Fresh SHED insights from afar
Community
Men’s Sheds
From NZ
to Australia
England
& Scotland
2009
January 20th 2010 Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
1
This report reflects on my 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship Award to:research startup and operational processes of Community Men’s Sheds overseas, having a dual
purpose of encouraging further development of more appropriate educational, social and health
support options for men both in Hamilton and throughout New Zealand in less formal, practical and
less threatening environments.
The Report
Through this fellowship I acknowledge the difficulties of getting a social enterprise like a community
men’s shed off the ground. Where no one has been before there is much to learn, therefore, I wanted to
ensure others coming after me had an easier ride. The report is not an academic report as part of the
purpose is to give an account of my personal experiences gathered in the local field mixed with insights
from overseas. Essentially it is a narrative that sequentially revisits this journey that seeks to assist other
sheds to encourage more men to engage in life-long learning in their locality and in their shed.
Sincere thanks are given to all who assisted me in this endeavour and I look forward to continued
contact over the years. The Winston Churchill Fellowship has enabled me to achieve more than I could
otherwise have achieved and as an overview, my suggestion is to view the Powerpoint as a click by click
slideshow summary of the journey covered. For greater detail this represents the “Notes Page” under
“View” for each slide.
Other files attached to the report are transcriptions of interviews with Shed representatives, contacts of
visits made, some other points of interest and a checklist of issues to be addressed when starting and
operating a Community Men’s Shed. Towards the end I propose some recommendations for the future.
I understand that the Churchill Trust may publish this Report, either in hard copy or on the internet or
both. I give consent to such publication and also indemnify the Churchill Trust against any loss, costs or
damages it may suffer arising out of any claim or proceedings made against the Trust in respect of or
arising out of the publication of this report submitted to the Trust and which the Trust places on a
website for access over the internet. I also warrant that this Final Report is original and does not infringe
the copyright of any person, or contain anything which is, or the incorporation of which into the Final
Report is, actionable for defamation, a breach of any privacy law or obligation, breach of confidence,
contempt of court, passing-off or contravention of any other private right or of any law
It has been collated as a Powerpoint Presentation so that it can be of use to practitioners wishing to
gather insights from actual sheds as they have started up or operated. This is not an academic report but
rather a narrative, sequentially revisiting the journey I have been on to encourage more men to engage in
life long learning that suits them.
I begin with the development of the Hamilton Community Men’s Shed in Hamilton (NZ). Guiding one
of the first sheds in New Zealand has enabled me to mix my personal experience in the developmental
processes of this shed with international insights gleaned from visiting Community Men’s Sheds in
Australia and Britain.
As the current chair of the Community Men’s Shed Trust in Hamilton, (NZ) and Director of local
school-based Community Learning Centre, a personal goal has been to assist the extension of the
Community Men’s Shed concept throughout New Zealand. Without NZ research data available as in
Australia, anecdotal information suggests that men in New Zealand conform to similar patterns as men
in Australia; many less likely to access post school learning opportunities and similarly less informed or
concerned about a range of potentially serious personal health conditions than women.
.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
2
I appreciate having received this fellowship as it will continue to assist men in New Zealand
communities and those I have met in the course of my travels overseas to reconnect with other men, to
optimise their personal situations and zest for life for the benefit of all.
The fuzzy issues, matters we have yet to learn that are relevant to NZ sheds, I would like to explore with
others in greater detail at the first national men’s shed conference planned for Masterton. I have
organised that this should occur during April 9-11, 2010.
Background:
Dr Barry Golding, an academic from the University of Ballarat has pioneered much of the study of
Community Men’s Sheds in Australia as a part of his studies of older men’s health and wellbeing. In
March 2007 he shared his findings, in NZ with leaders in Adult and Community Education and various
tertiary institutions, showing patterns of behaviour relating to men’s educational interests, consistencies
in a lack of achievement and lower awareness levels and behaviours around health and well-being. In
contrast, he also reported on ways the Australian Men’s Shed movement had come to grips with many of
these negative situations in a positive way providing discourse and visual materials showing improved
mental health in many men whose patterns of behaviour would have earlier lead towards mental health
concerns, depression and suicide. Whether concerns resulted from retirement, a loss of mates in the
workforce, redundancy, health problems or loss of a significant partner, Barry’s invitation was to
contribute to an international perspective on Men’s Health and Wellbeing. This invitation encouraged
several of us in New Zealand to explore our local situations in greater detail. While there was not the
same level of agricultural trauma from drought or bushfires impacting on rural folk in New Zealand I
found similar patterns of fewer men accessing post school learning opportunities in our Learning Centre
by 26% compared with women. I also received several requests from social agencies and therapists
lamenting the lack of social and rehabilitative opportunities for men compared with those available for
women. Higher levels of dysfunctional behaviours in men and proportional overrepresentation in prison
numbers completed a contemporary picture of men in NZ of the time and the need for more positive
opportunities for men to be supported in New Zealand communities.
Hamilton Community Men’s Shed - establishment processes.
I did not know the best way to start up a men’s shed as there was no precedent of community men’s
sheds in New Zealand in 2007. Starting with the community, I invited a range of community members to
consider whether there was a similar level of need in Hamilton to support men, or whether sufficient
men had a desire to be a part of such a concept as a community shed based on the Australian concept,
and what support and resources if any might be available to begin.
I wondered also whether a shed should become a stand alone trust or come under the umbrella of
sympathetic organisation like a community house, church community programme or advocacy body
which had an infrastructure already in place.
While a greater level of independence would come from a stand alone trust with Charitable Status, it
would incur a greater workload for members. In particular men would need to consider the dual
functions of Governance and Management. Later a suitable venue would need to be found, and setting
up resources would require the coordination of people, plant, materials and programme.
With no umbrella group obvious at the early stage, following three consultation meetings, invitations to
key supporters were given to form a steering group which later became a Board of Trustees. A decision
was made to proceed as a stand alone trust in December 2007.
The next stage of development required us to tackle a lack of resources; no venue, no tools or
equipment, no sponsor, benefactor, nor core activity that could encourage men to want to join. In spite
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
3
of a survey suggesting we proceed, it was not clear who we should be targeting as members. The third
Wednesday (19 March 2008) was chosen as a launch date which gave sufficient lead time for these
concerns to be addressed.
Hamilton situation: brief overview
I firstly invited colleagues, contacts, media, and city councillors to three public meetings in the Melville
HS library, the University of Waikato Continuing Education campus and in a city council community
facility, about men’s learning and the possibility of establishing a Community Men’s Shed in Hamilton.
At one of these meetings a church Community programme coordinator offered to survey their
community about the concept and if positive, who would plan to use it. I then invited organisations to
consider partnership (none responded) and how a shed might be established. It became clear that I
personally needed to drive it on so at the third meeting convened a steering group. This was critical
element; members need to be the best people with time, energy, and skills and knowledge to get things
moving. This involved getting on with each other!
Following several scoping meetings, our steering group (see next slide) was reduced to 5; those prepared
to become Trust members, four males and one female, each with particular strengths. One was an
advocate for several men’s groups which gave an important focus to structure and programme. The
strengths of having a female representative on the board lay in her belief in the benefits of community
sheds for men, her support for adult learning and her knowledge of how to access resources for the Shed,
in particular sourcing funding and possibly securing a venue. On top of that as a daughter, wife and
mother of a son, she, like many other women in the community, were strong advocates for the concept
of a community men’s shed being necessary and not gender exclusive. One rural women’s group
representative from Australia reported when males in the community are grounded the community as a
whole is grounded.
Once the Trust had a balance of committed members, several strategic meetings were held to draft out a
Trust Deed
From hereon, the most frequently asked and important questions (also by the media) were: What is a
community shed? What can you do there? Who can come? These answers need to be ready to go!
The Hamilton Project.
The media were invited to consider this innovative project aimed at supporting men in the city. The
media could assist the Trust inform the public of the ideas and progress hence the need for clear,
succinct ideas.
For the second meeting, Alex and Lorelle Paton from the Bay and Basin’s Men’s Shed in Australia
offered to assist shed establishment by visiting us and other prospective shed groups within an hour and
half ‘s travel from Auckland. They were valuable guests to one meeting and also called in on the
Thames Shed on their return to Auckland. The Paton’s demonstrated the significant voluntary support
and “brotherhood” typical of men’s shed members who I met at my first Australian Men’s Shed
Conference.
Establishing a shed without precedent in New Zealand was challenging. We had some difficulty
explaining what a community men’s shed was, especially when we had had no experience in running
one nor could refer people to an operation in New Zealand already inexistence. Several men for
instance, who had individual sheds of their own attended. They had interpreted the initiative as an
association of individual sheds. It was not sufficiently clear to them (nor clearly enough to us at the
time) that there needed to be a more obvious distinction between an “individual man’s shed” at home
and a “community facility that was aimed at supporting men in the community”. From this point on, we
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
4
included the word “community” in our men’s shed name to give a more accurate descriptor to the type
of shed being developed.
The steering group was strategically important. They needed to help penetrate the ignorance of shed
knowledge in the community and provide energy to make things happen where nothing existed before. I
invited two city councillors (one male and one female capable of promoting the use of city facilities and
its benefits to the community), a former principal and trust programme manager, an Adult Education
provider representative capable of sourcing funding (woman), a community house coordinator and adult
education provider(woman), a potential shed user, a former science adviser and tutor of computing in
addition to my personal contribution as a Director of a Community Learning Centre (Adult night class
programmes in the city) former secondary teacher and Director of the Hamilton Community Centre of
Music.
The next most important things were to confirm our vision and goals, build a database and confirm a
venue. Funding issues would need to wait.
My initial data base consisted of men wanting to become shed members; community groups and
organisations who might be advocates for men; possible benefactors and sponsors; and on a more global
scale, those who might be interested in the same concepts in different parts of New Zealand. While
email was the easiest and most economical form of communication, I found several men wishing to
access the shed or become involved did not have email. This meant that assistance with communication
was particularly important at the outset.
Launch of Hamilton Community Men’s Shed (NZ) :(a similarly named shed was established about
the same time in Victoria (Australia).
Who? We became the Hamilton Community Men’s Shed - Charitable Trust with 5 board members.
What? We were the first Community Men’s Shed in Hamilton
When? We launched shed idea on Dec 11th 2007 and Shed on Wed 19th March 2008. We proposed a
regular monthly meeting and opened initially weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 – midday; a
regular Wednesday evening group, 7-9pm and a Saturday Morning group. We needed to cater for those
still working and unable to attend during weekdays
Where? A temporary venue was located on a 6 weeks notice basis. It had good facilities, plenty of space
and it was available at no cost. It was in the north of Hamilton so did not suit many in the south or
further afield. Shed location can become a barrier to those without transport.
How? Our vision and membership policy specified that all men were welcome. If they required support
to attend the shed because of personal difficulties they needed it to be provided at the shed as well.
Acceptance of membership was at the discretion of the board if any issue arose. A membership fee was
set at $10 for 6 months.
Regular meetings of the trustees were scheduled to draft a trust deed and submit this together with an
application for charitable (non-profit ) status. Wording was critical here and we needed to make some
amendments.
Policies developed initially related to membership, donations, loans of equipment and financial roles
within a Governance and Management structure. Two bank accounts were established with constraints
placed on the members’ (management) account. The trust account dealt with grant applications and
accountability and the member’s shed account would deal with income from members and donations
from community projects. Larger sums could be applied for by the members group to purchase items of
capital equipment.
A roster for opening and closing was established using shed volunteers initially – we had no money to
employ a coordinator though this became an important matter to deal with soon after establishment.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
5
A stocktake New Zealand scene: from concept to establishment March 2007 - 2008.
December 11th 2007 Men’s Shed concept decision to proceed in Hamilton confirmed with a public
launch and establishment of a steering committee. Initial meetings and hospitality sponsored by Melville
High School Community Learning Centre.
December 14th 2007 Dunedin Blokes’ Shed launched. Coordinated by Lieutenant Commander Philip
Bradshaw, two venues Taieri Airport (disused building associated with Otago Aero Club) and
Dunedin (a disused tractor shed /garage Kings High School). Philip had independently sourced
Community Men’s Shed information outside of Dr Barry Golding’s circuit of workshops which were
held in Hamilton and Queenstown.
March 17th 2008 Community Men’s Shed launched in Thames. Under guidance of Community
Coordinator Ian Drury, the Thames Shed was centred on a disused sports pavilion on the grounds of
Thames High School and began with a core activity centred on a local wood turners who were looking
for an appropriate venue at that time.
March 19th 2008 Hamilton Community Men’s Shed Launched officially at a temporary site (free of
charge) on Sunshine Avenue Te Rapa – the former Lifestyle Education Trust’s sheltered workshop
facility which was shared with another community group. Melville High School again became a sponsor
through donations of a number of technical department work benches, stools and tables resulting from a
removal of a woodwork facility that was over code for the numbers of students in the school at the time.
There may have been other developments but with no national association this was the progress I could
gather at the time.
Wider New Zealand – 2008-9
Following attendance at the 2007 2nd AMSA conference in Manly NSW, I was asked to prepare a
report for the national Adult and Community Education Aotearoa December 2007 newsletter. Positive
reaction from the newsletter indicated the concept of Community Men’s Sheds nationally was a timely
development. People in different parts of the country made contact with me to ask for ideas and
assistance. The Lane Cove resource, SETTING UP A COMMUNITY MEN’S SHED www.amsa.org.au
was the best resource I could find available to assist people wishing to establish a facility in their
community (ph +61294188459).
I offered three national Community Education Conference workshops in 2008 and 2009 (Auckland,
Waiheke Island and Greymouth) about starting up Men’s Sheds in New Zealand). Delegates from North
of Auckland to Invercargill showed keen interest in facilitating the establishment of sheds in their
respective areas.
I maintained a list of people nationally and communicated whenever ideas of interest were relevant. In
June 2008 I canvassed those I had contact with to consider the formation of a National Association of
men’s sheds prior to the New Zealand 2008 conference of Adult and Community Education Aotearoa.
However, with the diversity of each region’s stage of development a national association was not
regarded a priority for those who responded. There was a greater need to concentrate on getting local
initiatives going in preference to making a commitment to some national infrastructure that could
distract or draw energies away from the local task. On the other hand, some felt the time was right to
create a stronger network of sheds to network and compare notes with.
A unique position was created in Christchurch with the establishment of a Canterbury Men’s Centre.
Manager Donald Pettitt was not only the first person to contact me but an outcome from this contact he
has been able to support communities developing men’s sheds locally within Canterbury.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
6
The New Zealand scene as at April 2009
Sheds were now established beyond the three areas previously mentioned. Prior to departure on this
Winston Churchill Fellowship, contacts from sheds revealed developments in several areas.Auckland
North Shore: Clay Store (North Shore) community facility, machinery available for community use.
Coordinator.
Auckland West: Waitakere Gardens Village;
West Franklin Men’s Shed: former joinery facilities, wood, boats, restoration with coordinator.
Thames: As mentioned - based at Thames High School / core activity wood turning
Hamilton: Based at 2nd temporary venue / wood / garden & community projects/ part time coordinator
Wairarapa: Henley Men’s Shed; 1st purpose-built shed, diverse capabilities, REAP funded coordinator.
Naenae : Wellington; City Council Supported
Johnsonville: Wellington: Community Centre
Central City Wellington; Newtown
Porirua City Wellington; West
Picton: Picton Men’s Shed: core activity boats and restoration; REAP overview
Oxford – committee in place with venue yet to be developed.
Ashburton: pre startup
Dunedin1 Taieri Men’s Shed community projects Coordinator
Dunedin2 Kings High School; early stages
Wanaka: early stages Queenstown – early stages Alexandra –early stages
It is possible other sheds could be in existence but at the time my survey and list of contacts suggested
these Sheds were targeted at opening.
Australian Sheds Visit: April 2009
Friends and relatives assisted me with accommodation in main centres of Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane,
Perth and Fremantle. Shed visits were based in these places to maximise my limited budget and
minimise costs of internal travel. Within a planned schedule it was difficult to coordinate fully as further
constraints occurred with the Easter Break, Anzac Day, sheds not being open 5 days a week, or when I
was there to visit or plane schedules allowed insufficient time to exit the airport on the days of operation
and get to the required venue before closing time.
While the number of Australian sheds visited was limited to six in total, the sheds I visited gave me a
diverse picture of startup and operational factors within Australia. Each Shed was a reflection of unique
factors; resources and funding available, personnel, umbrella organisation links, venue features, skills of
members and coordination / management.
