Men’s Sheds promote camaraderie

I was intrigued when I saw a brochure titled ‘Men’s Sheds in Australia’. Glancing through it I found pictures of elderly males engaged in numerous crafts. I was reminded of the small ‘wadu maduwa’ set up in the backyard of a ‘baas unnehe’s house in the village who turned out a two-wheeled handcart for me when I was a kid. 

I used to go and observe how he turned out numerous products out of timber and one thing I will never forget is hoe he always carried a pencil stuck on to his right ear. He was a bachelor and stayed with her married sister’s family. Though quite a clever craftsman he was taking life easy possibly because he was single. 

He turned out things for those whom he knew and charged them what my father used to say were very reasonable rates. I found the Men’s Shed concept a refined, organised version of what my ‘bass unnehe’ was doing by himself. 

Men’s Shed concept is yet another example of positive thinking by the Australian government to help those who may be at a loose end or are unable to do a vocation by themselves. It is an informal meeting-place where men in a community can spend time engaged in manual crafts. 

Woodwork, metal work, repairing old furniture or bicycles, turning out handicrafts or school needs are among the most popular work they are involved in. The local authority provides them with a location. Those interested get together and form a Men’s Shed. They come from all walks of life. The common factor is that they are men with time on their hands and they would like to do something meaningful with that time.

Once a man becomes a member of a Men’s Shed, he finds comradeship with others with similar interests. It gives him a safe and busy environment but with no pressure. It gives him an opportunity to chat with others over a cup of tea or coffee in a friendly atmosphere. He doesn’t have deadlines to meet. He works leisurely.

A well-organised Men’s Shed will have a coordinator who has both technical and social skills to develop a safe and happy environment where men are welcome to work on a project of their choice in their own time. The only ‘must’ is to observe safe working practices.

“Because men don’t make a fuss about problems, their problems have been either ignored or swept under the mat by both our health system and our modern society. It’s time for a change and the Men’s Shed movement is one of the most powerful tools in  helping men to be once again valued and valuable men in our society,” says a spokesman. 

The Sheds offer men a place to engage with hands on activities and to interact with other men and by doing so a sense of meaning and value is developed around the process of completing projects in the shed. 

Through shared experiences in the shed, members make friends, build a network of emotional support and develop a sense of belonging. These facilitate a willingness to communicate often uncommon to men. It has been found that the health and wellbeing aspect of the Sheds, particularly in terms of preventative health to be the greatest benefit.

In 2007, the Australian Men’s Shed Association (AMSA) was established as a resource centre for community Men’s Sheds around Australia. It represents and promotes the Sheds, and is committed to encouraging and supporting men of all ages to live full, active and independent lives by simply providing a space for them – a shed. 

The Association which is supported by financial assistance from the Australian Government, represents Men’s Shed to governments, NGOs and funding sources. It also assists with the establishment, maintenance and promotion of individual facilities.