Page 14 - Possible Magazine Issue 8 EMAG

HEAD TO THE SHED
workshops that are stocked with tools, materials, and members looking for the next project. Sheds can be traced back to the 1980s; the first ones appeared in Gawler, South Australia, and Toongabbie, Victoria.
The concept gained momentum in 2009 with the development of a National Male Health Policy. It was noted that, traditionally, a lot of group activity for men is limited to sport or work. Men’s Sheds offered an alternative.
“It was suggested that Men’s Shed could become a platform to promote men’s health and be a preventative measure to reduce social isolation in older men,” David says.
Funding followed, encouraging
the opening of hundreds of new sheds around the country.
“Many of our members come from a trade or industry background and can feel a sense of loss and loneliness when the workplace community they once had, disappears,” says David.
“For thousands of men, the shed fills that gap. We see camaraderie develop in the shed that’s similar to that of a workplace or sporting club.”
To members just like Les, the local shed offers both a purpose and social connections. It fills the gap that was created after retirement, or when a social circle gets smaller.
Men’s Shed was a unique and not before seen approach to mental health for Australian men. David
says it puts the focus on completing a physical project, with social interaction as a secondary bonus.
“Many men don’t talk face- to-face, they talk shoulder-to- shoulder,” he explains. “The idea
was to make it easy to talk in a comfortable space where the focus is on handwork.”
It’s for this reason David says that craftsmanship has always been at the heart of the shed. The work that happens inside can be initiated by
a shared passion for a specific craft, like woodwork or metalwork, or can be more niche.
“We’ve got one in Sydney that restores old ships, and another
in Perth that restores steam locomotives,” he explains.
14 — JUST BETTER CARE
POSSIBLE
Les is one of 150,000 Australian men who have joined a Men’s Shed.