Sheds I visited gave men in many walks of life the chance to learn from each other new things in a less
formal environment. All men reported benefitting socially by meeting new people. Others gained
confidence to overcome difficulties in their personal circumstances. In one shed new migrants from the
Congo were learning to live in a new land, to learn English as a new language while having the chance
to keep their own culture alive. Downsizing from a suburban dwelling to a retirement village had been
traumatic for one man.. The loss of former lifestyle options was often underestimated but activities at the
shed frequently offered such men a life changing new beginning in addition to collegial friendships
made through the joint effort and helping each other.
Shed numbers in Australia are now difficult to quantify but at the time of visiting were estimated to be
over 350. The Australian shed scene, by dint of time and experience shows strong and immediate
avenues of support for individuals or branches in the forms of shed websites, strong regional and
national associations, and email and discussion fora.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
7
Australian Men’s Sheds Visit Programme: Overview
April 15 Melbourne; Brimbank Men’s Shed, Coordinator ; Lyn Kinder, Core business: socialisation
food, ESOL Umbrella: Uniting Care Facilities: Attached to community centre, converted bus garage,
some basic practical facilities and 2 computers.
April 17th Sydney: Northern Beaches Community Men’s Shed Manly Not open on the day in
question but available to view with Coordinator (Rick Frith) and Member (Ron Durham) on site;
Coordinator: Rick Frith, Core business: wood and community project based; Umbrella: Uniting Care
retirement village; Facilities large underground area of carpark with ample storage and well appointed
and resourced facilities
April 17th Sydney; Forest Community Men’s Shed (not open on the Friday in question); Coordinator:
no one available; Core business: unknown; Umbrella: Uniting Care retirement village; Facilities
underground area of community village carpark April 22nd Brisbane: Sunnybank RSL Men’s Shed and Drop-in Centre; Coordinator Bruce
Turnbull, Core business: RSL community extension activities cards / indoor bowls and Drop-in Centre
with Friday Barbecue; Umbrella: Sunnybank RSL; Facilities large hall, kitchen and catering facilities,
drop-in lounge and covered outdoor area for Friday barbecues under building storage for some items of
woodwork machinery.
April 24th Perth; South Perth Church of Christ Men’s Shed; Coordinator : Bob Barnard Core
business: wood and basic metal, client base many with special needs working with minders, Umbrella:
Church of Christ, Facilities; Standalone community facility refurbished and resited to Church Grounds round barn construction with mezzanine floor. Good range of specialist woodwork gear.
April 28th Fremantle; Freo Men’s Shed, Coordinator Bill Johnstone Core Business; Community
Projects and night classes, partnerships with enforcement agencies and local schools, wood and metal
based. Umbrella: Stand alone Charitable Trust, Facilities former pigeon club facilities with double
garage for steel work.
April 15 Melbourne; Brimbank Men’s Shed (Melbourne); coordinator Lyn Kinder
The Brimbank Shed has had a high profile at Australian Men’s shed conferences and through internet
and email in the last three years. Regular coordinator Lyn is not only a team member of the Uniting Care
Sunshine Mission team but is also personally active as a member of the Victoria Men’s Shed
Association. She has given presentations at both of the last two Men’s Shed conferences about the work
they are involved with as a men’s shed. As a woman coordinator, (several coordinators are women) Lyn
works very well with Brimbank members encouraging them, sympathetically I noted, to participate in
activities without undue pressure. Situated near Monash in Melbourne, Sunshine appears to be a quasi
industrial area. From what I gathered during my visit, the shed seemed to support men who did not seem
to be highly “trade or industry” focussed. Those with woodwork goals were able to attend a more tradespecialised shed locally. The Brimbank shed not only comes under the umbrella of the Sunshine Uniting
Care Church Community facility, but the shed venue was built by converting a former vehicle garage
attached to the Church’s Social Services complex. A unique aspect of the Brimbank Shed is that it has a
multi cultural face as well. Some shed programmes are designed to assist African Migrants to settle into
their new homeland environment (the African group members were taking school holidays away from
the shed when I visited, to spend time with their families). On the day I visited, however, a regular
fortnightly community lunch was available. The men were asked to take their meal back to the shed to
eat on this occasion as members wanted to hear from me about what had I found out on my travels so
far. I informed them of what was happening in New Zealand. One key feature, often referred to about
Australian Sheds, was the importance of men spending time away from the tools to socialise over a
cuppa or having lunch together. Men, it appears, often miss out on these opportunities to socialise
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
8
compared to women and more men appear reserved or shy. Note the barbeque featured in the initial shed
view was obviously an important tool for the shed which was not used the day I visited.
Brimbank - Other Features:
As a men’s shed advocate, I had realised how important transport was for many men. Distance is a
barrier for those who don’t have a licence like many elderly men or younger ones with a health or
physical condition like epilepsy. The Brimbank Shed was well placed on a major commuter railway line
which enabled me, without local transport, to get to the shed without much of a hassle.
Links with ESOL support in this community are important and are carried into the Shed Programme.
Community and Health partnerships with local authorities helped to reach men who were often difficult
to make contact with in a positive way. With a greater focus on programmes linked to socialisation than
industry/trade, their healthy eating and food preparation courses fitted well as core activities for their
shed. The skills also flowed on into a retirement village according to one member. There was also a
regular eating of lunch together (socialisation) every 2nd Wednesday.
Pictures of a food course, Alternatives to junk food, that ran for 5-6 weeks were displayed in the shed.
Displays of work and courses completed are good records for sponsors and new members.
Marketing a shed needs care. In NZ we learned how important it was to promote the shed as a facility
for men doing things together rather than focussing on special groups or health programmes. Specialised
foci can become disincentives to existing and potential members. A clever acronym used by the
Brimbank shed was OMNI group (older men new ideas) a group that might meet for socialisation
purposes more than project work. Such terminology preserves dignity and honours their unique
experiences, which can get lost in a busy world for some men.
A particular strength of this Shed were the partnerships with several agencies.(Migrant Resource Centre
North West Region, ISIS Primary Care (Brimbank), Uniting Care Sunshine Mission, Royal District
Nursing Service (Homeless Person’s Programme), Centrelink (Community Officer) Brimbank City
Council, Vicorian Foundation for survivors of torture.
Northern Beaches Community Men’s Shed –Manly, Sydney; Coordinator, Rick Frith.
The shed was situated not too far from transport facilities. Communication was good. The coordinator
was the on-site property manager of the Uniting Care retirement complex where the Men’s Shed was
sited. Rick was, therefore, available even when the shed was not open. This was the case when I
visited. Another key shed member Ron Durham, one of the residents of the village, was also available
on the day. Opening hours can extended when people live on site or whenever suitably qualified and
experienced volunteers are able to scheduled opening.
A mix of key people and resources made this shed happen. Perhaps this shed exemplified the importance
of having key people with necessary skills and experience to work together to make things happen.
With both the members being industry experienced, two other members apparently broadened the skill
set of their shed committee into the financial and computer areas. Application for funding and resources
for computers (an area often lacking in the interests of elderly men) were bases well covered by these
two people and I could see this reflected in the facilities of this shed.
A bequest of $50,000 early on in their establishment enabled the development of, what I estimated to be,
the finest and most comprehensive shed of my visit overseas. It seemed that not only had everything
been well planned, it had the space (use of an underground car park where few residents had cars) and
costs were reduced by the facility being built largely by the men themselves. A most comprehensive set
of specialist tools was visible and the size of the shed was such that there was no sense of being
cramped. Specialist computer room and tea room facilities complemented the industrial / trade area.
Storage of materials and hand tools, were extremely well ordered, plentiful and well planned. Work
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
9
stations were spread out and project display cabinets gave a clear indication of what happened in this
shed. Good storage was a feature.
Northern Beaches Community Men’s Shed –Manly, additional
As a shed, facilities reflected care and thought from men who had spent a lifetime in the trade and
wanted to do the best as a result.
Everything from the display of work done by members in the shed, the planning of the layout, the
storage of resources, tools, flammable and combustible materials had been carefully attended to. It was a
dream workshop for people to work in and a number of additional things capped off the attention to
detail. Dust extraction consistently monitored and controlled, space between equipment, office dividers
used for workspace separation and noise reduction, viewing areas like the wood turning lathe designed
to keep people clear yet able to see the processes required for turning particular works.
Sunnybank Men’s Shed, Brisbane; Bruce Turnbull Supervisor open Tuesday, Thursday & Friday
Not having a shed has not stopped this shed from starting up and operating as a shed. As an initiative
under the local RSL’s organisation, ahead of shed establishment they have used funding $120,000 to do
up the complex (a large hall with attached kitchen and lounge facilities) for the last year they have
operated as a combined Men’s Shed and Drop-in Centre to get going and have the community involved.
While they had no Shed facilities as such, they had developed an open covered area out from the lounge
for use with trestles for their Friday Lunch Barbeque and possible small manual tasks. They had
adjacent storage under the building where certain hand tools and seating were stored.
Like the Victorian State Government, the Brisbane City Council has allocated amounts (around
$20,000) towards establishing men’s sheds in the city. Application can be accessed via the internet.
Shed activities can effectively include RSL members; Tuesdays, Carpet bowls in the hall; Thursdays,
Cards; and on Fridays there is a Sausage Sizzle under covered area out in the back.
The Supervisor showed me areas behind the present facilities that will be the focus of land acquisition
(council owned) for developing a purpose built ‘men’s shed” in the near future.
The present RSL facility allows organisers to access certain funding options from Dept of Vet’s Affairs.
The present Shed management team have planned a three year start-up programme. In their plan they
emphasise the need to get the business of a shed right. In their opinion this means getting the right
people (including volunteers) in place which will also include training them on what is required for the
shed to operate effectively.
With regard to partnership links and development, the shed committee has representatives from the Red
Cross and Lions organisations which it is anticipated will also give membership a boost.
One joint venture of particular interest involved the local Brisbane Division of General Practice. This
umbrella body, representing the 490 or so Brisbane GPs, recognised the importance of Men’s shed
activities and programmes at promoting positive options for men’s physical and mental health and
wellbeing. Recognising a pivotal role that men’s sheds have played in Australian communities already,
the shed committee members in this region have been given training in identifying physical and mental
health symptoms that can be recognised and linked to depression and suicide. This training has helped to
build member skills in suicide prevention and managing depression, two negative outcomes that were
key raisons d'être behind shed development in the early days. This preventative stance is designed for
men to receive help and support before matters reach a dangerous crisis point that impacts later on.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
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South Perth Church of Christ Men’s Shed; Coordinator Bob Barnard open on Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, Friday mornings 9-12 (10-12)
This shed was a former community facility that was vandalised in one area of Perth and resited by the
city council to the present South Perth Church of Christ site for use as a men’s shed.
This shed appeared to be unique in providing support for those with disabilities including cerebral palsy
and those wheel chair bound.
The City Council supported them with the project by providing $16,000 to get the venture established.
They also provide an annual grant of $1000 per year.
Bob’s story confirms the great service to community he and other volunteers give for the benefit of
others. He supervises the shed on four days a week as a volunteer. It also raises the question whether
volunteering is fully appreciated in the community when he recalled instances where paid carers from
some agencies, responsible for those attending the shed, in the past had effectively dumped them there,
then skyved off “to have a fag or the like” rather than helping their clients. Such irresponsibility made
him irate when they are getting paid to assist and he as coordinator was not!
In this shed Bunning’s donated some tools (lathe and compressor).
The shed looked to be well ordered, resourced and with a range of specialist tools. Of note was a large
central workbench / table around which several people in wheelchairs were seated working on their
individual projects with assistance from able bodied carers / volunteers.
Fay (disabled girl) enjoyed the friendly banter while making a wooden box for herself. When finished it
would be used to keep her personal jewellery and father’s medals safe and secure.
In this shed there was no concerns about a management committee as the Church’s infrastructure looked
after all of the governance issues. According to Bob there were no problems with the arrangement. Bob
in effect seemed to be “the shed”. As he had recently returned from health related surgery, it would be
of some concern for such a shed to not have a back up for Bob if he became unavailable for some other
serious health reason.
For one of the volunteers, this shed had been his way out of deep depression. This occurred in retirement
when he and his wife made a decision to down size and go into a nearby retirement village. The
emotions associated with the change and lack of space and facilities plunged him into depression, so
much so that he had difficulty getting out of bed in the mornings.
His way out of it was to take his wife’s suggestion to go down to the shed and construct some shelf units
for their apartment. Through this activity, gaining confidence through other projects, and realising how
dependent disabled members of the shed were on their carers, he was so appreciative of experiences that
he now spends time as a volunteer. He realised how important the shed was for his rehabilitation.
Freo Men’s Shed: Bill Johnstone Convenor/ Coordinator. Members (up to 160) M-W + Sat from
9.30am; other uses Monday pm Men’s Group; Wednesday and Thursday pm (Ukulele begin) + Saturday
members - in its 4th year as a not for profit organisation.
The Freomen’s shed, slightly out of the town centre of Fremantle, occupies a former pigeon fanciers
building on a plot of land that sits adjacent to a school and community centre. This facility was gifted to
the Shed .
This Shed has become a high-achieving and highly innovative shed largely due to the energy, time and
dedication of Coordinator Bill. As a teacher on leave from the classroom, Bill has used his
organisational drive and educational skills to forge new relationships with a number of funding
initiatives to generate income in return for services offered. He sees the community value of the shed
especially with regard to troubled youth and the positive mentoring they can receive.
The shed was the winner of a West Australian’s award for community service for the community
projects it has been operating. As one of first Metropolitan Sheds since 2005 – it has also been a kind of
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
11
“model” shed for others. Bill is currently a Western Australian representative on the Australian Men’s
Shed Association.
Coming from a state where no local or regional government startup funding is available, his adage is to
“get the money first – then you can do things”. This policy has led him to spearhead a number of
initiatives to generate an income. He markets these projects also very well.
One held recently was a car boot sale and sausage sizzle. The grounds around the shed were marked out
and “leased” to community members wanting to sell a range of personal things. Wood was also donated
for projects or cut up and bagged as firewood. The range of merchandise includes bottle openers made
by members, t-shirts in various colours, and a range of wooden tongs and kitchen accessories too.
Purchasing a shipping container has given more space to store resources they do not have room for.
The shed although not physically large, has 160 members aged between 9 and 90. There is a mix of
specialist woodwork gear; items in a workshop that are useful rather that state of the art.
There is a $50 p.a. Levy to be a member.
Programmes are where this shed’s diversity features. In the first instance there are night classes run from
the shed in a range of subjects that emanate from the skill base of members. Of note are ukulele playing,
choral singing and computer classes. A number of computers are set up in central office area. A Men’s
Group meets on Monday nights (like Men’s Group the movie).
Bill mentioned that they don't get burgled as they run a kids-at-risk programme in conjunction with |the
police for about 3-4 hours on a Thursday from 4-6pm. This is where Bill’s educational skills and
knowledge is able to assist young ones struggling. At the shed they receive literacy support to develop
self confidence while learning wood working skills. From such a programme, three have gone off to do
career apprenticeships and the deal also brings in funding for the shed. Both Community and shed
members benefit.
He has also made links with a local secondary school’s behaviour centre. One afternoon per week boys
visit the shed and learn to make projects in wood or metal which appear to be projects that resemble “a
rite of passage”
Bill secured a grant through the mental health council of Australia leading them to work with men
diagnosed with mental illness (they could scarcely get up in the morning). “Three of those guys” Bill
mentioned, “have now joined the shed and come here on their own”.
A Men’s Shed committee meeting is held once a month and toolbox meeting is held every two months
At this stage the Shed is significantly a labour of love as Bill is not paid directly. However the city
council are looking to fund a position for 24 hours a week. In short as in most sheds, according to Bill,
“it seems the shed’s capacity to take on what the community wants is limited by the volunteer
component of another guy and myself – sometimes up to 30 hours a week!”
Ukulele is taught – v popular, and choir spics and specs taken by Digby Hill
Workshop on father’s day – festival with kids about 1000 assembling toys and painting them
Adult Learners week seminar was held with Dr Barry Golding in September 2008.
Australian reflections
Signage is part marketing and community information. Sometimes there are restrictions on signage at
Men’s Sheds (our city council restricts signage in the recreation area that our shed is situated), but a lack
of signage does not assist new members being informed about what a men's shed is or encourages them
to attend. While some locals may know where a men’s shed is, equally larger numbers not only do not
know what a men’s shed is, they do not know where one might be situated. Good signage and
personality murals overcomes this and gives a pleasant and creative feel to a shed (e.g. Manly and
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
12
Mobile Sheds). Automobile Associations style street sign directions could also be incorporated at
suitable intersections and main roads.
