Men's Sheds and Private Spaces

With special guests:

• Professor Barry Golding, University of Ballarat. With men’s voices almost eliminated from the public debate on gender - and certainly from the formation of public policy - the importance of private spaces where men can simply be themselves is more important than ever [more info]
• Simon Hunt, Family Law Maverick. Simon’s propositions are very much solution based, are well thought through and need to be considered seriously, as an intregal part of the debate to bring about much needed changes to a hopelessly flawed Family Justice System

With men’s voices almost entirely eliminated from the public debate on gender - and certainly from the formation of public policy - the importance of private spaces where men can simply be themselves is more important than ever.

Dads On The Air has gone through an almost magical transformation over the last 18 months; and now, as well as being the longest running dads program in the world, it’s a far more professional and entertaining operation than ever before. We have managed to attract many of the leading commentators on fatherhood issues from Australia and around the world. The recruitment of new talent to the show has been the key to its renaissance. Shows are now going up on the website within 24 hours of broadcast and this has also greatly improved its relevancy.

Certainly in Australia, the simple fact that Dads On The Air has been out there broadcasting each week has transformed the debate. No one these days tries to pretend that family law and child support are a success; and the old fashioned male-bashing of outdated styles of feminism now appears strident and aggressive rather than progressive.

If you missed the radical changes that have improved DOTA so dramatically there’s an easy way to catch up, by listening to the last two shows of 2007 in our Archives section, where we do a round up of some of the best shows of last year. The extracts include:

• Dr Ludwig Lowenstein: world expert on Parental Alienation Syndrome
• Maggie Hamilton: author of What Men Don’t Talk About
• Andrew Denton: TV personality from many shows including Enough Rope
• Erin Pizzey: founder of the world’s first refuge for battered women
• Tony Coe: president of the UK’s Equal Parenting Council
• Ann Bressington: outspoken South Australian MP, who is calling for better Child Protection
• Mark Harris and Jolly Stansby: Fathers4Justice UK activists. Mark is also the author of Family Court Hell
• Jim Bailey: New Zealand father’s activist
• Sue Price: founder and spokesperson for the Men’s Rights Agency
• Dr Warren Farrell, famous social commentator and author of best selling books including Father and Child Reunion: How to Bring the Dads We Need to the Children We Love
• Dr. Amy J.L. Baker, US author of Adult Children of Parental Alienation Syndrome: Breaking the Ties that Bind. The world’s first study of child victims of Parental Alienation Syndrome
• Terry Hicks, a special father who loves his child unconditionally, and has dedicated his life to help protect his son, David Hicks, from harm and appeals for “a fair go” for his child
• Christina Hoff Sommers, author of Who Stole Feminism and The War Against Boys interviewed at the Boys and the Boy Crisis conference in Washington DC
• Eric Burch, US serviceman and musician.

Plus the Dads on the Air speech given at the Lone Fathers National Convention at Parliament House in Canberra in August 2007. DOTA was roundly criticised by some members of the fatherhood movement for daring to suggest that the Howard government had been entirely duplicitous in its approach to family law reform. As the recent election so clearly demonstrated, separated fathers were not the only ones who had lost faith in a conservative government they had naively believed could not have condoned the extremist anti-father policies that have dominated social policy in Australia since the 1970s.

In this week’s show, we look at the burgeoning “Men’s shed” movement.

There’s nothing new about men gathering together in their own space to talk, share skills, swap ideas, solve problems or just discuss life in general - it’s been happening since the beginning of time. There’s nothing new either about men spending time in their backyard shed - an acknowledged Aussie pastime.

What is new is that men, particularly retired men, are combining these two activities in a communal space simply called a “Men’s Shed”. What is also new is how strongly men have embraced this new identity - being a member of a Men’s Shed. Men’s Sheds, as such, are a peculiarly Australian phenomenon. In the past decade a wide range of community-based Men’s Sheds has sprung up - each with its own unique identity and purpose.

Activities within Sheds are many and various: woodwork, metal work, restoration of old cars, portable’ Sheds taken to Alzheimer facilities or mobile Sheds for remote country areas. The membership is diverse too. Men from all backgrounds, ethnic and social mixes can enjoy a Men’s Shed, bringing their unique cultural characteristics to enliven the activities.

The common theme in all Sheds is about men feeling useful and contributing again to their communities, learning or sharing their skills, making friends, networking and availing themselves of health information programmes and opportunities. Men’s Sheds are under the auspices of a variety of organisations whose ethos they tend to exemplify.

Communities are keen to provide activity, identity and meaning for vast numbers of older, unemployed, job-redundant, ‘downsized’, isolated, depressed and happily retired, active, creative, enthusiastic men. Men’s Sheds are fast being recognized as vital, viable places to fulfill these needs and provide relaxed, happy creative spaces for men to enjoy.

Associate Professor Barry Golding is a researcher in the School of Education at the University of Ballarat. Barry is interested in how Australian adults connect with learning in all its diverse, informal and community based forms. With Dr Mike Brown and Annette Foley he recently completed a major study of Men’s Sheds for the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, which included mapping shed-based organisations in all states and visiting, surveying and interviewing participants in over 40 sheds. This interview was recorded with Barry at the 2nd National Community Men’s Sheds Conference in Manly, in 2007.

More info at http://www.mensshed.org

Plus this week we broadcast the next instalment of the radio drama Hero Joe, produced especially for Dads on the Air.

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