Submitted by The Bruce Men’s Shed
Bruce Men’s Shed finished off the year with a potluck breakfast at the year-end meeting that was both well attended and very tasty. There was plenty of time afterward to talk to each other about upcoming holiday gatherings and other plans.
This year started off in a rush. Tuesday January 2 we were informed that an article in the Globe and Mail was published talking about the Bruce Men’s Shed and how it helps cope with isolation for men in rural areas. Reporter Oliver Moore had visited us in November after speaking to Men’s Sheds Ontario and Men’s Shed Winnipeg. His thoughtful article was well received and gained attention to the global Shed movement.
This publicity led to one of our members being invited to do a radio interview for the show “Moore in the Morning” on NEWS 10 10 in Toronto. Guest host, former Toronto Mayor John Tory, interviewed member Gerry Tilmans to ask “what is a Men’s Shed” and is there an actual shed, and more.
Good questions to answer here as well.
The Shedding movement is intended to gather men and allow them to spend time with each other. No agenda needed, just get together and the conversations and time will flow.
The question “is there an actual shed” has a yes and a no answer. Each shed is independent and members determine where to meet, how often, and any activities they want to do. Many Shed groups do find a building and set up shops to allow a number of people to work together on a single project such as making wooden toys or birdhouses or to come out for the coffee and watch. Other Sheds have weekly gatherings for meals, bowling or just coffee.
Tuesday mornings in January a small group of us continue building scale models. We are also learning about paints and how to apply them using brush and airbrush. Feel free to drop in and say hello and for a coffee, we are at the Legion listed below from 9-11:30 am. This is in addition to our weekly Monday morning coffee gatherings.
Monthly Meeting: Saturday January 20th 9:00 – 11:00 am at Legion 202 on highway 6 just north of Ferndale. Doors open at 8:30 am. Guest speaker Justin Johnston of Nature Conservancy of Canada will be describing the work they do with their properties in North Bruce.
Monday mornings we are at the Legion from 9-11:30 am for coffee, feel free to drop in.
If you would like further information on how to get involved with the Men’s Shed movement, please don’t hesitate to contact the Bruce Men’s Shed at brucemensshed@gmail.com or call Gerry at (519) 793-3005.