It is possible today with a Google Map attached to a website to get a clear indication of where the venue
is and sometimes even what it looks like. Websites are becoming more important features of a shed’s
existence, especially for those who frequently use the internet. Visitors from one area travelling to other
areas can arrange to meet fellow shed members in their local sheds by reviewing the times open, its
programme and venue address. This is happening more frequently now with international visitors
travelling between countries like Australia and New Zealand. The internet certainly helped me to contact
people in sheds when I was travelling.
The display of shed projects and programme is important. Often enquiries about a men’s shed and what
it does come from members of the public who have some man in their lives and are not sure whether the
shed would be a suitable venue for them. Cabinets and wall displays or picture mural summaries of the
activities and programmes run in the shed assist to convey what the core business of that particular shed
is.
As summarised, women are often Men’s Sheds best advocates, particularly when they need to consider
men in their lives. Family members visit sheds to learn of the facilities and programmes available to
significant males they advocate for. Many of the social agencies are staffed by women who appreciate
the lack of opportunities for men who may be recuperating or rehabilitating from some incident, or
whose life circumstances have changed. In such advocacy roles for men, they are happy to promote the
shed as a men friendly space whenever they can.
Frequently support also comes from women in the form of requests for assistance regarding community
projects. “Could the men do this or that?” (build models of an Ambulance for schools; build play models
of hospital scanners and procedures children will require, repair items like sandpits and animal cages).
Women are also very good at purchasing materials made in the sheds (children’s paint and chalkboard
easels and kitchen devices) and in so doing become informal marketers for products or services they
have used.
The Sheds are representative of and promote the passing on of knowledge and skills from men to other
men. In the case of the Freo Men’s Shed, they promote a wonderful fathers’ and children’s day. Ahead
of the event, a number of kitset projects / toys are prepared by the men in the shed so that on the day of
celebration, they can be assembled with little need for specialist tools. They can also be painted and
personalised on the day. Some basic equipment might be available on the day to demonstrate how
simple a scroll saw or battery operated drill is to operate.
One Fremantle shed member brought his two grandsons down to the shed on the day we visited to “get
them away from the TV”. Men’s sheds can provide this mentoring opportunity where fathers, grand
fathers and uncles can provide their “presence” for their younger family members rather than “presents”
(“Children need your presence more than your presents”).
Mentoring is also extended further in the Freo Shed where established links with agencies support at risk
youth or those suffering mental stress. Not only is this a form of income for the shed through the
programmes being offered, the working alongside men in these groups in a positive way gives them
greater confidence. Such confidence enabled three in the last year to carry on in the field of woodwork
with apprenticeships.
Men’s sheds in other areas are able to promote and preserve cultural projects and traditions brought to
Australia from other countries. Not only do such activities preserve important cultural skills within the
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
13
new community, they inform, encourage and expand ideas for others to learn from them and in turn
enrich the community with their input.
Men’s sheds also show the extreme diversity and talent that some men possess and as the model of the
Endeavour in the picture shows, it was completed by Brian Cole of the Manly Shed in approximately
380 hours.
Singapore.
In recent stopovers to Singapore during the last four years, I have observed the following.
There is an extremely busy lifestyle in Singapore. It has many wealthy people (who do not have
problems socialising with others can afford what they need in terms of food, clothing, houses and
facilities), while the less wealthy all seem work long hours with very few breaks to earn enough to
survive. There is no welfare system or health assistance you would find in NZ.
Space is at a premium so that technology is heavily embraced to generate entertainment via computers,
MP3 players, Ipods and cellphones. They fit well into small apartments. A lot of socialising occurs
through eating out at Hawker Stands and food halls where food is cheap and there is a wide range to
choose from.
Accommodation consists mainly of high rise apartments owned by the government so there is little
incentive for DIY skills that are a feature of Men’s Sheds elsewhere. As a central hub for international
trade, much of what is done in sheds in other countries can be bought cheaply in markets or shops ready
to assemble or go. The wealthy will purchase goods and services rather than make things. Personal
creativity is focussed more on the arts than projects found in sheds although artists frequently use their
skills to generate income.
Ex-pats living in Singapore, have little room or opportunity to get involved in community projects.
Often they are on a short term contract and other activities feature instead; cheap travel to other
countries and acquiring a range of consumer goods available.
With land and facilities at a premium, consumerism and tourism rely on food, museums, travel, events
and entertainment. DIY skills remain the preserve of tradesmen. While there are small hardware outlets,
they are usually one-man businesses and sparsely situated. Large DIY outlets seen in Britain, New
Zealand and Australia are not obvious.
England and Scotland
As an advocacy body for the elderly, Age Concern (AG), is an umbrella type organisation well
positioned to support the community shed concept in Britain. There are branches in most cities in Britain
(and even in our local city of Hamilton , NZ). As an independent organisation supporting the elderly,
AG were also non-aligned to religion or ideology and could promote a community shed if it was seen as
valuable. I visited one such shed (Hartford) under their auspices (reported later).
Perhaps the closest link to a community shed I could find (beyond the Cheshire Shed) was an individual
shed in Scotland that served as a focus for community activities of Collieston, in Scotland. Similarly I
discovered a rest room with tea and toilet facilities catering for elderly men and women in Whitton (near
Hounslow in London). This does not mean that there were not others – these examples were all I could
find after extensive travels around England and Scotland searching on the internet and interviewing
contacts that I had arranged before leaving New Zealand.
At a National Institute of Adult and Community Education meeting arranged in Leicester and attending
the 3rd Australian Men’s Shed conference in August 2009 in Hobart, I learned of new community men’s
shed interest in Wales and Ireland, however as yet I have not heard of any such initiative in Scotland.
Searching for family history links at the same time in Scotland and the Orkney Islands, I was able to
appreciate how isolated and resourceful crofters (as some of my relations must have been) would have
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
14
needed to be. There was certainly a call for DIY skills and creativity to survive in such bleak and harsh
environments. My readings of the highland clearances demonstrated why so many relocated to
Australia, Canada and New Zealand in search of new opportunities being experienced at living in
arduous and primitive conditions.
Visiting Programme: in brief
May 12th NIACE Leicester; Discussion on research into men’s learning- focus on scoping research
around men’s informal learning.
May 18th Men in Sheds Cheshire; Fully operational Community Men’s shed along Australian lines
under auspices of Age Concern, Cheshire.
May 25th Mallaig and Moray Community Centre Scotland; Interview with community coordinator and
tutor for University of Highlands and Islands Jane Henderson regarding North Forum research, the
history of fishing in the area and the impact on men of overfishing, adn the Government’s
decommissioning of fleet. Interview with former skipper.
May 27th Edinburgh University interview with Ian Martin and Vernon Galloway to consider what
programmes were available to men along the lines of Community Men’s Sheds.
May 28th Inverurie Community Development Workers, presentation to Bob Leonard and colleagues on
concept of men’s sheds who they target and what they do.
May 29th Collieston focus on individual shed closest to community function with regular work parties a
feature of the shed’s focus and celebration.
June 4th Kirwell Orkney Islands Interview with Lorna tutor from University of Highlands and Islands
and research relating to men’s learning report North Forum.
June 6th Glasgow discussion with friend and Deputy Director Education in Fife / Giffnock Church
member re nature of Community Men’s shed and characteristics of Men’s Sheds.
Mallaig and Morar Community Centre
Tutor Jane Henderson of the Mallaig and Morar Community Centre explained how Mallaig was once a
highly prosperous fishing village and how overfishing caused an employment problem for men. It was
hard for skilled fishermen and skippers to become unemployed.
Some moved out of the area in search of education or employment while the older ones sought to keep
themselves busy in the area somehow. The community centre, linked to the Lochaber campus of the
University of the Highlands and Islands, could offer some hope through outcomes-based courses of a
practical nature. “Bullying” men into a local course was explained by Jane “the two most feared people
in the lives of the burly seafaring men are their wives and their mothers!” Knowing the men in the
community and what would be good for them lent a personal touch to course development encouraging
them to continue further. There was no obvious Community Shed development here at the time other
than an equivalent golf club as mentioned by one of the men interviewed.
Men in Adult Education
Research Report North Forum “Engaging Men Through Local Learning Centres” noted a similar
reluctance of men to become involved with Higher Education (HE) as in NZ and Australia at 25% and a
concern for a growing gap between men and women. To review this, a report on specific courses that
would appeal to the men offered through 12 of the 33 Community Learning Centres in the North Forum
-Highlands and Islands area was prepared. Frequently the courses that attracted men were practical, free,
food was available, helping to break down fears and concerns. In particular digital photography and
filmmaking were two courses that interested men. Male tutors were popular. Local and trade skills, “dry
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
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stane dyking” and basics of plumbing, fencing and basic machinery maintenance were other popular
courses for men.
Barriers to learning reported by men are perceptually based “I’m too old to learn, too old, don’t want to
sit exams, did not get qualifications at school, didn’t want to feel stupid, thought it would be like school,
everyone will be young”. Much is yet to be done to build confidence and reassure hesitant learners they
are worthy of becoming involved in learning at an older age.
In discussion at the National Institute of Adult and Community Education in Leicester, with Drs Sara
Bosley, Julian Hunt and Jane Watts, we explored the nature of and interest in less formal types of
learning for men in post school environments. Their current interest is in the relationship between the
participation of vulnerable men aged 50+, informal learning and the well-being and health effects of
such participation. Of note was a greater level of risk prone behaviour and lower level of health
awareness for men in lower classes. One possibility was to look at facilities such as Hartford’s Men in
Shed and others nearby to explore these issues further. Noting recent 2008 adult participation in learning
survey figures, male involvement in learning was 38%, with only about 4% occurring within a
community / or voluntary facility like a men’s shed. Information was also shared of the interest in
establishing a Men’s Shed in Flintshire Wales.
Discussions about Men and Learning
In discussion with Ian Martin and Vernon Galloway from the University of Edinburgh, some concern
was expressed about “educational value” of a community men’s shed and whether the learning was
more social, therapeutic or rehabilitative. What was acknowledged were challenges associated with the
“non-participation of working class men”. Ian raised a further question as to how similar or different
was community shed membership with that of “youth clubs, day centres, church groups, centres for
veterans/retired service personnel, community-based workshops and the like”? In the context of adult
and community programmes (Adult Learning Programme) a course for non-traditional learners “Glory
and Dismay” was a literacy based course developed to target men’s enthusiasm for football. While such
a course conforms with a recent literacy / numeracy thrust by our government, I did reflect on
community shed development in Australia which evolved from communities experiencing a high level
of misfortune and despair. Continuous seasons of drought, isolation following a contentiously fought
Vietnam war and survival stories emanating from bush fires or job losses that affected whole
communities were significant elements that brought community members closer together. These
circumstances were different from the more formalised learning culture of many larger cities in Britain.
In contrast with this, in two rural areas of Scotland, community men's sheds were certainly of interest to
Community Development workers in Inverurie who requested further information from me.
Arrangements were also made, from within this group, for me to visit the community focus of
individual sheds in a former Scottish fishing village where villagers took responsibility for the village
amenities maintenance programme - cutting the grass and maintaining other facilities.
Finally, discussion with a friend (deputy director of education in Fife) led to discussions around men’s
sheds. While quizzical at first, on a return visit he could see the possibility of a possible concept being
established in a spare area of his own church, which would give those approaching retirement like him, a
possible new focus and interest.
Men in Sheds Cheshire
In the town of Hartford (Northwich) in Cheshire I met Malcolm Bird (Supervisor) of what was likely to
be the first community shed in Britain. It was open 2 days per week. Malcolm approached Age Concern
with a proposition to develop a shed based on the Australian Model as he had formerly been a technical
assistant in schools and felt it would be an asset for the elderly in the area. He had the time and skills to
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
16
develop the project further and after a period of discussion, Age Concern were prepared to give the idea
go. Grants were approved of £10,000 a year to employ a Coordinator, £5,000 to cover consumables such
as heat light and rent and a further £10,000 as a setup grant to purchase plant tools; most of the tools
were of a portable nature to minimise the danger of “cutting through electrical cords”.
Using his knowledge of computers and internet, Malcolm was also able to provide the information I
accessed on the web, prior to departure from New Zealand, informing me that the shed existed.
Age Concern seemed to be an ideal umbrella organisation; it already had an infrastructure with someone
able to focus on looking for funds and leaving him essentially to run the shed as another of their
programmes.
He mentioned that Insurance had been a bit of a stumbling block principally regarding liability and use
of volunteers. This is the type of issue a nationally representative body could explore on behalf of sheds.
Sheds in start-up mode for the first time require much time spent on such matters early on. Insurance
costs restricted operational equipment to be only 240 volts, single phase.
Grant money provided safety gear for the men and dust coats for wearing in the shed. While no charge
was made to use workshop, a donation was expected for tea/coffee.
Typically there was a merry mix of personal, community and fundraising projects such as bird box
construction. For community projects there was a charge for materials and bit also for time that went
back to the shed.
Harry 91 was the oldest member (background far left pic and far right group pic) visiting the shed
regularly and the only resident of a nearby retirement village. Because of his age, he was busy doing his
own project sitting at a special seat available to him. A spritely, quick witted gentleman he was fondly
admired by the men.
Being computer literate, Malcolm has forward plans to hardwire the internet for broadband so that men
can access information and plans etc over the net. One initiative he organised (with the shed being only
a year old) was to do a trip, off campus, and visit show of woodworkers’ work and their suppliers.
I noted a number of things, often consistent with other sheds.
Projects were aimed to generate funds for the shed – A donated pile of wood would be used to build
chicken coops. They had also encouraged two members to get their training certificate for testing
electrical goods. The two men demonstrated the equipment for me that they used to test donated items
which could then be sold back to the public for further shed funds.
The building they leased in an industrial complex with other Age Concern programmes, had two offices
on a mezzanine floor, one the electrical testing room and the other the office of the supervisor. When I
arrived, a daughter and mother were discussing with Malcolm in his office the suitability of the shed for
her father recently diagnosed with a form of Alzheimer's.
One shed member a former wood turner who had suffered a stroke could no longer turn wood so he was
now teaching other men to turn wood. Malcolm’s office had a fine collection of his handiwork (top right
pic) and while it was therapeutic for him to pass on his skills and knowledge to others in the shed,
members in turn were reciprocally gaining new skills from him.
Another couple of members had suffered nervous breakdowns and the shed helped them to integrate
back into doing things with others instead of vegetating at home doing nothing.
Collieston: Community use through individual sheds
This final example is of community shed use is set in a remote east coast village near Aberdeen. It was
to me the closest example to community shed I could find in Scotland. While Mick’s shed appeared to
be the base shed in question, the community also used other small sheds for community work. With its
tight knit community living in a very compact and rocky bay, now a silted up former fishing village,
members of the community had full responsibility for maintenance in the village – keeping grass cut,
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
17
paths cleared and facilities maintained. As indicated in one group photograph, working bee’s have been
a regular feature of Collieston’s village life and Mick Sheehan’s shed (featured more in the next slide) is
not only his personal haven, but becomes the centre of operations whenever cleanup and maintenance
programmes are scheduled. Furthermore, on a tour of the village by foot, other individual sheds, dotted
about the houses each seemed to serve as specialist sheds for the storage of tools and maintenance
equipment.
The small sheds of Collieston all seemed to have a purpose for their owners or they were collectively
used to store tools and equipment for the community maintenance programme. Mick’s shed was
obviously a haven but because of his gregarious nature and the way the community worked, his shed
became the organisational hub for community operations. With many examples of personal memorabilia
shared with us and evident in the photos, it seemed that we had been welcomed to the central office and
reception lounge by “the mayor and his wife Sally”. Local villagers also came on the day to meet us and
as can be seen in the first and last photos of this slide, the shed had a commanding view over the port.
We were treated very generously with food and a cuppa, as we stared out to sea on a cloudless day as if
on the bridge of a ship – such a small shed but truly a hub of the village of Collieston itself.
Summary Points: From the visits and local work undertaken, I raise points to consider:• Community Men’s sheds are increasing in importance and relevance to communities outside
Australia like New Zealand, England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Wherever men are in need
of socialisation, learning new skills, overcoming stress and health problems, stabilising their
personal situations or just doing things together with other men, Community Sheds fulfil these
needs somewhat differently from what traditional organisations like church groups, centres for
veterans/retired service personnel, have offered.
