Note from the Editor:
This article was kindly written for the SDC by member Pete M.

I am a member of a local Men’s Shed. The Men’s Shed idea is an Australian concept that has become popular in all States and even overseas. The first Men's Shed was established in Goolwa, South Australia in 1993. The idea originated to improve the health and well-being of members, and now, more than 50,000 men attend over 1200 Australian Sheds.

In case some readers are concerned at what might seem like a story about a sexist organisation, let me say from the outset that there are some sheds in locations where there are female members, and these sheds are often referred to as ‘Community Sheds’. Having female members is purely a local decision. However, there are specific reasons why it is important for men for such an organisation to exist.

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[Reet]

We have a really good Men's Shed in Grafton which is part of the U3A set up. The men invite the women to partake in lessons in woodwork etc if they want to and are indeed a great help around the town as a whole. They are excellent in wood crafts and metalwork and will help any other organisation in jobs which they need to be done. The members of the Men's Shed are able to talk over a cup of tea in their breaks and never have to feel lonely. They can talk over their problems together and have a comfortable feeling of being supported.

 

[RFG]

My brother in law has been going to his man shed for years now. I thought it was a bit of a crock for male ego however, he recently went through open heart surgery and they all rallied around him. In fact I believe that got him through the unexpected complications he had. So hats off to you guys at the man sheds everywhere. I have heard there are lady sheds happening around some places.

 

[Gsr]

The men’s shed in the town where I live is very popular. The men who go there participate in all kinds of crafts, woodwork, metal work, gardening, cooking, repairing equipment in parks, running bbqs for community functions and at Bunnings. They sell the produce from their gardens, make pickles, relish etc and sell them. They will do repairs for anyone who needs small repair jobs done, for a small donation. They meet at the shed one day a week but spend many more days helping out in the community. They visit clients in local aged care facilities. When I worked in aged care once a month we had a men’s lunch at a local club, the men’s shed organised it and helped with transport along with the community bus. These men also attended the lunch and spent time chatting and reminiscing with the clients from the 3 local aged care facilities who attended. It was always a wonderful long lunch, the clubs did a special price choice of meals so everyone could afford to go. Men’s sheds are really wonderful places and do so much good for the people who go and the community.

 

[Shedguy]

I am a active member of my local men’s shed (hence my name) and have been a member for around 3 - 4 years.
Ours is a male only shed with probably around 70 members with 20 - 30 being the most active. Most of the members would be of retirement age, but we do have a few younger members.
Some members just drop in for a cuppa and a chat and some come to use the workshop facilities, some were white collar workers and some ex tradies or other jobs so a vast amount of different experiences are present. Someone is always there to lend a hand or for advice with problems or projects.
I find it a great way to get male companionship and to talk about male problems especially mental health, we quite often have guest speakers come in, mainly health related, but we have had talks from Centrelink discussing what benefits we are able to claim.
Overall, I believe that the shed community is a great asset to a local community.

 

[Jerry Attrick]

Sadly, the Men's Shed in my neighbourhood has a waiting list a mile long but luckily I have a man cave, a couple of great mates, tonnes of tools, heaps of hobbies, loads of scrap timber, steel, BBQ equipment, beer fermenting gear, a kegerator, a veggie garden, a small orchard and a subscription to a library of audiobooks to keep me from ever being bored. Monday I'm starting my new online course at the Uni of Tassie in all things fermentable and I get to learn how to also make my own cheese, wine, etc. No time to think about negative things for me.
If one door is shut, look for the next one that opens and see where that leads to.

 

[johno cpfc]

I have been a member of our local Mens shed for 8 years and have enjoyed the opportunity to mix with a lot of great guys . At the moment we are undergoing a very large refurbishment of the building we use ( it was previously a tech school ) so we have inherited some great machinery and a very large area in which to run our shed. At the moment we also have two or three lady members who mix in very well. I think about six Million is being spent on the refurbishment so it will be great when finished, the building is an old Tech School and is still owned by the state sot they are paying for the upgrade .