“I didn’t know that when there are no sports on TV, my husband would make sour dough bread!”
This is what one woman told her friend in the early days of COVID.
During those long months, restless men needed to find something to do with their hands. Some kneaded bread, other men got a dog to walk, others did more household chores and yet others weren’t sure what to do.
Come retirement, there is the same dilemma for many men. What will fill the hours that you used to spend at work? Many people travel more and spend more time on their hobbies. Here in Williams Lake, I see many groups meeting regularly in coffee shops. Then there are service clubs, arts groups, the garden club, faith organizations and many more.
Getting together is what we as humans are all meant to do. Given that our jobs provided much social connection in our working lives, it is no surprise retirees make up the majority of membership in some organizations. The groups are an essential role in our community getting needed things done.
This is especially important for men as their identity is so much connected to their work. When retired, some men find themselves at loose ends.
In this article, I will introduce one group that addresses this directly: Men’s Sheds. Men’s Sheds were started in Australia some 40 or so years ago and became formally organized later. (Shed is the preferred Australian term for our workshop.)
Men’s Sheds are for men to meet and do something together in a work-like setting. The motto in both Australia and Canada is “shoulder to shoulder.” Why? Because some men communicate best while working shoulder to shoulder.
Here is a personal example. A cousin of mine died of cancer at just 47 years of age. He was active in several groups. The large extended family decided the funeral would only be for relatives. Friends were encouraged to pay their respects at the viewings the two evenings before. Both nights, there were vehicles lined up around the block waiting to pay their respects. Why? Because when they struggling, my cousin came alongside.
We fix things
What do Men’s Sheds do? We work beside each other. On what, you ask? That depends on what members want to do and the demand. So far, our Williams Lake Shed has mostly been doing woodwork because that is the need, the interest and the tools available. Other sheds do any one or more of metalwork, mechanics, walking, photography, wood turning and more.
Our Williams Lake Men’s Shed has fixed quite a few pieces of furniture. What do you need to get fixed?
Of our current membership, our occupations or hobbies include linesman, health inspector, painter, welder, administrator, carpentry, dentist, mechanic, information technology and engineering technologist. We are open to other skill sets.
There are an estimated 1,000 sheds in Australia. Canada now has about 150 sheds with half of them in British Columbia. The Williams Lake Men’s Shed started in 2023 with a shop that was generously made available a year ago. We are open to a larger shop space in a shared building with plumbing in exchange for providing maintenance.
We make things
Our shed has built stairs, toolboxes, stools, a retail check-out counter, bird feeders and more. Several of our members have built things before joining the shed; you can see them on our Facebook website.
We meet Tuesday mornings but work other days when we have a major project to complete.
To see some of the things our members have fixed or made, look us up on Facebook.
Coffee. Carpentry. Camaraderie. Shoulder to shoulder.
Call Mike at (250) 267-6466, Bert at (250) 398-0184 or Neil at (250) 855-4007.
Bert Groenenberg is secretary of Williams Lake Men’s Shed