• The principal difference between other agencies and sheds relates to the specialist facilities and
equipment. However traditional organisations mentioned also feature widely in the development
of community sheds. As physical venues they offer a diverse range of options to support
member growth and learning in communities which has been their core business for longer than
sheds have been around.
• Their primary focus is men supporting other men although several sheds involve women as
coordinators and members.
• Members report a mix of educational, therapeutic and rehabilitative outcomes, especially when
they help to rebuild confidence in men who have foundered in some way. It is not a movement
just for the weak, infirm, depressed or in poor health although they are welcome in any shed.
• By association, community Sheds promote men’s health and wellbeing. Working on projects
together, organisations, members and groups benefit through the process of building positive
interpersonal relationships in the shed and having practical projects completed as a result.
• FAQs like “What is a community men’s shed?” and “What do you do there?” need to be clearly
described in terms of core functions, opening times, activities, and for whom are they targeted.
Pictures, pamphlets, sign boards and samples of projects completed all help visitors and
prospective members understand what each shed is about.
• Signage indicating that a men’s shed exists is as important as giving directions to its location.
Good signage is also part of basic marketing and communication.
• The internet is of increasing importance in explaining what shed’s do, where and when they do it
and for whom.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
18
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
A point for discussion in any shed is whether females are welcome and what roles they might
perform in the operation of a shed (like coordinators). Some men feel the presence of women
will compromise their desire to remain as members.
Initially, what is offered in terms of programme needs to arise from members ideas – activities
that motivate them and reflect their immediate needs. Established sheds provide insights into
possible programmes that new sheds can run. This is often a reflection of: the facilities at the
shed (eg for metal a concrete floor), the skills that members have to offer each other (vertical or
horizontal mentoring arrangements), any funding available for specialised programme tutoring
(first aid, specialist tool use) and how effective the coordination / management team is at
preparing the resources.
Reasons for joining the shed include intrinsic motivation to use equipment for personal projects
they don’t have at home. Others learn informally by looking on and asking questions as a project
proceeds.
Several attend for the specific chance to learn something new no matter what. In these cases, a
form of structured programme (non-formal) involving systematic introduction, procedures and
processes is needed.
Others who have been diagnosed with health problems just want to attend the shed as a form of
respite; to be in the company of others to forget their own situation. The flexibility of a
programme can also be extended to work on community projects. Different sheds will prioritise
the community component according to need or core business.
A shed coordinator is a pivotal and strategic role: bringing materials, tools, programme and
people together. Without a coordinator (mostly paid employees) a shed can languish and fail to
progress. Associated responsibilities include tool management, safety management, equipment,
membership records, maintenance of data bases and inventories monitoring equipment on loan.
Community men’s sheds, by their nature rely heavily on volunteers giving of their time for the
benefit of the shed and the community.
Starting simple and getting it right gives a shed stability for future.
Any volunteer who steps up to open up a shed or undertake some other task to assist the shed
programme at the expense of their own personal projects, needs to be recognised and
appreciated. This goodwill is part of the culture that community sheds help to develop in
members.
The Sunnybank Men’s Shed and Drop In centre demonstrated that even though they didn’t have
the facilities for a trade-based operation, they could use their facilities to build up a member base
by offering regular activities they had facilities for while their infrastructure and volunteer skill
base was being trained and developed.
Programmes that help men’s overcome fears (or dislikes such as computers) need to involve
simple tasks that involve hands-on learning, a challenge and are fun. Digital camera pictures and
video tasks were popular options offered in non-formal Scottish programmes as they were made
easy, were enjoyable and results are mostly immediate.
Membership involvement in decision-making is critical because of the mix of personalities and
motivations within a shed.
Shed maturity enables an increased range of programmes to be established and sometimes these
can delivered by other agencies.
Recommendations:
Some states and local governments have recognised the importance of men’s sheds in Australia. The
State of Victoria and the Brisbane City Council are two which have made available start-up grants
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
19
for groups to create men’s sheds in their districts. The positive benefits of strengthening the
contributions of men in communities flows on to men’s dispositions and sense of wellbeing. When
men are stable and feel supported, so are their families and the wider community. Many women
become men’s sheds’ best advocates as they have seen positive results. There is also a wealth of
potential in the ability of sheds to connect with youth, demonstrated in the Freomen’s shed. Because
the men’s shed is non-denominational, even in sheds auspiced by church groups, they reflect society
in general being inclusive of people from different cultures and religions.
1. It is appropriate for local authorities and our national government to consider funding to
establish men’s sheds in NZ.
It is obvious that recent foci on men’s health have expanded into communities. This will lead to
improved levels of health awareness that men have not had in the past. The Queensland GP joint
venture and nursing support available at the Brimbank Men’s shed acknowledge more direct health
links with men and the positive contribution that makes down the line. Beyond Blue, a national
Australian depression initiative, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and M5 project of
Men’s Preventative Health have all had significant profile through the latest Australian Men’s Shed
Association Conferences.
2. In NZ, such health campaigns can gain significant additional traction nationally through
men’s sheds promoting health prevention for men and impacting on governments’ health
budgets and the wellbeing of the wider communities.
3. It is time for NZ Sheds and those in the wings to have a national association that can explore
key issues like safety, insurance and funding that give local sheds the support they need to
get established and get on with what will become their core business – lifting the aspirations
and success of men.
Personal Reflections:
My experiences of men in sheds in Australia, New Zealand and Britain and having attended two
national conferences in Australia in 2007 and 2009, have shown me that ageing men in sheds are full of
enthusiasm and vigour, quite the opposite of stereotypes for senior ages and abilities. Shed experiences
seemed to have helped many to rediscover life and wanting to make the very most of the life they are
living. Many are enthusiastic because they have come through bouts of depression and disappointment
and have got themselves back on track. With new friends and projects to think about, their minds are
alive and they are buzzing.
When I have heard the stories of those who have dealt with depression and fought back to health again
or a stroke victim who now realises he is not a burden to society but an asset as he passes on knowledge
and skills he could once accomplish himself, I have seen the transformation and rejuvenation become
life changing. Thinking about these things and the way other sheds like the Freoman’s shed are now
working so closely with troubled youth and offering children’s events to bring their community closer
together I can see a magic that was not there before.
Further to that, a key question asked by many, “What is a Men's Shed?” challenges us to find an
explanation that is succinct and accurate that does not limit what sheds can be. Reflecting on all of these
things, I concluded that “a Community Men’s Shed is first and foremost a specialist facility where men
meet and work together and magic happens.” “What do you mean?” inquired my wife. “It is a place
where things are made, things are repaired and things are learned,” I clarified. “It is men-friendly in that
learning occurs often informally and learning what men want to do or know about when they want to
know. The magic happens when what is done in the shed changes peoples lives.”
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
20
There is always humour in the shed !
“a rule of thumb, always try to finish the job with as many fingers as you started with”
Original Round
There’s nothing quite like it, the lure of “THE SHED”
With me mates there is so much to do,
With me hammer and nails, some screws and some glue.
I am stuck there, don’t want to shoot through
© N.M.Bruce 2007
Contacts for visits
1.
Lyn Kinder
Brimbank Men's Shed
Sunshine Mission Uniting Care
28-32 Withers St
Sunshine
Telephone: +61 93112665 (bh)
Email: [email protected]
2.
Tim O’Sullivan
The Forest Community Men’s Shed
2e Morgan Road
Belrose NSW 2085
Telephone: +619975 9373; mobile+61418 191 121 Email [email protected]
3.
Rick Frith
Northern Beaches Community Men’s Shed 47 Birkley Street, Manly 2096 Shed: +612 8966 8027
4.
Bruce Turnbull
RSL Sunnybank and Partners Drop in Centre
19 Gager Street
Sunnybank Q 4109
PO Box 1245 Sunnybank Hills Q 4109
Telephone: +613344 3735 Mobile: 0448 334 474
Email:[email protected]
5.
Bob Barnard
The Shed @ South Perth Church of Christ
Murray St and McNabb Loop
Como
WA 6151
Telephone +6193191600 +6193483443
Email: [email protected]
6.
Bill Johnstone
Fremantle Men’s Community Shed (Freomen’s Shed)
6-8 Nannine St White Gum Valley
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
21
Fremantle
WA 6162
Phone: (08) 9336 4408 Mobile: 0411 134 808
The Shed: 9336 3959
Email: [email protected]
7.
Lorna Hirst
Open Learning Orkney College, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1LX Tel: 01856 569000 Fax: 01856 569001 email: [email protected] [email protected] 8.
9.
Sara Bosley
Ian Martin
Honorary Fellow
[email protected] | research interests | recent publications
Location: Paterson's Land, Tel: 0131 651 6373
10. Vernon Galloway
Lecturer
[email protected] | research interests | recent publications
Location: Paterson's Land, Tel: 0131 651 6640
11. Jane Henderson
Lochaber College UHI
Mallaig Learning and Marine Training Centre
West Bay
Mallaig
PH41 4PX
telephone +441687 460345 or +441397 874600
[email protected]
12. Malcolm Bird & Alex Major
AGE CONCERN Men in Sheds
11a Hartford Business Park,
Chester Road,
Hartford,
Northwich, CW8 2AB [email protected]
Cheshire Tel ‐ 01606 881660
13. Sally Sheehan
Community Learning (Surestart)
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
22
Ellon 01358 729327
Key Contact:
Address:
Postcode:
e-mail
address:
Sally Sheehan
Ellon Community Centre
AB41 9JS
[email protected]
14. Garry Crosbie
Garry Crosbie, Donna Manson Education Officer, Fife Education Unit Q11 Flemington Road Queensway Ind Est Glenrothes, Fife KY7 5QW United Kingdom Website: www.fife‐education.org.uk +44 1592 414937
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
23
Insights into the Shed from the Web
Snippets
1.
Melbourne
Sunshine
Brimbank
Mission, 32 Wednesday No
Mens
Charge
Withers St 11.00am
Shed
Sunshine
2.
Starting at the Men's shed, the
group walks through the
surburban streets of Sunshine
passing parks and reserves.
Lyn Kinder 9311 5900
brimbankmensshed@sunshine.
unitingcare.org.au
Sydney
Men's Sheds
THE MEN’S SHED is a fully equipped workshop where skilled and unskilled
men share time with each other, swap yarns and work together on
interesting projects for the community. Members also make projects for their
own use as well a large variety of toys, craft items, and furniture repairs.
Some items are sold to keep the Shed in new tools and materials and many
items are donated to refuges, kindergartens and other community
outreaches.
Starting with a flagship Shed at Lane Cove, UnitingCare Ageing Northern
Sydney Region is the proud mentor and partner of eight Men’s Sheds.
Part of a nationwide Men’s Shed movement, UnitingCare Ageing has spearheaded a National
Website www.mensshed.org with the Lane Cove Community Men’s Shed becoming a resource and
information centre for Sheds all over Australia www.mensshed.org.au
Men’s Sheds are places for:
Retired men to be social, share company, be productive and have fun
Men to learn new skills, share and hone old ones, use fantastic tools and make interesting
projects
Members to pursue hobbies, be creative and make vital contributions to the community.
Membership and use of materials are free or a gold coin donation.
3.
Brisbane
'Men's sheds' to foster blokey bonding
Georgina Robinson | March 5, 2008 - 7:07PM
Men will have a place to bond with each other away from the pub under a plan to encourage "men's sheds" across
Brisbane.
Lord Mayor Campbell Newman has promised to set up a $100,000 per year grants system dedicated to helping
community groups create places men want to spend time in.
"These men's sheds will be placed all around Brisbane, where blokes can get together socially, share their experiences
and contribute to society in a meaningful way," Cr Newman said.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
24
"They'll be able to use tools, socialise and even speak about men's health issues, which they may otherwise ignore."
Bruce Turnbull heads up a men's shed in Sunnybank, on Brisbane's southside.
He said his club needed about $100,000 all up to fit out their shed with wood-working tools and machinery, as well as
air-conditioning and social facilities.
Mr Turnbull said the RSL sub-branch had applied for funding to federal, state and local authorities and every little bit
helped their mostly older visitors.
"We're aiming at the 50-75-year-olds," he said.
"Where people have finished work, that's when the depression and isolateion creeps in and the natural groupings start
breaking up."
Labor councillor and council's community services committee chair, Catherine Bermingham, said the sheds were a
"brilliant idea" that had already started to catch on in Brisbane.
"There's a group in Greenslopes who run a men's shed and do a great job, so I hope they'll get some of the funding as
well," Cr Bermingham said.
4.
Perth
'The Shed' @ South Perth Church of Christ
In 2005 the City of South Perth donated a 14x10 metre Shed to us and assisted with its relocation to our block on the corner of
Murray Street and McNabb Loop in Como. Since then we have insulated and air conditioned The Shed and added a disabled
toilet. The Shed has been fitted out with workbenches (some especially designed to suit wheelchairs), power tools and hand
tools for woodworking.
WHO - ‘The Shed’ is a community facility open to anyone who wants to come, regardless of age or ability.
WHAT – Woodworking and wood turning … Come and make whatever you choose or bring something to repair. We provide
all the necessary tools. Instruction is provided if required.
WHERE - ‘The Shed’ is located on Murray St, 50 metres beyond the corner of McNabb Loop in Como.
WHEN - Currently ‘The Shed’ is open from 9am to 12 noon Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
COST – Participants pay $3 per session and this covers use of the tools, materials and a cuppa and biscuits. We also put on a
monthly sausage sizzle.
CONTACTS – Call the Church Office 93131600, Bob 9458 3443, Graham 0402422188 or email [email protected]
Welcome to the Fremantle Men’s Shed website.
Fremanshed Inc- evolved from an idea that men in the Fremantle area could benefit from having a “tooled up” shed facility to
work on projects- their own or community ones.
Our aims are to
Provide a workshop space for men of all ages to do projects that can benefit both themselves and the community.

Link men in the community to services and support structures to enhance their health and wellbeing.

Foster, maintain and expand men's social and educational networks.
The Shed is open from 9.30 am Monday, Tuesday Wednesday and Saturdays.
(Thursdays and Fridays are Community Engagement Program days).
Currently we have over 70 members ranging in age from 9 -90 years young!
FREMANTLE MENS COMMUNITY SHED
GIANT COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE
Saturday 8 March 8.00am - 12.00noon
6-8 Nannine St White Gum Valley
All good sheds need a good “chuck out” once in a while and the
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
25
Fremantle Men’s Shed is no exception.
Not only will the Freo Men's Shed be selling off all their surplus tools
and machinery, hardware etc. They are inviting community to join
them to make Fremantle’s first
Giant Community Garage Sale
So! Clear out your shed, kitchen cupboards, teenager’s bedroom, car
or what ever.
Gather up all that unused stuff, pile it into the back of the car and get
on down to the
Freo Men's Shed Giant Community Garage Sale!
The morning promises to be a great family trip out with
Live music, sausage sizzle, tea, coffee, cools drinks and kids
activities…….
And of course the opportunity to either turn your unwanted stuff into
cash or grab a bunch of bargains.
Mayor Peter Tagliaferri will officially open the day at 8.30am.
Sellers will be admitted at 6.30am for $5.00 a bay and buyers from
8.00am (by donation).
Proceeds to the Freo Men’s Shed
Further Information:
The event & Stall Info………………………… Alex Marshall - 93351970
[email protected]
Freo Men’s Shed ……………………………… Bill Johnstone
9336 4408 / 0411 134 808
[email protected]
www.fremanshed.org
Freo Men’s Shed……….. “Adding Value to Our Community”
5.
Hartford Cheshire UK
By James Wilson » ELDERLY men now have a new place to hone their skills and learn new ones – in a special
shed.
Age Concern Cheshire has created the ‘Men in Sheds’ project, where they hope men will interact with their
community in a workshop at Hartford Business Centre.
I have got thousands of gadgets and gizmos at home and they have all come about from my shed, so I am very pleased to be
here today.” Trevor Bayliss OBE
Dignitaries including Vale Royal Mayor Clr Malcolm Gaskill and MP Mike Hall were at the event to officially open
the scheme.
The project promotes the benefits of being active later in life, with activities including woodwork.
In the specially converted workshop, machines such as belt sanders, dust extractors and workbenches sit
ready for men to craft their very own piece of art.
Barbara Lawton, funding officer for Age Concern Cheshire, said she was delighted the project had started after
all the hard work.
“It has taken so long, I never thought we would get here,” she said.
“We tested the waters last summer to see if there were any men out there that would be interested and they
were all dead keen, so it gave us the chance to do it.”
