A place for banter, biscuits, woodwork and friendship
Take a retired pilot, a brickie, a mechanical engineer, a truck driver and a senior operating theatre technician with two dozen others under his charge.
You could be forgiven for thinking that those men with such diverse backgrounds would have, in their retirement years, very little in common.
But, under the Rutherglen roof where they congregate two days a week, the skills and life experiences of one man are as valued and respected as those of the next.
Because, at the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Men’s Shed, men in their senior years share one compelling reason for being there: good, old-fashioned, male companionship.
The Men’s Shed movement was started in Australia in the 1990s to help retired men and Vietnam veterans improve the quality of their lives.
There are now thousands of Men’s Sheds all over the world, whose aim is to promote social interaction, improve wellbeing and encourage involvement in projects or hobbies.
The Rutherglen and Cambuslang Men’s Shed was founded three years ago at a community resource centre in Whitlawburn, later moving to Rutherglen Baptist Church Hall.
Ron Taylor, the group’s administrator, says it is now a great outlet for 24 men from all walks of life. Ron is a prime example. He was in the Air Force for 12 years before moving to the Clydesdale Bank as a computer operator and latterly working as a janitor at Dalmarnock Primary School before retiring 10 years ago.
The Men’s Shed was, until a few weeks ago, a treasure trove showcasing the men’s considerable skills – a Santa’s grotto of wooden decorations, candle holders, garden ornaments, toys, bird houses and tables and even wishing wells, all beautifully crafted by the men’s hands.
Most of their creations were snapped up in the run-up to Christmas in exchange for donations, which the men use to pay utility bills and keep their tea, coffee and biscuit coffers brimming.
At the age of 83, Bob Hanna, of Burnside, is the oldest member of the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Shed.
Medical clinician Bob was an operating theatre technician at Glasgow Royal Infirmary and also worked as an orthotist, responsible for prosthetics and orthoptics treatment.
He is a carer for his wife, Rachel, who has advanced
arthritis. The Men’s Shed gives him breathing space and a brief but welcome escape from his caring responsibilities.
“My wife depends on me an awful lot,” explained Bob, who enjoys the relaxation woodwork brings.
“She is in pain a lot of the time. I do not blame her, but she keeps telling me how sore she is. A lot of the men who come here are caring for their wives.”
A native of the south of England, retired mechanical engineer Dave Phillips moved to the Glasgow area in the 1960s when his firm won the contract to build Glasgow Airport.
“When I retired, I was moping about the house, I was getting under my wife’s feet and I needed an outlet,” explained grandfatherof-four Dave, 74.
“I have a garage at home and don’t need the Men’s Shed. I come here for the company. Some men are not practically minded and are happy to sit and watch TV here, blether and drink coffee – and that is fine.”
Dave has images on his phone of some of the items he’s crafted – from wooden ying and yang and heart-shaped tealight holders, to bird tables.
A bird box made by Dave in the Shed is mounted on the wall of his King’s Park home.
He has installed in it a video camera, which is currently filming the blue tit which is roosting within.
“Last year, there were birds nesting and they had eight fledglings.
“I sat in the comfort of my home and watched it all unfold on film,” he said.
The relaxed banter and good humour 79-year-old Davie Williamson shared with the other men on Thursday seemed like that of old pals who had known each other for years.
But this was only Davie’s second visit to the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Shed – and he was in his element.
Davie, of Cambuslang, spends his summer months in his caravan in Keith in the north-east of Scotland, where he regularly meets local Men’s Shed members – even though they don’t yet have premises.
“I go for the companionship – and to pick brains,” said greatgrandpa Davie, a retired truck driver.
“There’s a guy in here who fitted kitchens for B&Q. I need new doors for my kitchen and he was telling me what to do.
“You watch these guys working with the tools and they are amazing.”
Davie unlatches his tool box and pulls out a mini wooden propeller, made by his own hands.
He had bought a similar one for his grandchildren from a street vendor and studied it until he could replicate the design.
“It can keep the grand-weans quiet for hours, and it’s even earned me a few pints,” joked Davie, who will now be a regular shed visitor until he ups sticks and heads north for the summer.
The group’s treasurer is 83-year-old Iain Bingham, of East Kilbride – a retired aeronautical engineer and pilot, who latterly flew human organs and tissue donations between Edinburgh and Birmingham for transplant.
“You get a great combination of people here,” said Iain.
“What the men get out of it is satisfaction. It takes them away from watching television, gives them mobility – you name it.
“It doesn’t matter what colour or creed you are. The minute you step through that door, everybody is the same.”
For more information about the Rutherglen and Cambuslang Men’s Shed, call Ron Taylor on 0141 613 3711.