Newcastle Men's Shed members reopen the doors - but not for long

"I was going insane at home," said Mr Davison.

The pensioner lives on his own at Wallsend, and he has missed the company of the other blokes since the community group had to temporarily close in mid March.

"Just coming in and having that mateship, having a chat and a coffee, it's so important," Mr Davison said. "We're social animals."

In what used to be Regal Motors' service centre in Newcastle West, the tools were turned on again on Monday, with a handful of men returning to the "shed". There were new rules to be observed, such as social distancing and using hand sanitiser, but they were happy to be catching up.

"It's good to be back," said secretary Wayne Grant. "That's what my wife said, anyhow.

"In the last few weeks, the men have been really knocking down the door to come in."

Mr Grant said the pandemic had flown in the face of one of the very reasons the sheds exist, to help men avoid social isolation.

"And then we had to turn around and say, 'You've got to stay in isolation, you've got to stay at home, you can't come in, you can't do what we normally would do'," he said.

COVID-19 is not the only disruption in the life of Newcastle Men's Shed. So is the city's real estate market.

The 80 members have had to move from rented properties four times in the past five years.

In March, the group moved into the Newcastle West premises. Mr Grant explained it was owned by the McCloy Group, which helped out the Men's Shed by renting the property to it for one dollar a month. Then the pandemic took hold.

"We just got here, set up, and then we got the message we had to shut down," he said.

While the doors of the Newcastle Men's Shed have reopened, they won't be for long at this site.

The Men's Shed members said they had been told by the owners to move out by September 17. The Newcastle Herald phoned the McCloy Group to find out what the development company planned to do with the site but was told that had not been publicly disclosed yet.

"When we move from here, it will be the fifth time," said president Neville Pollock. "Getting a bit tired of it, to be honest."

The search for a more permanent shed has been on in earnest during the lockdown.

Mr Pollock said the group had been negotiating with the state government's Sydney Trains about leasing a former depot on its property at New Lambton. However, the president said that could take months to approve, then the proposal had to go before Newcastle City Council.

So the Men's Shed members are trying to work out what to do, if they have to vacate their present location before finding a new base.

"That's the big question," Mr Pollock said.

Mr Grant said if the group couldn't find a temporary home, Newcastle Men's Shed might have to put everything into storage and temporarily shut down.

"The problem with shutting down is you're back to what you've been doing during the coronavirus," he said. "You're stopping people from coming in and socialising."

"The benefit of the shed to the members would be lost, and to the community," added Mr Pollock.

The group is hoping to find somewhere close to the CBD and with a space of at least 200 square metres. In other words, as the members put it, "a big shed!".

While trying to plan for the future, the members are getting on with the job, taking on projects, helping out other community groups, and enjoying each other's company. While the men have been holding weekly online meetings during the past few months, it isn't quite the same as yarning in the shed.

"It's extremely important," said Mr Pollock. "The companionship and being able to discuss things."

A string of Men's Sheds across the Hunter has been preparing to reopen in the past couple of days, which coincides with Men's Health Week.

On Tuesday, 29 members of the Maitland Community Men's Shed turned up for the group's first get-together in three months.

President Charlie Sanders said the venue could take up to 50 people. Changes had been implemented, such as creating a second lunch room for the sake of social distancing.

"The blokes who turned up, they understood," Mr Sanders said. "They were just so pleased to be here."

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