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
26
The project was given a helping hand, receiving a £1,000 grant from telecoms giant O2.
Malcolm Bird, project co-ordinator, said the result was a culmination of a year’s hard work.
“I feel absolute, utter elation,” he said.
“The work I and Barbara has done has all come together at last.
“Now we can actually get in and be men in sheds.”
One of the ‘Men in Sheds’, Ralph Little, 70, from Rudheath, said the project had got him out of the house.
He said: “I think it’s a wonderful idea. I was here two days ago and I spent six hours in this workshop.
“It has been months since I have felt well and after my session here I went home and felt good. It’s got me
back doing something, which I haven’t done for a long while.”
Wind-up radio inventor Trevor Bayliss OBE, special guest of honour at the unveiling, said many of his
inspirations came from working in his shed.
“I have got thousands of gadgets and gizmos at home and they have all come about from my shed, so I am
very pleased to be here today.”
The project will be open on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with the first session open today, Wednesday.
For details contact Age Concern Cheshire on 08456 182858.
Talk about this story on our forum at northwich guardian.co.uk/forum.
6.
Collieston Scotland
Good Practice – Local initiative in the community
Collieston Coastal Café was a young people’s group formed as a result of detached youth work funded
by Ellon Community Development Group and supported by Ellon Youth Action Group and community
learning and development staff. Young people decided to run a café in the village hall for residents and
tourists over the summer holidays. They undertook training in food hygiene, developed staff rotas and a
business plan. Adults from the village gave their time as volunteers to be there to support young people
during opening hours. In 2006 they made an overall profit of over £1000 to use for group activities and
to contribute to other village projects. Older residents expressed a high level of benefit to them as there
was no other amenity like this in the village. It gave them the opportunity to meet with each other and
get to know the young people of the village. Adult volunteers highlighted one of the main impacts of
their involvement was getting to know the local young people and being able to engage with them
throughout the year in a more meaningful way than before.
One of the most successful, but unexpected outcomes of running the Coastal Café was the “feel good”
factor it provided to the entire community. Older residents in particular reported their enjoyment of
having somewhere to go to meet people (there is no other public meeting place within a seven mile
radius) while adult volunteers reported that they had gained a great deal from working alongside the
young people as equals, often learning from them. The young people themselves said that they now saw
the adults in a different light rather than parents or teachers. The enthusiasm and fun of young people
also definitely had a knock on effect for the whole community, and when it came to the annual Gala the
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
27
young people were not only included in a show but became it’s “stars”, while also helping with a lot of
the behind the scenes work too.
Adults were impressed by the level of commitment shown by the young people. Despite the good
weather, the young people always turned up on time for their shift, even though they may have been
preferred to head for the beach instead, and always stayed behind to clear up.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
28
Australian Men’s Shed Conference. August 23-25 - 2009
With financial assistance from the Hamilton Community
Men’s Shed and approval from the Melville High School
Principal, I was able to attend the 2009 three day biennial, 3rd
Australian Men’s Shed Association conference held at the
Wrest Point Conference Centre in Hobart. After a wonderful
flight from NZ to Melbourne and then on to Hobart –Hobart
emerged as a beautiful harbour-side city, possibly more
extensive than Wellington Harbour, with a slightly smaller
“Auckland Harbour” type Bridge at the northern end. The
“Tasman Bridge” as it is known crosses the Derwent River
that flows from the North towards the mouth of the Bay in the
south. A large rocky backdrop of Mount Wellington towers
1270 metres West of the bay over looking the city and the
bridge where in 1975 a disaster unfolded within seconds. A
huge bridge pylon was smashed by a ship below which then
sank under the weight of a massive concrete bridge-span
which collapsed plunging cars into the river. Thirteen were killed severing Hobart’s vital road link over
the Derwent River to the Airport and north for many months.
After a brief opening speech on the Sunday evening, I joined over 170 delegates and three other New
Zealanders to a trade display and chance to mingle and chat. Having visited several sheds through out
Australia earlier in April as a part of a Winston Churchill Fellowship, I was able to rekindle contacts
with a number of Shed representatives from Perth to the East Coast. Our New Zealand delegation,
represented a good cross section of NZ sheds, which I have calculated would now total upwards of 10
sites – One had yet to be built and become operational, two were firmly underway, and our Shed in
Hamilton has been in the
process of reinvented
itself after we lost our
first temporary venue.
Ailsa Carey from REAP
Blenheim, Picton Men’s
Shed; Arthur Buckland,
Waiuku, Franklin Men’s
Shed; and Trevor Scott
from Oxford Area
School, Oxford Men’s
Shed joined with me to
gather ideas for
implementation in our
sheds in New Zealand. The theme “Where to from Here?” seemed to focus predominantly on those
sheds that were already in existence and several Key Note Addresses were focused on Men’s Health
rather than the startup tips and procedures that I recalled from the previous conference in 2007.
I was satisfied with the conference as a whole, however, with a change made from the original dates,
heralded for some earlier in the year, two of our group needed to fork out more for flights to get return
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
29
travel on altered dates. Of particular benefit to us all were the new ideas and stories of success in the
shed movement – the projects and initiatives that springboard off a shed being a community venture
with unique people and physical resources. The diversity of sheds was amazing to learn about. Some
began as a Drop-in Centre if they had no facility or venue to do trade type activities in. Some had
programmes to support new migrants retain their culture and develop confidence in a second, third or
fourth language. Others sheds in existence for a number of years had established programmes that linked
in with Schools, Justice Programmes, mentoring opportunities, and other unique marketing projects.
Some were even exploring the extent to which training could be offered in conjunction with more
informal shed programmes. Most had developed significant links with various health providers and
agencies who are quick to acknowledge large numbers of men attend sheds where they don’t feel quite
as bad at talking about health issues arising from discussion when they are doing something practical for
themselves or others.
For some, the sheds were organized with precise military-like flair, whereas others were far less formal.
It was daunting for some to think about the level of safety that is required to ensure people are not hurt
or injured. This is an area where shed men in New Zealand will need to do some important work in the
coming months and it was felt by those of us present that it would be good to get a national association
developed in the lead up to the new year to address some of the consistent problems that sheds always
face as they startup and develop new programmes. The matter of Shed safety and Insurance seem to
loom as urgent matters to be addressed consistently on a national basis if possible.
For me, the health messages were good to hear and the challenge here is how to introduce more positive
health practices and a greater awareness of how sudden negative health situations can arise without
turning each shed into a health centre. The message of prevention and dealing with symptoms before it
is too late came through. Consistently among the messages was the need for men (people) to stop
smoking. It was the one recognized action to do to prolong life and maintain good health. Mixed in with
that was an awareness of how good diet, regular sustained exercise, regular checkups with a medical
practitioner could enable men to keep better health longterm.
Two major health initiatives were introduced to conference delegates – One was Beyond Blue : a
national Australian depression initiative www.beyondblue.org.au which focuses on what is a major
debilitating condition for many men. Depression can include anxiety disorders, bi-polar disorders, post
natal depression, relationship conflicts, situations applicable to different age and gender groups, as well
as those who are affected by illness, death of loved ones, moving house or downsizing and so on. The
website above is a great window for gaining more details relating to a particular condition and
programmes that exist for support.
The second initiative is known as the M5 project of Men’s Preventative Health. This initiative arose
from members of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners observing patterns of incidence
that simply acknowledges family history plays a large part in determining a range of health conditions
that are inherently genetic and can be prevented or minimised.
The M5 project http://www.m5project.com.au/ acknowledges that men die earlier than women on
average by 5 years and as a project it is a call to action which seeks to raise the profile of men’s
preventative health. The M5 Project focuses on the five main health risk factors of Age, Family History,
Bowel Disease, Obesity, and Smoking while aiming to decrease the five preventable deaths each hour to
zero; Heart Disease, Diabetes, Cancer, Mental illness and Other Medical Conditions. Each delegate was
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
30
given two pieces of advice – stop smoking ( if they hadn’t already) and to fill out a Sharing my Family
History document (given out as part of the delegation pack, designed to make explicitly clear what
genetic predispositions there were for each member of each family. The project maintains that while we
have fought in the past for beliefs, land, religion, peace equality and attention, “as men — fathers, sons,
brothers, partners and friends — we have a new cause to fight for — our health”.
To conclude, in presenting a paper summarizing my research of Community Men’s Sheds in Australia
and the United Kingdom, I conveyed a notion that Community Sheds that have developed from within
Australian communities were a most positive development for supporting men. While each shed
establishment has unique community influences that can be traced through colonial influences and in
particular the harsh environment and a larger population of Australia, similar influences and links are
present in New Zealand and the uptake of such a community shed movement seems to be accelerating
rapidly too. While Australian’s are unsure of the exact number of sheds presently (above 300), having
doubled every two years since the 1980s, they cannot continue to grow at that rate and rationalization is
starting to occur. In New Zealand as we are smaller in size and population, initial growth will be
similarly rapid but there is no room for competition – the resources we need to operate effectively are
too scarce to squander on wasted energies. In Australia at least two local governments are involved in
providing startup funding of between $20 – 25,000 for each shed; Victoria State and Brisbane City.
These areas recognize the importance for the community of having men physically and mentally well
and in good spirit. They recognize all of the features of a community shed are positive – life-long
learning through collective energies, community mindedness, recreative experiences, independence,
personal and mental health benefits for families, and an enthusiasm that motivates and inspires others
including the rapport shown by men in mentoring relationships with the young.
This conference reflected to me the rejuvenated energies of predominantly older men belonging to
community men’s sheds. I also acknowledged the dedication many women becoming involved with
sheds and related agencies, particularly their support of men meeting and working together. While many
women would also like to get involved with sheds themselves, initially men need to get things going and
feel they can sort men things out for themselves at first – what ever that means - even muddling along.
It is a cathartic journey and not just a destination for many older and lonely men where a lot of support
is needed even to get some men’s feet in the door. I see down the track, many shed facilities will be used
by both men and women, as some are already doing with night classes being held in a Shed. Arthur
(Waiuku) is currently running a furniture restoration course at the West Franklin Shed and I saw
Computer and Ukulele classes being run in the Freo Men’s Shed in Fremantle.
To be done? Lets get a meeting of shed coordinators / managers organized possibly through a video
conference of local education centres and once this has been created, some of the consistent concerns –
Insurance, safety, projects, ideas, finance can be advanced for the benefit of all the local sheds being set
up at the moment. Within the next fortnight we’ll coordinate with as many sheds as possible a
conference situation that can springboard us forward toward an Association of NZ Community Sheds.
Neil Bruce (Dr)
Chair Hamilton Community Men’s Shed
1st NZ Men’s Shed Conference Masterton April 9-11 2010 contact [email protected]
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
31
Transcriptions:
1. Freomans Shed
talking to Bill Johnstone, in the shed with some wood being sawn. Out the back towards the re-creation
area which we set up (area between two buildings as a covered way wide enough for some furniture and
table for quiet time) and the metal work set up – Alan is doing some welding - only set up recently as a
tin double garage shed not really - commissioned yet have the safety gear set up a we did a
community project with the Stattenham? High school where they paid us in kind with the foundation
and that welder over there and we have some other equipment donated as well. Prior to that we had we
needed to do metalwork so its extended the capacity of the shed to work – we do a lot of community
work round here – we didn’t set it up just to do community work but its sort of what happens – we won
the West Australian Community’s award for community service earlier this year for the sort of projects
we did last year – we work with youth at risk and the Shed is open for members 3 days a week ( M T W
) plus Saturdays and we got a grant from the council to make that happen – one of the guys – he’s the
shed foreman if you like is here those days. We were the first metropolitan shed open in WA so we have
become if you like a model shed for others I guess and we suggest get the money first instead of the
other way around. Opening the welding door. Question about the sheds in NZ?
We’re happy to assist others get going if they want to buy our time when they send us here and there to
show people how to get a shed started or why sheds work.
We’ve got a couple of containers – this is what happens – we started off with a building like this and this
is all the proceeds of our garage sale last weekend – it was chock a block with people and cars selling
items from their boots etc probably about 500 people here. We charged about $5 for a bay and people
sold their own stuff, we had a sausage sizzle which we made a bit of money out of plus we sold some of
the stuff from what the guys had made in the shed. I’ll show you some of those later. We’ve got a couple
of guys who will do a bit of a lawn mowing round – we have those who want a little assistance in the
garden some we charge them a little – a garden rate less than they would pay elsewhere and the money
comes back to the shed. Anything we get donated – like timber for working with or firewood – we sell
for $3-4 a bag we have sold quite a bit of that. If somebody donates a lot of wood to us we’ll go through
it recycling it and other is cut up.
Those doors were donated and often they are sold – we’ve never been burgled - part of the reason might
be that we have worked with kids at risk in the community we work with the police and citizens we do a
programme with them on Thursdays... come after school – if they go to school with the pcyc (Police
Community Youth Constable?) to make sure they have a safe place to go and assist them if they are
struggling and they give them some literacy support there and they run a programme to develop their
self confidence and part of that is to bring them down to the shed for 3-4 hours from 4-6pm and they
learn wood working skills – we’ve been doing that for a couple of years and we have had grant from the
Proceeds Of Crime to make that happen and we know that three of those guys have gone off to do career
apprentice ships. They are using a hammer and chisel in positive ways and we’ll be saying to them se
that guy over there – he’s a fly in and fly out chippie over there he’s earning 100 grand doing that work
and the guys can be doing the same if they get themselves organised with the skills here they can go off
to TAFE and get a pre apprenticeship.
This shed was donated – a guy rung us up and said I’ve got a shed I’m demolishing now so 10 guys
went out and picked it up from the other side of town and brought it back and we put the shed down and
got slabs from the council and did all of that. We decided to move it away from the other building a little
and create the recreation area. Because the shed now has about 160 members – they don’t all come but
guys think it is a great idea to have a shed pay to belong $50 a year and for that they can come here and
use all the tools - wood – they can use that as well and we have another container that has wood in it as
well so for that $50 it gives them membership and use of equipment when its open for members. We
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
32
have community courses which we run and another important one with the secondary schools behaviour
centre all of the schools in the Fremantle District confirm that there are a few kids who need to rethink
to the way they associate and communicate with other s and have been pulled out of schools to do this
programme coming here one afternoon a week – same thing they learn make stuff in wood / metal
almost a rite of passage for them. I have a sheet to tell you this but we have a men’s group who use it on
a Monday Night they just like to get around and talk and if you’ve seen the movie Men’s Group it’s
about guys talking about issues or maybe just learning something – I don’t go to that myself but about
10 guys from the shed have been going for about 2 years and they put a dollar donation at the door. We
run courses for learning centres Community Houses – statistics show that women frequent those courses
85% to men’s 15% - of the 15% who go 50% drop out because they are not so much interested in the
courses. The sheds have taken off 340 or more in Aussie now I am part of the AMSA steering
committee and we’re looking at creating a more united voice and getting money and the national men’s
health policy - men’s sheds are mentioned in there quite significantly as something that works well for
men and (name) got to meet Kevin Rudd on Tuesday and we discussed that thing at a seminar – it was a
job seminar – she called me aside and said got a two minutes to talk to Kevin Rudd about sheds – she
have been here for the open day to open it and knows all about it and we gave him one of our bottle
openers and he was really happy. The council just bought 50 and we sell them for $5 each and you’re
welcome to buy one.
This is our fourth year but I’d like to mention one other project before we go in – we got a grant through
the mental health council of Australia to work with guys who have been diagnosed with mental illness –
saying it quietly because we have one of those guys in there at the moment – this programme sought to
assist those men were stuck and couldn’t get out of bed in the morning. The MH Council has just
received our report on the programme and A DVD about the journey of these guys. Three of those guys
have now joined the shed and come here on their own. They couldn’t get out into the community along
the journey was the screen room project at the school - programme that got us that welder we had 15
guys for 2 days to put a roof on a building they had that was disused – they are a carbon neutral school
- the first in WA - they were invited to propagate plants and seedlings from a seed bank of endangered
species (non recurring / organic etc etc) Three of these guys who came on the mental wellness
programme attended that project.
In terms of what we’ve done we have picked guys up and have had to do to assist and have worked with
the OT for that and the reality is that we’ve picked up the situation and managed their progress in a
couple of weeks to such an extent that they have been able to contribute to this programme and work in
the community and their self esteem just went shoom what sheds give these guys is a big dose of self
esteem they realise they can do stuff and accomplish things and in a social context they become
another guy.
