I have been retired for 15 years, and whether by good planning or by luck I found the transition to retired life relatively seamless. After working for decades as a federal government policy “wonk”, I reinvented myself as a Master Gardener and have been very happily involved in gardening activities ever since.
As I became involved in the local community, I became aware that retirement was not the paradise that many men had anticipated. Rather, many experience the loss of a sense of purpose and social isolation or find themselves grappling with bereavement or health issues. The answer for many men has been the Men’s Shed.
I have had the good fortune to be involved in the early development of two local Sheds — the Hackberry Men’s Shed based in Carleton Place and the Naismith Men’s Shed in Mississippi Mills. The Hackberry group coalesced around their woodworking shop. Their first major project was building a large garden shed for the Carleton Place Community Garden. The Naismith group had a construction team that did a major refit of the Lanark County Food Bank building and built workbenches for the Blakeney garden project.
The Men’s Shed movement is a world-wide phenomenon that addresses issues facing older men. In many ways it replicates the backyard workshop where men share tall tales and tinker with woodworking. Many men are not comfortable sharing their feelings — a Men’s Shed is grounded in the idea that men communicate more effectively when they’re “shoulder to shoulder” with other men doing stuff.
The aim is to provide a safe and friendly environment where men can work on meaningful projects that give a sense of purpose. Men can work at their own pace, in their own time, in the company of other men. It’s a place to learn or teach new skills and find new opportunities and interests while making new friends.
Originally founded in Australia in the 1990s, the grass-roots movement has expanded to more than 3,500 sheds in 17 countries. A registered charity, Men’s Sheds Canada formed in 2021 to support both the strengthening of existing Sheds and the development of new ones. It has become a strong voice for innovation within the men’s health sector and for addressing the pressing issues of men’s mental health and social isolation.
The Men’s Shed movement is organized in local chapters. Many retired guys have little patience for meetings — generally business meetings are kept to a bare minimum; governance is not complicated — perhaps a coordinator with several committee heads. Sheds are basically democratic with perhaps some of the leaders being “voluntold”.
Activities on offer can be just about anything of interest to members that they bring to the group. The main criterion is that activities include several members working together. Men are invited to participate in — or even start — programs and activities that reflect their own interests and experiences.
Much of the activity in the two Men’s Sheds I have been involved with focus on a wood-working shop, but this is not at all a requirement. Other activities include regular breakfast and lunch gatherings, a weekly games day, monthly strategy meetings, drop-ins at seniors’ residences, volunteer gardening and landscaping, woodworking and carving, coffee hour gatherings, walking and hiking groups, bike outings, and monthly excursions to places of interest such as the chainsaw museum.
For some groups, it is important to have activities that “give back” to the community.
Some of these include hosting workshops for women in woodworking and home repair; making a specialized bed for a two-year-old handicapped child, and repairing pontoon boats for a charity that gives free rides to handicapped people.
There have been some objections that women are not allowed to join a Men’s Shed. The response has been that shedding is not anti-feminist; rather, it is male-only to encourage guys to talk about uniquely male issues and become proactive in looking after themselves. If women are present, the conversation is different. In fact, women are often prominent supporters of Men’s Sheds, since Shedding often gives new life to their husbands who end up healthier, happier, and less grumpy.
I remember asking a friend whether joining a Men’s Shed group had improved her husband’s frame of mind. Her reply was not quite what I expected. She replied that she didn’t know about his state of mind but that it had done wonders for her. He was no longer lost after retiring, following her around and expecting her to be his social convenor. She had regained some of the personal space she had lost when he retired.
The Shed that I am most familiar with is the Naismith Men’s Shed, named after the inventor of basketball (with permission from James Naismith’s grandson). The Naismith Shed has been active for eight years and has grown to about 60 members. They will have a table at the Almonte Community Fair on April 9 at the John Levi Centre. It’s a great opportunity to have a chat with some of the Shedders. For more information, please visit naismithmensshed.ca or their Facebook page. For a broader perspective or for more information on sheds in other areas, visit mensshedscanada.ca.