Aidan Curtis
RETIREMENT can be lonely for many men, but the rise of Men’s Sheds in regional communities is helping blokes keep busy and make a few friends.
The Australian Men’s Shed Association is celebrating Men’s Shed Week, highlighting the positives that come from encouraging men to get together and talk about what is going on in their lives.
In the Mount Gambier Men’s Shed, president Ian Bond said many of the positives come from just getting together and working on small-scale projects.
He said the shed has around 70 members who have been working various projects using recycled materials.
“It gives the guys something to do,” Mr Bond said.
Mr Bond said these projects range from building picnic benches and garden beds for nearby businesses and community groups to making toys for disadvantaged children.
According to Mount Gambier Men’s Shed vice-president Grant Sullivan, the positive impacts of the Shed go way beyond just what they can make.
He said joining the Men’s Shed has significantly improved his mental health because he has people to talk to, but he is also able to lend a hand when his fellow members need someone to lean on.
“If you’ve got issues, in here when you talk about issues, it doesn’t go any further,” Mr Sullivan said.
“I can go and tell somebody and they don’t tell anyone else; they’re all in the same boat, there’s no gossip, you’re safe.
“I just help out, talk to people – I try to get around and talk to everyone to see how they’re going.”
Mr Sullivan said it helped to keep men out of their own heads, so they could stop brooding and actually talk about what they might be going through.
He said it was hard at first, but it has been well worth it in the end.
“First day is the hardest,” he said.
“Then you go there and someone will come up, you have a cup of tea, someone will talk to you, then you find out you’re in a safe environment.
“You talk about a problem, you halve it.”
Men’s Shed Week this year is being held between September 4 and September 10.