A monthly meeting? Yes generally a committee meeting once a month and a tool box meeting once
every two months ask what’s going on with the admin part or they might have some idea that the shed
could work on and that’s how things happen. That is the way the metalwork thing happened we had to
look around and see how that could happen. I think we have a really successful shed here and people
will tell us – the Shed conference in Hobart – we have been invited to give a presentation not on just
how we do the shed but more on our mental health programme with the mental health grant that we got
to do that show s every shed we have designed a template for activities and a structure about what you
can do.
We have done a lot of presentations like for the Australian Adult Learners ASSOCIATION or the
Learning Centre Link which is all of the learning centres in Australia and community houses in WA and
one for the men’s advisory council also a group called MAN ( men’s advisory network) like a peak
body for promoting men’s health as a committee member and have linked with them to do this mental
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
33
health project. “Beyond Blue” want to have a link into this as well. Need to appreciate what the sheds
can do to achieve success in the area of men’s health. This shed has membership from 9 to 91.
Brisbane Sunny bank - They work in a lot with the mental health professionals and have training from
them to recognise the signs of mental health to assess where men were on the brink of suicide. Some of
that would be contained within their report to the mental health authorities. When we saw this grant
come up we knew that was something we could do. Fremantle is a place many people downsize to come
to we were like that we used to have a horse riding school but we wanted a change of lifestyle and gave
the horses away. So downsizing to a shed the size of that skip there from a shed about 8 metres long –
you automatically think that would be handy to have access to another shed. I won a teacher anita award
and was in NZ a few years ago and as a part of that I was involved with the engagement of youth and
took long service leave to look at a few things and included a shed at Nambucca heads – I stayed there a
few days and like Fremantle, it is a place where people retire to and downsize a couple of the guys
started the idea and got some Commonwealth Funding to kick that off. Once back here I mentioned it to
about 12 guys here and we have a committee busting their gut to get a shed – took us 6 months to find
one the Fremantle Racing Pigeon Club own this building even though it is on government land and they
have gifted it to us. The school next door is a school that has been de commissioned and they will sell
this off for high density med density real estate. The shed in regard to this potential for development is a
bit tenuous however the council know how valuable the shed is and they want to keep it in some form –
the hall next door has a historical value as well and this one was built by the pigeon racing club and
minutes from the 1960s that if there was any need for demolishing that it could be resited and the
council might look at getting a centre established over the road for the shed and the community hall and
the shed or to rebuild a community centre with a shed as part of the complex. There is a future and we
are not concerned with the long term situation at present. We have had a meeting with the Fremantle city
council community development management team last Thursday and they have agreed to give us a
grant to finance a 24 hour position at the shed – we are paying Alan as a project officer and have moved
towards paying it as a grant. We are pushing them to give us some admin time as well because the
shed’s capacity to take on what the community wants is limited by the fact of our volunteer component
of another guy and myself who tend to take on the admin function and we ended up clocking up 30
hours a week and I’m a teacher with this year off planning to do some relief teaching and it comes
down to me coming down here then someone rings me up - it’s difficult for me not so no as it represents
income that we need.
We get calls from all over at all sorts of times of day and we run courses two nights a week we’re in the
school break now and we run the ukulele here that’s becoming really popular and there is a Perth
Ukulele club now called PUKE don’t know what our one would be called in Fremantle, but we have a
little Ukulele group and run some computer courses in the office there.
I’ll show you the DVD and run a copy off.... inside with Joe from the previous day.
Shows bottle openers (Fremantle shed as a publicity gimmick) recycled jarra. Do you sell the tongs yes
$5 too. I have a flash drive to copy the powerpoint . Also make soap holders.
Pen holder Helen looks at it as an artist.
My contact details. As a card. We do presentations to Rotary clubs. Joe does a lot of good. Get a lot of
press – a few articles on the guys here is the bloke 91 who makes the bottle openers. Another guy got a
stroke and can help here. This is an old project to do up an old boat – first bench was that one there –
choir called spics and specs and Digby is a member of the Digby Hill as a vocal specialist.
Every men needs a tool here is a song here - one with the kids working mostly indigenous kids - calm
situation and ADHD are assisted there.
One guy started a “Youth tree” to talk to kids about volunteering Medicare, salvation army
Ukulele group
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
34
Grant to do toy making workshops - about 7 workshops. Scroll saw, assembling toys first father’s day
festival we have about 1000 kids participated and used every bit of wood we took. Perth Glory Soccer
guys wanted to focus on men’s health so we assisted them Barry Golding came and did an Adult
learners workshop here with a hands on workshop for those running community centres just showing
how working with wood or metal has a positive effect as they made a bottle opener or something mad a
model there. Also the shade house over a courtyard that they didn’t know what to do with then they
decided they would do something in conjunction with the Red Rock Foundation a benevolent group of
people so it is secure and the kids will come up here and weld up seed trays and the ‘ll run some garage
sales because they don’t have grants available – there is also a podcast done in the 2006 called street
stories and they repeated it about a year ago ( away on a west field premier’s award for teaching) and I
went to America and England to look at engagement of learning and while I was away ABC came and
interviewed us and that went to radio national – that’s the guys talking about the shed themselves. It was
great to come back and learn how important the shed was to the guys.
Also give you a letter of information with photos on it.... hi Alan – a little wooden project.
Alan was making some brackets out in the welding shed. Are we thinking of going elsewhere? We get a
lot of visitors here. Bridgetown council gave them support.
Many councils have seen the benefits and have stumped up with some grants to promote the
development. The WA govt give grants? No. This is the shed story start in 2005 etc (report onto flash
drive). With all of the publicity we get it does help.
Alan– I have been involved about 6-8 months. I’m not much into being here to talk – I have a few
projects to do and that’s what I like to do. We have one chap who comes in here around about lunch
time and he sits there and fiddles with things because he sold his house and in a unit now so he is over
here a lot.
2. Hartford Men in Sheds May 20th
Visiting Men in Sheds Hartford in Age Concern Cheshire I’m talking to Malcolm Bird Coordinator A
You have mezzanine with two offices, above the equivalent of a triple garage. You are involved 2 days
a week I’d like to have more but this means more funding – hope by end of the first year to make
enough / source money to be self funded 5 days a week. The facilities are rented from the local council
- We got grants from various charities two grants of BP10,000 and one of BP5,000. One of the 10000
was for the year’s funding of my position, the other on the rent electric gas and the other 10000 on
purchase of equipment for the workshop – was an empty unit when we moved in. We are few and far
between. One of the first in fact we didn’t find out about men in sheds Australia until after we had done
some preparatory work. I went to the Chief Executive here and asked for a shed – She asked me to
explain – they were not going to give a shed just because we asked for one – so I said we wanted it for
retired men to come to use and looked into the Australian idea so they decided to look into getting a
shed going. This year up until about next month or so it has been a bit of a pilot scheme. It took us long
while to get started because we needed to find premises and get equipment together to it was Jan this
year that we opened. Age Concern Oxford are keen to open one, I think there is another Charity out
west doing a similar thing but they are refurbishing old tools and sending them out to Africa – not quite
the same as this shed, Solford have been out to have a look and Macklesfield are definitely interested in
getting a shed going. These are essentially Age Concern promoted? Because is a federation of other
age concern branches, each one might be doing something different perhaps what they do in North
Wales might be quite different to what we are doing in the Chester and surrounding area.
Although we have the A C umbrella we are all different entities – there would be an advantage in having
such an umbrella as A C? Yes funding came through we have a funding officer who basically spends
time looking for funds for the different projects and tells us what’s available and tells of the various
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
35
things we can do. There is insurance which was quite a stumbling block and another reason that
prevented us getting under way sooner, but once we had got through that it has opened the door to other
activities within the organisation. Insurance is key because of dangerous equip. Is it something that AG
has initiated – basically it is to cover volunteers in case they have and accident and can therefore claim
against the insurance. Is it a big premium? I don’t think it is particularly large it just restricts us to the
kind of activities that we are able to do in the workshop – 240 volts home workshop equipment is to be
used whereas at the joinery firm next door they have larger and more dangerous equipment bigger band
saws and different equipment that runs off three phase power.
These are men who have blue coats on _ came out of the funding – there is enough equipment to use –
they should all have enough equipment to use visors and safety goggles when using the machines /
equipment. Ian wears safety glasses which are prescription lenses he wears them all the time – they are
safety glasses. If I was using equipment I also use a visor simply because i don’t like things hitting me in
the face.
Are the projects personal? They have been so far although we have been making bird boxes which we
are selling through the charity shops to raise funds for the shed. Some things we have had orders for,
some things people have bought things to us to refinish like this side table here – we charge for materials
and bit towards the time. I see someone working on a trolley device - it was rotten when it came into us
so we will rebuild it with new timber and clean all the metal work up and paint it so that it can go back
in to the garden where they can use it like new. I like the sign “a rule of thumb, always try to finish the
job with as many fingers as you started with” Now you have lovely work benches here - New ones
from major tool suppliers – old ones donated from the local college – more sturdy
Equipment you have a good wood lathe over there, a scroll saw, a bench grinder, pillar drill small band
saw a couple of dust extractor units – we have to finish moving equipment to couple off with the dust
extractor like the lathe for example, when we do that we’ll get all the dust extractor finished
What about a table saw? Now we have bought a couple of packs of portable equipment like saws and
cordless drills – we thought having them battery powered we would have fewer problems with people
sawing through the power cables – it works out safer. Anything big that we need to have sawed of – a
couple of us have got our own workshops at home and can take them home to do there. Similar to
HCMS Other than that we order wood in precut
Here’s our oldest member of the shed - Harry he’s 91 coming 92. How did you get involved and I live
in a retirement village and saw a notice so I thought I would come and have a look as I’ve always been
interested in wood so i came here an so It is a treat very very pleasant. You come often? When I can
sometimes if I don’t feel up to it I’ll stay at home. Harry comes in even if he doesn’t feel like doing
much; he’ll come in have a cuppa tea read the paper and he’s got a bit of company whereas at home the
only company he’s got is the TV.
I saw here a sanding unit there – We are just sorting it out we have built it - a bobbin sander we have
built a box for it as it is built around an electric drill. It fastens onto a drill and we built a box around it.
Have you heard about a men’s shed conference – I would like to present some of the things that I find
here at this conference ........with your permission (given).
I thought that the Alex I have been writing to about the men’s shed was a guy – no here full name is
Alexandra Major - Suggestion that the signage concerning the shed and on the web is not clear to
people 1 that it exists and 2 where it is physically.
Next phase wanting to get our own web page and partly raise the profile – we’d like to go five days a
week – you mentioned the word pilot what is that? it is really to see whether this project is viable in
this area. You have a great presence on the web – i found it in NZ and could not find any others. The
web page mainly alluded to the opening of the shed with Trevor Bayliss the inventor of the windup radio
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
36
as the main guest. This was very good press for you. The next phase will be for me to finish the office
either with a hard wired cable or otherwise to get broadband in here to access the web.
My skills – I have worked in schools in the area for 17 years – I have been involved with the CDT
department of Craft Design and Technology – I was actually studying to be a teacher in the primary
school then I had a bout of ill health and couldn’t finish the degree so didn’t qualify. So I have been
working as an assistant in schools. I have also worked as a carpenter and joiner in the past always had a
love of woodwork – the finer furniture toy making and delicate kind of things rather than the rough and
ready building a shed type thing So that you have some things here that people have made at home to
sell and put money into the shed.
Just about all of that in that basket has been made by the chap who teaches everyone to work on the
lathe. Duncan has had a stroke and has virtually lost the use of one arm basically he struggles to use the
tools with both hands but is very good a talking people through to do it and he’s says that by coming
here and teaching it his therapy. We’ve got working on the lather and Alec the one in the white beard –
they have both had nervous breakdowns but they would come here every day - Saturdays and Sundays
until midnight if they could – we have guys who come through the alzheimers society who don’t
function very well – here is a letter from a daughter of one such suffered – to Malcolm and the men I
just wanted to say that the Men In Sheds is a fabulous idea and enjoyed the company and atmosphere
from the first day he started and continues to enjoy it tremendously. Doing something meaningful makes
all the difference and gives us some conversation to talk about all week. If I or my family can support
you to that the shed open more days per week we would be only too happy to do so just let us know
keep up the great work - best wishes Alison Johnson Ray Sharp’s daughter
He comes for a couple of hours on a Thursday but he comes here and he makes something like a bird
box which we sell at the shop then he wanted to make a box for his wife to keep all the papers in for
important letters so that they could be kept in a safe place. It helps him with his Alzheimer’s as well
because he knows that in the box will be all the important papers – gives him an anchor and all week
he’s talking about what he has been doing here like I say even if it has only been once for a time on the
Thursday. It is something that he can refer back to and talk about. Usually they might be sat at home
playing cards and they don’t feel that the are doing something meaningful where as that is what we
wanted the shed to be for men who were retired or have been depressed, facing Alzheimers and all the
rest of it don’t feel as if they have been told to clear off which is what they have thought in the past this
is somewhere they can feel happy and comfortable. Do you have kitchen and other facilities/ Yes they’re
not overly grand but they are functional the people here before were they connected with the shed? Well
they were just popping by to see the shed to see whether it was something that they thought it might be
suitable for their dad or not. We’ve got a jug and toaster not overly fancy – the chairs are going to be
repaired. I actually make chairs from scratch and so i like to do this.
This is our brew area (sitting and having a cuppa) and one of our members has a niece who runs a small
holding so she asked us to make some chicken coups. So when we make them for her and she sells them
we get half the money back. That’s while we have a pile of wood in our Brew area.
This is a new bench that you bought and those are some from the local college – they are more sturdy
than the new ones. You may have to speak up a bit louder here because some of us are hard of hearing
(Malcolm wears hearing aids). Alex to me ....are you the start of this? no but I have started one in New
Zealand ......introduction - supporting you but you will be supporting us when I present some of these
things in New Zealand and Australia.
Hello Harry - ...I’m from NZ Are you staying the night. ....general chatter about our trip....you will be
12 hours difference – always behind us – in actual fact we are ahead – lovely people it will be ¼ past 10
in the evening......
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
37
How did you hear about this – i hope you don’t mind me recording your statements – I have a little
digital recorder. I heard about it through social services connected with NHS - I didn’t come through
the Drs Drs are always the last to hear about things – (me) I have been staying with a couple (of Drs)
and they have not heard about them before – they might be interested when something’s up and running
- our experience is that they are only interested in medication medication medication. They are not
interested in something as an alternative or addition. This is the whole point of the thing a therapy.
That is a personal opinion. I come both days and John comes a day and a half and you all have personal
projects that you are working on at the moment? Harry’s our favourite member.... laugh I’ll smash you
yet .. you hold me up while I hit him.... laugh
I’m over 60 and have heard about a colleague’s death.
Once we had the funding up and running then we can get more funding. We don’t mind standing on our
own two feet. This is for older men who have got some skills they can share with others – if i was put on
a production line I would be out of here – we don’t mind making some things for the shop but what we
want are to make things that are hand made by craftsmen. And that is how we want to work. We do need
backing – we’ve only been running since February.
We are ok in the sense that we have got Age Concern’s Backing – it looks like the potential for sheds in
the UK would be through AC’s offices.
Thank you for your comments – I would like to get a few photos of you all in action etc.
John: What happened to me about joining (the Men’s Shed) I just got retired last year and my wife and I
have been enjoying doing night classes but they have been cut back by this govt. Concentrating on
retraining kids for 2nd and 3rd start opportunities and we found all the funding for classes was being cut
back. Education is going into under 25 yrs In the last 10 years I have always wanted to get involved with
wood work but all of the classes were closed down in fact some of the woodwork benches here have
come from the local college as they close some of the operations down. My wife and I do languages
French and German but whereas there were four or five levels now there is only one.
We found that Age Concern was starting language classes on a more conversational level and I followed
the German teacher to AGE Concern premises where I found the information on the notice boards about
the men in sheds project. And I started coming in Jan to put some of the benches together.
There is no formal tuition here we may get some experts coming in and talking about specific things.
What I have found in my working life that I have only done a bit of diy but here there is always someone
who has got some woodworking skills and they are happy to share these with others. We have a wood
lathe over there but I have never considered that I could do something on a lathe. Those who want to
have all signed up for some tuition on the lathe. We have Duncan and Ian over there are both
experienced wood turners and they’re teaching all of us and I turned my first bowl last week and that
was something that I never ever envisaged doing. We have got other people experienced in fretwork and
once again it was not something that I thought I would ever get involved with that sort of woodwork
but there are all these different specialities like turning fretwork. I have chose another simple project to
get some experience of using the tools. In terms of getting to know about – people seem to be proactive
in their area to getting things going.
