More to This Shed Than Meets the Eye…
There’s no doubt that good friendships are hard to find, but for those who gather at The Men’s Shed in Taupō – they’ve hit the jackpot.
A group of mainly retired gentleman (with a few ladies who come along too), The Shed is just as much about keeping the grey matter ticking as it is about having some laughs with some of the most genuinely nice folk around.
“I retired in Taupō three years ago, but I wasn’t brave enough to come along until a couple of months ago – I’m so glad I did,” says new member Garry. “It’s important to remain social as you get older, and it was something I had been missing out on. This is a great place to be.”
Men’s Sheds or ‘community sheds’ are non-profit organisations that originated in Australia, to advise and improve the overall health of all men, and they are now located all around the world. There’s not much the Taupō Shed doesn’t tackle – from their own personal projects, to fixing things for the community. And while donations help to keep the club going, baking is also much appreciated too.
“Members join us to make and repair stuff, and to tinker,” says Club Secretary Frederik Frank. “But it is also about learning new skills and making friends with whom they can discuss health issues, or anything else that may be troubling them.
“We have a large coffee pot, a friendly atmosphere and are well known to locals as a place to go for repairs to all sorts of odd items.”
Join The Men’s Shed
Need another reason to get involved? Worldwide public health research has clearly documented evidence that Men’s Shed members live longer, healthier and happier lives!
The well-equipped Taupō shed is located at 29 AC Baths Avenue (right down the back) and open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday – usually from around 10am to 3pm.
So if you need something repaired, have some tools at home that aren’t being used (which you might like to donate), or just want to see what The Shed is all about, pop on down to say hello!