During this visit the researcher was involved in the following activities (listed chronologically). Areas will be expanded upon in subsequent notes.
• 9am Arrival to setting and discussions with B (shed member)
• Tour of the facilities
• Discussion with shed secretary about membership, shed ‘vision/philosophy’, upcoming events. Introduction (or reintroduction to members)
• Active role in building project with other members (roofing woodshed structure)
• 10.30am Morning tea ‘smoko’. Doubles as unofficial meeting time and information sharing session
• Payment of membership
• Discussion around website creation for the shed with treasurer D
• Continued involvement in building project
• 12.30pm Departure
Arrival to setting and discussions with B
The research arrived at the setting at 9am. This was due to confusion around the winter start date hours. These were listed as 10-12.30 on the shed door summer hours being 9-12.30, however the membership had recently decided to amend these hours and set attendance from 9.30-12.30 all year round. Not long after arrival the researcher was joined by a fellow shed member B. After introductions B opened the shed and provided a tour of the facilities.
It is noted that there had been significant development of metal working room, and welding area since the researcher’s last visit. B was very welcoming and stated he like to start earlier than the other shed members as it gave him some quite time to get organized and underway with his projects. B talked positively about his involvement in the shed. He talked about the membership being ‘a good bunch of blokes’, ‘being tolerant of each other’. He pointed out that membership had grown steadily since opening and that the shed, particularly the woodworking room, can get quite crowded at times which can lead to people standing around. B was happy with where the shed was at and was skeptical about other sheds in the country pushing for a national association and standards. He strongly made the distinction between the ‘Blokes Shed’ and the ‘Men’s Shed’ movement. B was happy to talk and share his previous work history (predominantly in practical traders). He did not appear to be anxious to get to work on his current project.
Discussion with shed secretary, about membership, shed ‘vision/philosophy’, upcoming events. Introduction (or reintroduction to members)
IM the shed secretary arrived at approximately 9.20. The researcher had met IM before on previous introductory visits. I was keen to hear what changes the researcher saw since his last visit. This lead to discussions around the development of the welding room and building of the wood storage shed. During this discussion other members continued to arrive and IM provided introductions to those who had not previously met the Researcher. Members were very welcoming and willing to talk.
The secretary provided the R with a copy of the current membership list and talked about number of regular attendants (up to 20, but on average around 15 per session). IM reiterated the following points about the shed. These had been discussed on previous occasions with IM and with other member. Other shed members also participated in this conversation
• The membership is strong and growing
• The setting is very practical and members want to get on with projects without too much ‘red tape’
• Members are not interested in becoming part of a national Men’s Shed association as they feel this would complicate, and potential hinder the operations of the blokes shed.
• There is no shortage of projects. They have had a steady request and completion of project for the local community. Currently they are working on shelving and woodwork desks for a local play center. Maintenance and building of the shed facilities as well as community projects have become the focus. This is often at the expense of individual projects. IM did not make a judgment about this just stated it as a fact. The R will be interested to see if the focus on community projects affects those who attend.
• There is a range of skill amongst the membership and members are tolerant of each other and help each other out.
• Membership is $10 for a calendar year. This is paid by way of subscription to the Areo Club whose buildings the shed lets. The rate of $10 is seen as both a necessary and affordable amount for members. This was affirmed by 2 other members who joined the conversation.
• There is an ‘uneasy’ relationship with the Areo club about the location of the shed on their premises. These reasons were not clearly stated but members of the shed commented that not all Areo Club members wanted the shed there. There was a degree of resentment articulated towards the Areo club by members. One member noted the improvements the shed members had made to the facilities while others through fuel trucks owed by the Areo Club had been deliberately parked close to the shed to hinder member’s projects.
The researcher discussed taking photos at the shed in future visits as stipulated in the research proposal. IM and other shed members were happy for photos to be taken and requested copies of these on completion of the study.
Active role in building project with other members (roofing woodshed structure)
After talking with IM the researcher joined a group of 6 members who were roofing the wood storage shed which had been constructed to the side of the shipping container which was being fitted out as the wielding room. Though involvement with this project the R made the following observations
• Members are respectful of each other. The atmosphere is relaxed and members are willing to joke with each other. The R was welcomed to the project and given tasks as well as asked for his input.
• There appears to be a hierarchy at work in the group project work where those with known trade experience either lead or are referred to for advice. This happened in this project where J, who is an experienced builder, acted as foreman and provided direction while also seeking advice from other members who had previous roofing experience. Other members acted as laborers or where allocated tasks depending on their abilities.
• The members appeared to be observant of the skills of others and what they could contribute. Comment where passed on the R ability with a hammer, with encouraging comments like ‘I see you’ve done that before’. There was another relatively new member in this project and his advice was sought once he demonstrated a degree of knowledge and skill and discussed his previous trade experience.
• There was care taken with this project. The ‘foreman’ set the standard of work where the finished shed had to be both functional and accurate (square and well joined). In stating this R observed that building practices where directed towards completion of the project and often did not consider ‘best practice’ in relation to health and safety. The researcher is unaware if anyone is trained in First Aid at the setting.
• The project stopped for ‘smoko’ at 10.30. A number o participants stayed on to finish the step they had started (iron cutting) so as not to leave a job uncompleted.
Morning Tea (10.30)
Morning tea is commonly referred to as smoko amongst the group. It doubles as a break time and a social catch up time. It is also the time that the secretary will pass on information to the members. The research observed that there were rituals around; who made the tea, this was the job of one member; who washed up, this was the responsibility of all members. This is the one time throughout the morning when all members are together. The R noticed that there is a lot of good mannered banter amongst the group. The members give each other a ‘hard time’ and there is evidently a good knowledge of each other’s lives and activities outside of the shed. At smoko IM informed the members of the following
• The health status of two members who hadn’t attended for the past two weeks
• A reminder about the evening meal that was planned for the upcoming Friday at the local tavern. This was an evening that involved partners and had been organized to be as affordable as possible for members. They were expecting upwards of 20 people to attend and members appeared to be looking forward to the evening. The R was asked if he would like to attend and would have done so if he didn’t have a previous engagement.
• Recent articles from the Listener Magazine that outline the Men’s Shed movement in New Zealand. These were made available for members to read.
After IM talked the R paid his subs to the treasurer and received both a receipt as well as an official name badge (See scanned attachment). He was then offered welcome by other group members. At the conclusion of smoko the R talked with IM and D the treasurer about setting up a website for the Shed. R was asked directly if he had any experience with websites and he offered his services in investigating the setting up of a Blog with D. It is intended that the R help with the setup and technical assistance for the blog but not be the record keeper. D is willing to take on this role. A time is to be set to start work on this project.
Continued involvement in building project
The researcher rejoined the roofing project after smoko. This will be an ongoing project for the next couple of weeks and by the end of the morning the team had got to the point of temporarily securing the roofing. Two members were keen to keep working so as to have some of the roofing nailed in prior to leaving. At this stage it was 12.30 and the R left with the majority of other members.
12.30pm Departure
On departure R checked in with IM who asked him his impressions of his first day. R was very positive about the welcome he had received and the way he was involved in the roofing project. R plans to attend next Wednesday as well as communicating with D about website planning over the next week.
