b'doin git W e are h appy to repair th in g s but w e don t h ave a clock ,so you tak e us as you g et us. man to manThe Mens Sheds movement is a win-win for all ages. Above: Henley MensJ ohn Bush believes he has the best job in the world,Harley Reynolds is 11 years old and attends Greytown Shed manager Johnas the ofcial 20-hour-a-week manager of HenleySchool. He spent his 2015 winter school holidays at a Bush with local schoolMens Shed in Masterton. The shed is a communityMens Shed holiday programme at the Henley children and theirinitiative which began in Australia in the mid-1990sheadquarters. My nan told me about it, he says. I Resene-paintedwhen it became apparent that many men retiring inhadnt had much to do with tools before, so it was very wheelbarrow planter.their 60s had no idea what to do next. interesting. I think I might become a builder.They suddenly felt isolated, without a purpose, andOne of Harleys favourite activities was constructing some developed depression. Lets face it; they felt thatwooden crosses in honour of the 100th anniversary of their skills were no longer required or appreciated. Whenthe New Zealand Forces Gallipoli landing. Then we got cases of suicide began occurring it was clear that ato paint them with Resene paint, he says.support network was needed. This rural initiative hasThe youngsters grandmother, Gay Taylor, is a true been a true lifesaver and its taken off world-wide,convert to the concept of Mens Sheds. Harley doesnt he says. have many strong male role-models in his life and these Known variously as Menzsheds or Mens Sheds,men have taught him such a lot.depending on a local groups preference, the movementAnother successful collaboration came about when now has a presence in countries such as the Unitedchildren at nearby Lakeview School were asked for ideas Kingdom, Finland, and notably, given recent economicfor making their school more attractive. They decided turmoil, in Ireland and Greece. to decorate it with brightly coloured animal and New Zealand has nearly 80 member sheds in thealphabet shapes, John says. For one period a week over national association, located in towns and cities fromtwo terms the students cut, sanded, primed and painted Kerikeri in the North to Tapanui in the South. Each onetheir masterpieces. Resene supplied paint in a multitude adapts to the particular needs of its local community,of colours and before long there were purple cows, says John. We dont have too many rules but theres aorange pigs, green letters. ! Henley Mens Shed also simple constitution that member organisations musthelped the kids build wheelbarrow planters which can adhere to, and it includes basic safety guidelines. be wheeled inside at the end of each day. Henleys branch in the Wairarapa has establishedFor his part, John Bush can see Mens Sheds building itself as the heart of the Menzshed movement inin momentum. We are happy to repair things but we New Zealand. They refer to us as The Mother Ship,dont have a clock, so you take us as you get us. There John jokes. While local sheds operate largely as voluntaryare no deadlines here!bodies and charities, Johns Masterton chapter has aWe really enjoy our projects with school children, purpose-built venue and is run like a business. Havingand we also run mens health groups, a writers group said that, we arent here to compete with other localand help out the SPCA, local playcentres, and other establishments.community organisations. At the end of the day we are Resene Henley Mens Shed is mainly open during the day,all doing something very positive and our blokes just Unwind Resene although others also operate on evenings and weekends.love it! See www.menzshed.org.nz. AdrenalinFor us this approach enables self-employed people to Resene Quarter get together with kids and teach them some usefulwordsLouise Richardson Black Whiteskills, John says. picturePete Nikolaison44'