Another aspect of this shed is the there are only two charities in Northwich that do electronic testing of
equipment and AC is one of them. All that equipment comes here and two of us have been trained up to
test electronic equipment. We call it PAT testing portable appliance testing - so we have that up stairs
which must be generating some income. I don’t know whether you have that legislation in NZ where in
offices and the like someone comes around once a year to test all of the equipment every device, every
computer and put a label on to say that it has been tested and is ok?
We have OSH requirements to adhere to for safety in the work place but am not sure of the need for
regular annual equipment checking.
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
38
Here you have a funded coordinator which must be a great resource to allow you to be open regularly.
Four or five of us have signed up as formal volunteers purely as a result of coming to the shed. I am a
volunteer to do the PAT testing. Was Electricity your trade? No I was a scientist and became a nuclear
engineer so PAT testing doesn’t bother me technically but i find it interesting as a volunteer and next
week I will be doing a 4 day volunteering course on first aid – again it is something I’ve always wanted
to do but never got round to it. Many thanks
And Ralph you’re repairing - we’ve knocked this up to do some sanding. Actually I’ve been making
that rocking horse – I made one 40 years ago .....and I made one for my grandchildren. And I had bits
lying around so decided to get the bits together from around the house – can’t get into the shed because
it is full so this is the opportunity to get it completed. The sander will help you get bits and pieces
together.
Basically we were given the lathe and he likes making furniture. A local lad used to race motorcycles
and got killed last year and his parents live local and this blind chap made them a bench that wanted
carving on the back but being blind he couldn’t carve. He asked me if I could do the carving which I did
so he was really happy that it had been carved. What he really wanted to have was a copy lathe so that
you could make one thing and make several copies like a chair leg. However he wasn’t using it so he
asked us to fetch it so that’s how come we have got a lathe. If it hadn’t been donated we wouldn’t have
had the lathe as it wasn’t part of the equipment we planned to purchase. That’s reg actually working on
it and Duncan is the one guiding him. Duncan you are providing a great service helping the men learn to
use the lathe. Discussion.. what is the wood? No idea – I didn’t buy it. It could be Brazilian Hardwood.
Some wood when you cut into it you can smell it. How did you get involved – saw advertised in the
paper. So I thought I would come along and lend a hand. I live about 8 miles away - what about
retirement villages? Harry is one who lives in one. He is very witty with the things he says. What we
have also done is do a trip out to a woodworking show – we got the opportunity to use the AC minibus
and visited a wood supplier in Somerset – long drive but good to get out together.
I haven’t got a project but am making a jig – I’d rather help than do something myself.
And this is all wood that you have had donated – storage always seems to be a problem. What about
Rolls and money – Fees? No charge to use the workshop but donations for tea and coffee and wood. We
usually make it sell it get it back into the shed. What about this poster? That is the one on the internet – I
helped get this together. We do have fliers that go to local community centres. This poster is on your
website. It was being used before we had a site therefore there is not very good information about where
the shed is.
Malcolm was not able to devote the time to get things sorted ahead of the start – we are aware that we
were trying to do the best – in an ideal world we would have had a 5 day appointment to get things
going. I have publicised the shed on the website for shed of the year. A quick job just to get something
out there.
I am now talking to the oldies sitting in a corner. Harry (91) and Joe. This stool was bought because we
have some men who aren’t able to stand around for long periods and this allows them to sit and work at
the benches.
Malcolm builds chairs up from scratch. You could be on film in NZ and Aussie.
I haven’t bought my guitar – I’m retired 66 and seen this advertised men in sheds so wife said rather
than sit around at home playing keyboards and the like go and see what it is all about. I had a smash up
on a motorbike many years ago so I can’t do a lot of things. So I have also passed my PAT testing with
John and Trevor Bayliss came on the opening night and I was playing guitar on TV for half a minute. I
play country and a bit of keyboard and guitar and play a bit of Irish too I teach Alex over there and show
him a few chords on the ukulele.
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Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
39
I’ve been trying to make a dolls house for my granddaughter – I have never made one before. That ‘s
what it is about doing new things and meeting new people – oh wonderful people..... New Zealand
querie.....The core of the place here is that you have got more skills than others and they pass them onto
others. There is no superiority about them – it doesn’t matter if you have never worked with wood
before some one will always show you how to do something. They all impart their knowledge to each
other. I was never any good at woodwork at school, took me three years to make a stool. I was in the
army for 6 years in the war went from beginning to end and came out the same as I went in – I was
rather lucky.
Talking about friends in Aussie and NZ – is what things are about.
Talk with project it is for a customer it is an old fruit and vege barrow so stripped all of the rotten wood
off and getting it down to the metal and we’re going to build it back up again. We have got the formed
edges and new tyres for it. All out for a photo.
3. Manly Men’s Shed 17th April 09
I’m here at the men’s shed with Ron and Rick and we’re here at the Uniting Care Facility in Manly and
they have got a beautiful set up here. I’m looking at the kitchen facility and I have been asking how it
all got started and the facilities – you mentioned that one of the members gave a bequest – yes one of the
members felt that they should use the money for a men’s association if possible because Uniting Care
have been involved with men’s sheds. We were approached and asked if we were interested in actually
building a men’s shed and being from a trade background put my hand up and Ron who is one of the
residents here also from a trade background and he put his hand up and one of the other fellows – I think
he is a financial adviser – was more than interested in helping us so we built the place and being from a
trade background we knew all about the construction process of walls and so on.
Ron as a resident you mentioned that there was little around for the men so this was a facility to get
men together not only to work to socialise – women have their knitting clubs and their quilters clubs lots
of different things that they can get together for.
I wonder how many residents in this Uniting Care Facility in total about 180 residents
Sited within a care you get others? I’m the only resident so all of the others come from around here and
as far away as Chatswood.
As the supervisor what does that mean Ron? Just I’m always available and I’m retired and I’m a mad
ex-community worker and spend all of my spare time down here if I can you see so we had to have
someone here who is available everyday someone who can keep and eye on things.. so you can come
down here and potter away.... is he allowed to?....
As long as there are two people down here.
Ron are there a number of core activities is the shed known for particular activities? The shed is open
two days a week Wednesday and Thursday 10 – 3pm, and usually there are two or three blokes waiting
about half past nine to get in.
Facilities
 Rick mentioned that one of the most important rooms here is the kitchen, we start up with a
cuppa one of the blokes picks up a bun from bakers delight and we have tea and coffee e and we
plonk a jar in the middle of the table for people to put a dollar in for tea or coffee and other bits
and pieces and it gets the blokes off the bench and together for a bit of a natter – you’ll get one or
two blokes who’ll get away in a corner of the shed and don’t say much to anyone at all and this
is a means to get them to open up and socialise a bit more.
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Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
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
Going into the facility a bit more you have another room – a computer room? About 8m x 3m
with three computers and a drafting table....what about men and computers? not much involved
originally I’m from a design office and when computers came along it was a bit much – is that
where you’ll leave it? Yes I have got plenty to fill my day. (Don’t want to get involved in
computers)
Have you experienced other men who want to get involved/ well some of them do have the computer
knowledge and they look up plans and that which is a great source of information so we enough people
who have got knowledge of computers we don’t run programmes that teach computers they have them
here local council programmes for older people... so this is a facility for googling things etc ... yes as a
matter of fact Archie here runs a bit of a computer training course or two – there are men who hide their
light under a bushel. (resourceful and skilled men) I see you have a couple of beautiful ship models is
that something that you offer? No it is one guy who is here every time we open – there wouldn’t be
enough time to complete one without working at home and he built that from scratch replica of the
endeavour...(pics).. which binds both our histories (Captain Cook) and the detail is amazing.
He is very patient and talented. Have others become interested – with the number of hours required
people would not be able to achieve much like this at the shed. Everyone admires it. He comes down for
other projects a man of many talents and worked in Queensland as a cane cutter a sleeper cutter been
bitten by a taipan (snake) twice – all pretty rough and heavy work and to then turn his attention to this
very fine work is quite amazing. (Great stories).
How long to develop the shed? Open now for 3 years in Jan. We have built all sorts of wooden things
things like this folding stool and can become a ladder a number of toys were recently given away to the
victims of the Victorian Fires cradles
Equipment
 Now to the right a collection of tools including a stand for a grinder covered up (every piece of
equipment has a cover over it – keeping the workshop in a high level of tidiness) . What is the
procedure for people to use the equipment?

Everyone is supposed to have had some instruction on the equipment they are using – some
fellows come along and they know what they are doing and some don’t so we like to buddy the
up with someone who does know what they are doing and they can learn from each other in that
way. There is always some instruction available and we like to keep the place safe for obvious
reasons.

So if someone wanted to use that (equipment) they would approach someone who knows how to
use it? Or do they have to be registered/ (Ron supervisor - coordinator in action) one of the
reasons I am here is to get to know who knows how to use what equipment – I will ask them if
they know how to use this thing. Some blokes like to admit that they don’t know how to use
something - I keep an eye on all of that I know the regulars and what they can do which leaves
me to focus on the new ones who come along – I watch them fairly closely. We encourage each
one to keep and eye on each other as well. If anyone sees someone doing something that doesn’t
appear to be safe we encourage everyone to keep an eye out for each other. It needs to be done
sensitively, you just don’t go barging in they have stuffed something up...rather encourage them
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
41
by saying that’s not the safest way may be you could try it this way...trying to encourage them to
do it properly.
Do you have an introduction to the shed programme? Creating rules? We have a set of rules and we
have based them on the LCMS and used a lot of their information for use in start up here and when we
first started we were all gung ho and have everyone sign here but we don’t want to have the place too
regimented but you need to keep it safe (informal nature of shed = atmosphere) You’ve got to be
compliant with OSH but not over the top. Yes we have some dangerous equipment here that can chop
fingers and toes off blind you etc
Your drill press there is some lovely equipment you went out and bought this stuff? This is one of two
drill presses that were donated we had a great time going out and spending money for equipment – the
bequest was a considerable size? Yes I think it was around $50,000, so we have purchased equipment
that was the best we could afford probably not the best we could buy but we try not to buy any rubbish,
because it doesn’t last we want this place to last a long time and to enable me to get down here when I
retire.
Moving to wood stack cleanliness important do people donate wood? We don’t buy wood it seems to
turn up – we get calls from people who have cleaned out their shed and yesterday we had a call from a
local firm offering us a whole lot of cover sheets so we discussed that and we took a couple of the
fellows down and he asked us where are we? We told him in Manly he said put it all in a stack and I’ll
load it up on a truck and get it up to you so that would have been a good ton of timber brought back up
here on a truck. We’ve got so much paint out there they give us all their miss matched and miss tints.
Do you have projects in the community... do you get calls out for this we have had enquiries about going
out off site but that involves us in insurance problems ( eg at the local kindergarten) which we would
like to have done but because of the issues of working off site we have decided not to do that. We’ve
made planter boxes for our other facilities made some benches for one of the local schools, that sort of
thing we could do a bit more of. The big thing for men working here is doing something for themselves
and we need to consider that in asking them to do something else.
We have been lucky with the space here – have snivelled a bit more than we were supposed to – you
have lovely drawer storage numbered one of the first benches and bought as work benches with timber
tops we have out on them
You have dividers to apportion areas of the workspace which also assist in keeping the noise down. You
have ear muffs here but guys are asked to bring their own goggles and earmuffs. Over here a router
bench, jigsaw, scroll-saw, and microwave to dry wood – we haven’t had much success though – and a
sophisticated dust extraction system with ducting to each piece of equipment with dividers to close
things off. With the fine dust I tend to close other tools off. We have had a few issues with the plastic
pipe with people suggesting you might get a spark and get a fire, it was a point that was raised and the
need for earthing it – we haven’t had a problem with - Ron it seems that it is a matter of running an earth
wire right through the length of it to the machine – it is like a flour mill with the dry dust you can get an
ignition. With the amount of moisture in the air here it is probably not an issue. You have the flexibility
to add other equipment.
Picked up a lot info from LCMS (Networking important) . A lovely set of tools with clear workstation
with tools all handy – one thing we have learned is that with lathe work people like to watch and the
Perspex window allows that to occur without the interference from wood chips etc. Watching people
working on it.
It has a stand attached – here is the work bench with all tools having a home and shape so you know
when things are missing you have drawers underneath for sandpaper and bottles of screws and
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Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
42
woodstains etc it has given you something to do. Ron went home early one day and his wife asked
what’s wrong with you? How come you’re here did the place burn down – she was worried!
We have a paint store behind this roller door so everything inflammable is stored in there. The dividers I
bought on ebay and we put the feet on them. The other thing that I am keen to do a report.....also offered
to do something at conference seek your permission to use to some of this. Here it makes sense to use
knowledge from others. Safety with the flammable materials also equipment that might be easy to steal.
We were lucky with these cabinets which were cast offs from our nursing home and the drawer units.
We had so much stuff we could use – it must be a drawcard for your shed – yes we don’t have any one
complaining. This lathe was donated and a frame was made up for it.
Demonstrate a small folding table.
These are large motors for driving the dust extractors – they are noisy. What a wonderful bandsaw for
accurate use.
Safety switches like this come with the equipment and some donated tools need to be fitted with better
systems
Large table saw has a whole range of supports for doing large sheet cuts. Tilting arbor with a range of
possibilities. Drop saw in a box with its own exhaust system
Spare band saw blades and I appreciate the time taken to explain things when heading to NZ maybe
some time. You can make contact. I was here at the last conference – has expired us to get things going
in NZ
An important thing here is a master switch which stops everything and another switch here goes straight
up to the nursing home if anything goes wrong
You have a United Care Safety policy up on the wall – in terms of insurance we are covered by the UC
insurance as we have a lot of other volunteers are on site.
We have had a couple of Council Grants and a couple of Govt Grants and Arthur has applied for these
as he knows about the processes of getting them and wording etc.
He has since left as a bus driver and still comes back to assist. Don’t put you camera away – Ron has
another store to show and there is a range of lengths of timber and stacks of paint. Secret wood store.
Rick would also like school mentoring to occur at some later stage.
Many thanks for your interview and the time i was just heading out to do some shopping and 5 mins
later and you would have missed me.
4. South Perth Church of Christ shed
Bob Barnard coordinator you have a programme today for about 10 – 11 men and 1 lady in a wheel
chair. Happens Monday Tuesday Wednesday Friday mornings from 9-12 and they come and do exactly
what they want to make – there’s no rules no nothing, if they want to sit around and do nothing at all
they can do that and have a chat and a cuppa coffee. They make up their own projects we are lucky to
have all materials donated and I can donate them back to the guys we are very lucky here – this could be
donated by firms.... one of the guys in the church – he’s a builder and I just say to him Phil I’m short of
such and such and its here within a few days – these could be cover sheets anything goes. Like we
running out of materials recently and he came up with all that lot there all that lot there plus a lot of solid
timber jarra pine you name it its there all donated there must have been about $4000 worth of stuff just
rolled up on a truck.
What about the shed itself? ... it was down at the Carrawarra George Burnett Leisure Centre there and
was being vandalised and the city council owned it and they said they were going to bulldoze it and I
said don’t do that - its too good being broken into and smashing windows really badly damaged and
blokes’ work was also getting badly damaged some of them couldn’t even come back for that reason
and I know that we had that land up by the church and one of our FIR’s said it could be relocated up at
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
43
the church site. At first they said it was doubtful that it would happen – i took it to the administrator of
the church Graham I believe you spoke to him on the phone – and told him about it and said he would
see what he could do then I got onto the woman in charge of the ......... and told her about it and she said
we ought to get it up there and took it to the council and they said you can have the shed as long as you
run it which put a lot on me – there again I was quite willing to do it, they dismantled it and put it on a
truck – you needed to put a pad down?.. and the council paid for the pad including the dismantling an d
re-erection of it - and what was the value in that for them? They could see the value of the programme
and have been backing us up ever since.
They give us a gift of about $1000 A YEAR and they donated the pad and a grant of $16,000 to start it
up. They really did help us out which has been very very good actually. What about equipment? A range
of tools – a lot of them were donated – Bunnings were good they donated a compressor and a wood lathe
– I’ve donated most of my tools – I was a carpenter / joiner / cabinet maker, - we had a lot stuff given to
us.
