Inside a historic arts school beside a bustling rural highway, men chatter as they put fresh coats of varnish on chairs, patch-up old toys and measure timber to restore a faded glory box.
The simple act of tinkering and talking in the Men's Shed at Lucknow, a village near Orange in central western NSW, is community connection in action.
"In a larger community, you might slip into the background," retired police officer Terry Betts told AAP.
"But if you're involved in something in a regional community, there's not so much background noise that you get lost.
"Here, you're acknowledged and seen."
People living in country Australia report higher levels of personal wellbeing, measured through domains like community connectedness and relationships, according to a national survey.
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