We work towards it all our lives, but adjusting to retirement can take time.
From surgeons to school teachers, truckies to tradies — all are welcome at the Tauranga Men’s Shed.
It’s a place to keep the spirits up and mind busy at a stage in life when it can be needed the most.
“We have Christmas party every year and the number of wives that come up to me and say ‘thank you for the Men’s Shed, it gets him out of the house for one day’, and that’s the main thing - it gives men somewhere to go,” chairman Paull Christensen said.
The Tauranga shed was founded more than 14 years ago, specifically to help with men’s mental health.
“It was originally set up for only retired men, but now we have any man that has a need for the Men’s Shed. It’s somewhere the men can come and socialise, they can do work for the community, projects for themselves.
“Men’s mental health is a major issue. Although it’s acknowledged by the Government in New Zealand, there’s no subsidiary or money that comes to the Men’s Shed, we have to raise our own funds and sell all our own produce.”
We work towards it all our lives, but adjusting to the pace of retirement life can be a challenge.
“I spent my whole life in construction, working with steel, and needed somewhere to go because after I retired, I was stressed out. I really had a stress issue,” 73-year-old member Alex Davie said.
“The problem with being feet up is that it only lasts for six months, then you get bored.”
Christensen said it was a big change to go from working 40 hours a week, no matter what occupation, to retirement. But the Men’s Shed makes members feel useful by doing work for the community.
“It’s a bit different than going to a retirement club or an old club where they just sit around and talk. Here, they’re using their hands, they have to think, it keeps them active.
Tauranga resident Ray Crafts, 87, has spent the past few weeks repairing the old letterbox of The Elms.
Tauranga resident Ray Crafts, 87, enjoys the camaraderie of his local Men's Shed.
“I was approached by one of the ladies who works down there. I’d already done calligraphy for her and she knew all about my woodwork. They wanted to have a tidy-up and get everything ready for the coming season.
“When we were taking it off it just fell to bits. It was rotted out. I’ve had to make a new one and we’re now painting it, getting it ready to put the roof back on.”
Crafts said being a member of the Men’s Shed has given him a sense of camaraderie in his senior years.
“You can sit around the table and discuss all sorts of things. You’re working together with others, all doing different jobs. We all have different talents.
“If you’re not sure of something you always ask somebody and that’s where I find a good sense of wellbeing.”
About 50 per cent of the shed’s income comes from the various wooden toys that the men produce on-site and sell to the public.
As well as schools, kindergartens, the Brain Injury Trust, St John’s Ambulance and Rescue Helicopter, the shed’s members also do a lot of work for the elderly.
“They might have damaged furniture that they can’t afford to have repaired by a carpenter, so they bring it here and we’ll fix it up and get them going again,” said Christensen.
For many of its members, the Men’s Shed is an important space that helps ward off the isolation of retirement.
“I came here, met like-minded guys and it’s just been great,” said Davie. It’s given me confidence, skills I never had before, friendships. We have a cup of tea or coffee and talk about things that happen to older blokes.”
Having somewhere to go and something to do after you’ve retired doesn’t just benefit the men. Ian Burdis, 69, joined the Men’s Shed after his wife suggested it.
“When I retired, I found myself sitting at home doing not as much.
