builds confidence for women in rural areas.

Free workshops to grow skills for women are a new movement that deserves support. The Beechworth & Beyond movement is still in its birthing stage. Talents collected this year include a basket maker, skilled mosaic artists, a tutor in stained glass and lead lighting, patch-working, sewing and more.

At this stage we are just collecting members who share a passion to up-cycle and recycle goods to save our landfill. It would be a dream to include much-needed handyman skills for basic home and furniture repairs.

Though no fault of their own, some women find life debilitating without their male partner as they have never ventured into the fix-it-yourself line of thought.

This was their man's job. If you have never adopted a do-it-yourself attitude in your journey, then now is a great time to start with the new pension plan making life even more difficult for some senior women.

Please let us know if you think our councils should be fostering women’s sheds in public spaces. The CWA has supported the health of so many women since 1922. However, women need to be far more independent to survive today on their own.

The now senior ladies of our society however missed out, as when they were young trade skills were just for the boys. Women are proving their capabilities every day in the workforce now, in trades that were known as men’s trades. Promoting and requesting women’s sheds in the Indigo Shire would be a great idea.

Regarding Paul Upton's letter (The Border Mail, December 20), I have read so much rubbish over time but this one takes the cake. Likewise Paul, you can't understand anyone voting Liberal, I can't understand anyone voting Labor.

I go back to Rudd, Gillard, Swan and Peter Garratt and what they did to this beautiful country of ours.

Unlike your list of rants, my list is very different.

We must never forget Rudd threw all our savings to the wind back in the so-called GFC, of which 42 per cent of that money went overseas, then we had the school halls fiasco followed by the pink bats under Garrett of which young men lost their lives and people's houses burnt down, then to top that, your Labor government gave this country the largest debt known to man.

The interest alone on that debt would build all the hospitals and schools we could ever wish for.

Your Labor government inherited no debt and money in the bank, unlike the Liberal government inheriting debt, mess and disaster, so when the Liberal government performs like your Labor government I, like you, will never vote Liberal either.

I can’t imagine how difficult it must be to fix Labor's mess.