Langley City resident Ray Girard was laughing as he explained how he came to get involved with organizing the first Men’s Shed in Langley, part of an international movement that has men helping men by working together on projects.
“I’m a loner,” he said.
“I do not join groups. I don’t know how this happened.”
Then, he answered his own question when he explained what the Men’s Shed movement is about.
“It’s to give guys who don’t talk about their problems a chance to work together shoulder-to-shoulder,” Girard told the Langley Advance Times.
“And that gets them talking. I can see the value in it.”
Or, as the B.C. Men’s Shed association website, bcmensshed.ca, explains it, the goal is to improve “physical and mental health through activities men will actually join.”
First started in Australia to keep men physically active and healthy, there are now 3,000 non-profit men’s sheds worldwide, with more than 100 in Canada, and more than 30 of them in B.C., Girard estimated.
So far, the Langley Men’s Shed, which is just starting out, has eight member, and is looking for more, Girard explained.
He is hoping they can find space to set up a permanent shop.
Ideally, Girard advised, it would be a ground floor space.
“Some of the old guys use walkers.”
And it would have running water, “and a sink,” he added, and be “fairly secure. We’d be moving in some pretty big woodworking equipment.”
Natural light would be nice, too, he added.
“We can afford a certain amount of rent, but not much,” Girard specified.
“We don’t have any income yet, all we have is a grant from United Way.
He predicted landlords will find the shed an attractive prospect for several reasons, including adding “a little bit more security, maybe a little bit more coming and going, so that it’s being utilized [and with] some of us being woodworkers, we might improve the spot.”
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Girard, 73, a semi-retired broadcast announcer, and former disc jockey, started designing and building exotic wooden furniture when he was 50.
“I couldn’t nail two boards together [before that],” he recalled, but then “something clicked.”
He noted shed activities are not limited to woodwork, and can include everything from photography to gardening, or small appliance repair.
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“It’s not restricted in any way, including religious, political, nationality, even age. Anyone over 18 is welcome,” Girard said, although so far most of the participants can be ranked as seniors.
As for women: “if you did a search on women’s hobbies and and clubs you find thousands. There’s hardly anything for men,” Girard said.
“Women are welcome at our meetings,” and if they insisted in coming to the shed, he said, “we’re not kicking anybody out.”
Anyone who wants more information about Men’s Shed Langley, or has available space, is asked to email mensshedlangley@gmail.com.
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
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