John Sherman with just some of the tools at Menz Shed in Levin.
John Sherman with just some of the tools at Menz Shed in Levin.
The sliding doors to the Menz Shed in Levin are being flung open soon to give the public a rare insight into what really goes on in there.
And judging by the amount of sawdust and wood shavings being swept out at the end of every meeting, there must be some work being done in between the cups of tea and coffee.
Members of the Menz Shed were finally holding the Open Day they had been busy planning for more than a year. It was originally to have been held at the start of the year, prior to the outbreak of Covid-19.
Levin Menz Shed Trust trustee John Shearman said the open day was a chance to showcase to the public exactly what they do and where they do it.
The Levin Menz Shed was a charitable organisation that did a large amount of community work. Recent examples were constructing tracks for the Department of Conservation, and also work at preschools in the area.
But Shearman was quick to point out they are there to help anywhere they could, but drew the line if it meant taking work away from local tradesmen.
"Only where there is genuine need," he said.
John Sherman from Menz Shed in Levin.
The men were always breathing new life into anything bent or broken, like old furniture; and boasted in their ranks retired carpenters, engineers, plumbers, accountants and lawyers.
"If any elderly person has a favourite chair, for example, we'll fix it for them," he said.
The membership of the Menz Shed, which had been going for 11 years now, was mostly made up of men aged in the 60s to 90s, doing good deeds in the community.
But for a variety of reasons the membership could go through lulls from time to time. Prior to the outbreak of Covid-19 the Levin Menz Shed had 60 members. They were now down to 40.
Levin Menzshed was always looking for new members, if anyone wanted to join up.
"It's really just a place for guys to come and socialise, and work shoulder-to-shoulder," he said.
Sherman said it was important to let men know they were there, what they did, and that they were approachable.
He said it was important to stay active in retirement and the Menz Shed gave its members plenty of challenges and a chance to keep busy.
"It's as much about mental health and comradeship too," he said.
"For some of the members too, for example, they might have just got out of hospital, it gives them a reason to get out of bed."
John Sherman with just some of the tools at Menz Shed in Levin.
The Menz Shed began operating out of what used to be a derelict old grandstand at Levin Racecourse.
It was the perfect fit. Once the home of the Presidents room and a busy members bar and tote facility, it had slowly become the home of nesting birds when racing moved to Ōtaki in the 1990s
"It's brilliant. It takes a while to warm up sometimes, but then again so might we," he said.
Menz Shed members meet three mornings a week. If they choose to, they might carry on through into the afternoon.
Sherman said while Menz Shed is about giving men a chance to put their skills to use or discover skills they didn't know they had, there was always a focus on the wellbeing of their members.
Sometimes, it might be that someone had time on their hands recovering from surgery or illness. Other times, it might be simply to chew the fat. Loneliness was a real thing for some people Menz Shed provides a a social outlet.
"Isolation and loneliness is not good for anyone. We say retired men, but it could be suitable for someone who might be out of work, for example."
And to keep busy. Hidden within the Menz Shed was a plethora of tools that would be the envy of any home handyman, from hammers and saws to woodturning lathes.
They were often given tools, so another nail goes in the wall and the tool is hung up. But every so often they need get too much of one particular item, so it made sense to have a sale.
Sherman wanted to remind anyone wanting to purchase any of their surplus tools or toys on the Open Day they would have to bring cash as there was no Eftpos facility operating.
The Menz Shed Open Day would start at 10am and run until 3pm on October 17, under the old grandstand at Levin Racecourse at Mako Mako Rd.
Although Open Day clashes with Election Day, he said that was a good thing, as people would be out and about anyway.
