Men’s Sheds are a great initiative, getting blokes out of home, and working shoulder to shoulder on various projects in order to tackle boredom and in some cases more serious issues like loneliness and depression.
There are over 1000 of them in Australia, and one of the biggest is Buderim Men’s Shed which in 2019 took out the Australian Men’s Shed Association Shed of the Year.
It’s a three-shed complex on one hectare of land with around 22 activities during the week and about 300 members.
Activities include metalwork, four or five different wood works, computer education, a small engines group, push bikes group, gardening group, and plenty more.
“The blokes come down here and they sit and talk and chat and they’re able to learn new skills, find new friends and have an enjoyable time,” said club president, Barry Cheales.
“I’m a public servant, I was a home handyman. I moved into a unit in retirement and all of a sudden, used to fixing things and doing things, and there was nowhere to do it, I didn’t have a garage. So the men’s shed came up so all of a sudden, I had all the tools, all the wisdom of a whole variety of guys.”
The club recently welcomed an exciting addition to the gardens: a huge metal tree symbolising the importance of men keeping busy in retirement.
“This thing’s five metres high, four metres wide, and it’s got a bunch of tools hanging down forming the leaves,”
Barry said. “This metal tree will stand there symbolic of blokes and retirement and doing things.”
