The Little World

The term ” Men’s Shed ” is current in Australia – used to describe a social club centred around men doing workshop or other hobby activities. I have heard it treated with disdain – and wish to correct that attitude. It is a brilliant concept.

I participated in one recently – devoted to scale model building. I daresay there are others around our metro area that do furniture making or arts or car maintenance…or any other activity that might interest men when they are not being compelled to be new-age and gender neutral.

Because of the nature of the activity and the solvents being used, it was not a place you could smoke or spit, but people were allowed to swear and make jokes. They might have been taking their model kit building quite seriously, but they did not have to be serious with each other. No politics were aired, but then I’ll bet that few politicians would have liked to stay around to hear what the modellers thought of them.

What there was, in great supply, was practical help and advice – thinking on the go, and experience. All the things that denote superior intelligence. Hence the title of this post, with a nod to the intellectual club called Mensa. The model kit club is also intelligence in action, translated to a practical level.

I shall apply to join, and if they will have me, I’ll bet I can have a very good time there. They have a coffee pot and I can bring biscuits.