MATESHIP SAVES LIVES Newcastle Men's Shed WORDS LIANE MORRIS
"Men don't talk face to face; they talk shoulder to shoulder." Professor Barry Golding, Australian Men's Shed Association Patron It's a well-known fact that there is a mental health crisis in the country today, and in Australia, men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. According to Beyond Blue, seven men die by suicide daily in Australia. This is a shocking statistic made worse by the fact that men are much less likely to seek help. There is, however, a global movement that had its humble beginnings right here in the Newcastle region that is working to change that – one cup of tea (or coffee) at a time. The Men's Shed movement sprung up almost simultaneously in a number of locations around Australia in the late 1990s. In Newcastle, Liz McDonald, Centacare Community Development Manager of the Maitland Newcastle Catholic Diocese at the time, was asked by the Director to establish a Men's Shed in Windale, which she did. She went on to found the Maitland and Singleton Men's Sheds, then with her team, began lobbying the government to establish a peak body.
"That happened in 2010 when the Rudd Labor Government acknowledged Men's Sheds in addressing social isolation and men's health and wellbeing as part of their National Male Health Policy. There were about 250 Sheds at the time," said Liz. "We went on to also help establish the international body, and we now operate out of the Newcastle CBD." Based on the concept of 'mateship saves lives', the purpose of a Men's Shed is to improve the mental health and wellbeing of men of all ages. It's to provide men with a purpose, address social isolation, to help them become active and better connected with others and their local community. There are now almost 3,000 Men's Sheds across the world. The Newcastle Men's Shed began life in the old administration building of the BHP in 2014 until it flooded in 2016. Since then, they have made six moves in five years. With the assistance of the late Meg Purser, a tireless supporter of several Newcastle not-forprofit organisations and a communications professional with excellent business networks, the organisation found itself a new shopfront home in Beaumont Street Hamilton, thanks to the Hamilton Business Improvement Association and Westpac Bank. With membership stretching past the 100 mark, this space was not big enough. Some of the members (or shedders as they are known) had been lobbying for two years to get use of an old railway property at New Lambton, and permission was finally granted. The Newcastle Men's Shed is now spread across both
locations, with New Lambton used for larger projects and workshop space and the shopfront at Hamilton to sell small items such as wooden toys, cutting boards and wooden bowls. The Newcastle Men's Shed is a meeting place where men of all ages volunteer to work together on a vast range of projects, most of which are for the good of the community. Although most of the men are retired, men of all ages are welcome. They come from a wide range of backgrounds, including retired tradies, doctors, solicitors, bank managers and labourers. Their work includes making and repairing school benches and restaurant tables, repairing chairs and tables, and making wooden toys and kitchen utensils. They do not promote themselves as a trade organisation and do not compete or take work away from local businesses. Secretary Wayne Grant explains, "We get requests for jobs to be done, and they get posted to the jobs board. Our volunteers check the board regularly and put their hands up for the ones they want to take on. There's always someone keen to do a job. We recently built two outdoor settings for a lady who couldn't find what she wanted elsewhere. She was delighted with the result." "When they first join, our members don't know what to expect. Some have no practical skills, but they're always surprised at what they can achieve once someone takes the time to teach them. There's such enthusiasm and Continued next page ▶ FAMILY & COMMUNITY •
33