Touching base with your role as coordinator – is that voluntary or paid – Voluntary are you retired I
come in here 4 days a week and more – I’m in here a lot probably 40 hours a week sometimes you sound
very heavily retired to me _ in joy it and I do some projects for myself, I’ve got the run of the show I
can come in here and make it don’t have to have permission - what about infrastructure behind the shed
– the church is that and they carry the insurance and don’t have a management team no I’m the
management - - that would keep the bureaucracy down we got Graham the administrator – he’s the boss
but he leaves it entirely up to me -- saying you’re in charge and so I have the run of the place.
What about men’s shed assoc? I go to the conferences – I’m going to Hobart I went to the Bendigo one
done by the other mob – they’re no good – they’re in the throes of being sued anyway so - about time to
they pinched all the LCMS documentation and in the process of being sued apparently and I didn’t like
the way they were going on anyway.
You’re in a position to see both sides of the situation and as far as what I have seen when I walked in
here – you represent the workings of shed in its full intention the use of its facilities – I have got a bloke
and volunteer John over there – if it wasn’t for blokes coming in and helping out I couldn’t do it all on
my own he’s excellent I might have a chat later and that’s Ron – I’m from NZ ......hi
I’ve just come out of hospital and haven’t been doing much at all and he’s been running the place. And
you have a group of mainly disabled people from all over and carers – particularly if you have those
with head injuries - they need a carer – we get a lot of women carers and you can’t turn women away
anyway – it is a men’s shed and you can’t discriminate and they come in and they are very very good at
what they do. There was only one I had a bit of trouble with and she didn’t want to do anything – she
expected me to do everything and clear off and leave me with about four blokes after a while I said to
her either you stay and help out or you can’t come back anymore. So that’s the only one I had – to
clarify she brought four guys and would then bugger off and the guys were high needs – she wasn’t
doing her job. I have had a history of dealing with people like that - I worked with Down’s Syndrome
with slow learners I’ve got the history behind me and know how to handle people but when you’re left
on your own and particularly when they are getting $25-20 bucks and hour and I’m not getting a thing –
it’s not just about the money but it was just the fact that they were being paid to do a job and were
leaving me to do it. Thank fully it hasn’t happened too frequently - it happened with 2 blokes which I
got rid off -one of them only wanted to get outside and have a smoke and he was on about $30 dollars
an hour so I have to get rid of him. Have you got all of the equipment you need – yes about 95% what
about a wish list? In addition.... recorder gave out with flat batteries and I didn’t have any spares with
me............
We saw around the shed – it had a back room storage area and a mezzanine floor for additional storage.
The shed was about 20 metres by 12 metres and is to be extended by as much again in the future.
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Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
44
One of the volunteers mentioned that he comes in once a week to help out – in fact it was a situation
where he was a t a complete loss having had to move with his wife into a retirement village nearby and
had lost his shed. He was very depressed and could hardly get up and out of bed. His wife found out
about the shed nearby and encouraged him to make contact. Gradually through making some shelving
and bits and pieces for their unit he started to get involved and help out as it gave him a real boost for his
self esteem and sense of self worth. He comes once a week as a volunteer or to make something up
himself.
There was a good comprehensive set of tools and equipment and the clientele of the shed looked mainly
those with a range of disabilities from autistic to cerebral palsy, and some just physically confined to a
wheel chair – one had been disabled as a result of a shooting accident.
One was a cerebral Palsy guy who responded very little with verbal ability but would grin and give the
thumbs up in response to my questions. Fay the disabled girl was full of chat and enjoyed being down at
the shed making a box for her jewellery which she was really proud of the progress towards. It was for
her personal jewellery and for her father’s medals.
I felt that this shed catered more for the disabled and wondered whether this would be a detracting factor
for able bodied. Once again this shed looked like it specialised in catering for mainly wood based
projects and for programmes serving the mainly disabled.
5. The Sunnybank RSL Drop in Centre and Men’s Shed in Brisbane is supervised by Bruce
Turnbull in partnership with the Red Cross and McGregor Lions.
We have the community involved also and we started the drop in centre in June of last year. This part
was opened then - there are not a lot of people here presently because with Anzac day coming up they
are out selling poppies – it is our main revenue gathering in shopping centres. Normally on a Tuesday
there is carpet bowls 25 – 30 members attend, cards on Thursday about 8 attend and Fri sausage sizzle
mostly guys but not all some women attend and the age range is between the 40s’ to 90s more on the
senior side. At the drop in centre some reasons could they attend include – people from the nursing
homes and retirement village residents and our own members drop in for company and we did have
quite a few from outside the area from time to time. They heard about it through couple of sessions on
the radio and some in the newspapers. Mainly they are our people and Red Cross members
You mention bowls what kind of other activities and facilities do you have? We do have some men’s
health sessions last year I had one a month to run but was off overseas for ten weeks and it didn’t
proceed. We did run a Men’s Health seminar during Men’s Health Week in June which incorporated the
opening of the Drop in centre. This year we have one being run with the 3 Rotary Clubs in the area and
we have a Cooking for one or two scheduled that we will run in May/ June a 6 weeks programme where
they come in and cook and eat the meal and in a social learning session. We are in the process of getting
the Trades e.g. woodwork etc up and running. We have received a grant from the city council of $20,000
last Friday – that $20,000 will get us established once we get the land.
How long have you been going? We started in June last year. Who was the mover and shaker? Quite a
few of us sat around talking and looking at what could be done considering some had just left the work
force and spent 3-6months doing their rock painting, golf and going fishing, and were at a loose end and
some were depressed. – We said that there has got to be something we can do. This started off as a store
room to the main RSL hall and we spent a lot of money doing it up we had about $120,000 worth of
grants to do up the building – that in itself was a task, getting the grants and doing the work now it’s a
completely renovated building and the Dept of Veterans affairs gives us a grant for furniture and
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
45
computers. Was this a building that you took over? We have had this building since 1945 there is a 6
page brief of how we started as the organisation. We got together with the Lions as they were having the
same problem with members also this is also the most diverse area in Australia with Chinese, Korean
and African people. (in the Sunnybank Area) we have got the High School and started talking about
things and most of the refugees from Africa don’t have any male role models at all so we hope when we
get the shed going that we can do a mentoring exercise with these groups. We have a good relationship
with the schools and this Saturday we will be using the grounds of the school for our Anzac service and
have offered their assembly building in case the weather turns inclement.
Let’s go back to the grant that you were offered – it was the Brisbane City Council? Yes they have
grants to assist men’s sheds to be set up – The Lord Mayor before the last election allocated money to
set up and organise men’s sheds – it took 12 months before it was fully set up. He came out and
launched that policy here in the hall. Said he wanted to come out and talk to us we thought he would
come out with his offside but he came out with all of the news reporters all the television crews and had
his whole council team so it was a good launch and coverage. It was quite a comprehensive support for
the men’s shed movement. There are quite a few avenues of support at all levels of government – federal
state and local we have got 2 $25,000 grants from the state govt, $10000 from the federal govt, $20000
from the city council. And up to $50000 from the DVA. Is that money applied just to this facility?
What we’ve done here starting on the outside then inside we’ve had store rooms and supper room
converted to the Drop in Centre. We still need to hire this out to make money and while not let we can
use it. The toilets have just been done up and the kitchen is the last to be done. Most of the money has
been raised by ourselves, other then the grants giving ownership to the members (up to $100 000
including the shed itself). We had a further grant for this outside area including power point and we are
starting to get tools including a drill press set up out here and some tools are stored under the building
it is weather proof. What we are looking at is something in the range of a 27 by 6 metre shed with 2
metres awning this side of it although we don’t think we would get that because of things political –
another option is to get this playground shifted to the other side and perhaps get the shed put here or the
third options is to use that over there which is a city council on a city council lease for a kindergarten so
may be this area is quite likely which would be good. If the city Council owns it is a matter of
negotiations and we have the deputy Mayor on our side to work with us through this project. That’s his
office there.
I will get some pics of this here because it is an important option to explore a number of options to get a
venue sorted. It all takes time and is an ongoing process of negotiation and consultation.
New conversation ....we were just talking before you arrived.... Robert L President of the RSL in the
Australian context...other men’s sheds have been very well established in other states – predominantly
Victoria, NSW and South Australia – to WA . but in Q and N NSW almost nonexistent but while there
are a number of men’s groups like the wood turners Ass they are not really men’s sheds in the
community centre and the other concept – it is not just a place for activity but a place where you provide
a space for health and support services to people who come in the Q context there are only about half a
dozen operating who are about our stage in many ways certainly for the city of Brisbane which is the
largest municipality in Australia geographically and population-wise we’re the leading one in Brisbane
and in terms of development fully integrated support and the assets that you see are assets that we have
learnt from research are necessary to have in place for a shed so you see they have been acquired here
so you can relax here and have an outdoor area and because we have the physical we converted there
and it has allowed us to get started and the element that we are missing here at the moment is the trades
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
46
the tin shed which we call the trade area and then the other bit that we have learnt is building the social
infrastructure to support it which is recruiting volunteers because you just can’t take anyone off the
street who says I’ll be a volunteer coordinator so we are going through a program of recruiting and
training them and getting our business process in place over the last 12 – 18th months we’ve been
planning this for about three and a half years and we have been slowly putting the pieces together over
the last 18months largely because we have self funded and our revenue stream is largely limited we
just make our money from Anzac day badges and selling poppies and we have received in the last 12
months some grants from council and that has allowed us to fast track some of the development and
team – building the team and getting some training and getting that social infrastructure and vital to
getting the project together was to develop a joint venture with the Division of General Practice which
is an umbrella body which represents all of the 490 GPs and what’s happening is giving support to us in
both physical and mental health and have invested resources into giving support to us to develop that
side both on-site here and off-site in other venues and we are also doing as an adjunct to the shed into
the community capacity building giving training to all teachers, community youth workers and so on
into community first aid and mental health, parent support and suicide prevention so we are also putting
all of those pieces of the jigsaw together in the final puzzle and so for us the last piece of the puzzle was
the tin shed with the trade area in it – we don’t have the land on our piece of dirt here so we have been
relying on the city council to deal with that and as with all bureaucracies it is a time thing but we have
the green light on that to go for the land now they have given us a grant for the connecting of services the water the phone and electricity etc. And our concept is that we couldn’t have one building that could
encompass everything in it so we have developed the outdoor area which is our link area and the trade
area and we have funded to put in a PABX system that will link each section in with each other and we
have also invested in a computer network and that will go into the trade area so that we can integrate all
of the networking and Phone line throughout the whole area. In the shed we are looking to have a quiet
room where which will be like a small meeting room and so we’ll have a couple of computers in there so
that it will be a bit like an internet cafe so guys can jump in there and do some internet research the other
thing that you may have been told is that we are looking to recruit train and expand a welfare team
because we feel that every hour we should have a trained welfare person always on site. What we have
already discovered is and it bears up anecdotally that by having someone on site being trained like Bruce
here, that when people want to talk to someone – they won’t necessarily pick up the phone and talk to
someone and through that mechanism we already know that there are two guys that we have been
working with since last year who have presented with some characteristics commensurate with
committing suicide. Fortunately on the days they came here we had a welfare person on site who could
recognise a series of characteristics that lent themselves to being at risk. They didn’t stand up to the
trained member saying that I wanted to commit suicide but having ticked a few boxes they trainees
could recognise the signs and asked them were they thinking of committing suicide
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
47
Community Men’s Sheds: Checklist for shed development
Startup
1. Survey Community Need
1.1. Need
1.2. Community group support
1.3. Media support / your story
1.4. Initial driver / contact of shed
2. Organisation
2.1.Stand alone or under umbrella / auspicing group or with partner/s
2.2.Steering Group ( key skills cover all the bases – finance, venue, programme, resources,
community interests, men’s interests, networks )
2.3.Ideal Governance/ Mngmnt Structure
2.3.1. Responsibilities (positions within the organisation)
2.3.2. Tasks (to establish shed) registration of trust / status etc
3. Venue
3.1. Options
3.1.1. Linked to Organisation (church / community centre)
3.1.2. Community Access (consider local councils and shed advocates – community houses)
3.2. Surplus buildings (eg council owned to be leased or resited)
3.3. Purpose built? (purchased / leased / built by members?)
3.4. Leasing / hiring / purchasing
3.5. Facilities ( toilet / food / trades – wood, metal, other / computers)
3.6. Costs (lease / heating-lighting)
3.7. Site (rural / urban )
3.8. Transport (public)
3.9. Access - wheelchair / other requirements
3.10.
Visual Appeal – personality / feel / ambience
3.11.
Equipment
3.11.1. Goods on hand
3.11.2. Basic tool list those required
3.11.3. Dust extraction
3.12.
Shed Layout
3.12.1. Drawers, cupboards, lockable areas, workstation separation, electrical cords, lighting
3.13.
Safety
3.13.1. First aid Kit
3.13.2. Safety switches / electrical protocols
3.13.3. Materials
3.13.4. Trained personnel
4. Supporters / links and data base
4.1. Sponsors (tools / programme)
4.2. Donors (tools / bequests)
4.3. Link organisations (dhbs / community houses)
4.4. Partnerships with
4.5. networks
5. Target groups
5.1. Scope
5.1.1. New settlers
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
48
5.1.2. Retired
5.1.3. Rehabilitation
5.1.4. Unemployed
5.1.5. Youth
5.1.6. Elderly
5.1.7. Difficult to reach
5.1.8. Isolated and shy
5.2. Membership
5.2.1. Requirements (costs / responsibilities –code of behaviour)
5.2.2. Policy (target groups / guidelines)
5.2.3. Induction
5.2.4. Safety / access to use equipment / what records kept
5.2.5. Non-members (place of women)
5.3. Reciprocal groups / members
6. Shed programme – Core business
6.1. Opening days and times
6.2. Community projects
6.3. Personal development and growth
6.4. Personal projects
6.5. Links with other sheds (visiting)
7. Shed Physical
7.1. Signage clear and strategic placement
7.2. Visual appeal and friendliness
7.3. Tidiness and order
7.4. Displays of work possible ( tangible or photographs)
7.5. Safety aspects
7.6. Size and comfort.
8. Marketing the Shed
8.1. Fliers
8.2. logo
8.3. Network of supporters
8.4. Member data base and need to contact those not on email
8.5. New liaisons eg service clubs, model clubs, wood turners
8.6. For responsible volunteers (former leaders? Tradesmen)
9. Access - who are the contacts?
9.1. With shed enquiries members or projects
9.2. Management
9.3. Programme
9.4. Office holders
9.5. Volunteers
9.6. Shed key access
10. Shed Organisation
10.1.
Governance – Who, When do they meet?
10.1.1. Structure
10.1.2. Functions
10.1.3. Policies
10.1.4. Registration legal entity
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
49
10.1.5. Charitable status
10.1.6. Insurance
10.1.7. OSH
10.1.8. Financial / funding
10.2.
Management – Who, When do they meet?
10.2.1. Records required
10.2.2. Tasks
10.3.
Coordinator – contact details / role Job Description / remuneration / tasks
10.3.1.
10.4.
Member Spokesman – men’s rep reflecting the members interests and sentiments
10.5.
Roles within; opening up, ringing network, membership, newsletter, website other
11. Programme
11.1.
Informal - member personal interests
11.2.
Core Activity?
11.3.
Wood based work
11.4.
Socialisation programmes
11.5.
Metal based work
11.6.
Computer focus
11.7.
Community education non-formal
11.7.1. Training for new skills ( electrical testing certificate)
11.7.2. Links with other groups (GPs for suicide /depression training)
11.7.3. Health promotion agencies
11.8.
Programme partners
11.9.
Off-campus projects
12. Income
12.1.
Lotteries Grant
12.2.
Cogs Grant
12.3.
Bequests
12.4.
Merchandise popular (early childhood, Easels, models for St Johns, hospital play, kitset
toys for children’s days, t-shirts, wooden kitchen utensils, bottle openers
12.5.
Labour Contracts
12.6.
firewood
Overview Points to Explore about a planned COMMUNITY SHED
1. What’s in a Community Shed for  Which Men are you targeting o Retired o Redundant o Middle aged o Young o Alzheimers o Epilepsy o Mental health o others  For Families o Women Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
50
o others 2. What’s involved in setting up? Broadly  Startup  Steering group  Venue  Programme  Infrastructure  Funding  Insurance  safety What’s in a community shed for a local Community?
What’s in it for Governments?
What does that suggest for the Future?
What needs to be done now?
Report on Men's Sheds supported by 2009 Winston Churchill Fellowship with assistance from Hamilton Community Men’s
Shed NZ - Dr Neil Bruce [email protected]
51