2 days ago
Toronto's brief moment at the centre of the national political news cycle
It's not every day that the acting prime minister of Australia walks into the Toronto Men's Shed flanked by uniformed security.
And it's definitely not the venue you'd expect a media pack to be asking questions about US President Donald Trump or the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East.
However, that's the bizarre situation that unfolded on Tuesday morning in the industrial backroads of Toronto.
Members of the men's shed stood around sipping tea and coffee as, for several minutes, their workshop became the centre of the national news cycle.
Acting PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles fielded questions about Trump's late cancellation of his meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 summit and the Iran-Israeli conflict before focusing on the issue at hand, promoting men's health.
During the recent election, Labor promised $32 million to support men's health.
Over a quarter of that spend [$8.3 million] was dedicated to funding another two years of the Men's Shed Initiative's National Shed Development Program.
Mr Marles said there were more than 1300 men's sheds in Australia and they provided an "invaluable service" for mental health and well-being.
"They promote community, men getting together, and they really deal a lot with the challenges of isolation that men particularly feel in retirement," Mr Marles said.
"When you listen to the stories of those here at the Toronto Men's Shed and how people are looking after each other, providing camaraderie and doing really good things for the community and keeping their own mental health in stead, you realise how important this men's shed is and how incredible the movement is across Australia."
The acting PM was flanked by the Member for the Hunter, Dan Repacholi, who was last month appointed the special envoy for men's health.
Mr Repacholi said communication was the biggest challenge that needed to be overcome to improve men's health.
"The biggest gap is us, as men," Mr Repacholi said. "It's actually making that step and having those communication barriers broken down.
"We think we have to be strong. It's not weak to speak, as we say all the time. But it's something that doesn't happen enough."
Mr Marles and Mr Repacholi weren't the only public faces at the Nicholson Street workshop.
Pop music icon John Paul Young, himself a life member of the Toronto Men's Shed and the host of the monthly podcast The Shed Wireless, was also in attendance.
The Love Is in the Air and Yesterday's Hero hit-maker said the men's shed provided an "organic" way for men to address health issues and to find social connection.
"Whether or not they sit there and talk about their prostrate or whatever, it doesn't matter in a way," Mr Young said.
"It's the fact they are together and talking a lot of crap, to be honest, but there will be kernels of truth in there."
Toronto Men's Shed boasts 48 members and is heavily involved in building wood and metal products for the community, such as pencil cases, model cars, and timber toys for charities and also provides a lawn mowing service.
"We'll hear someone that might be down on their luck a little bit, or the husband might be in the hospital and can't get the lawns mowed and we'll come around and do that," Toronto Men's Shed president Glenn Shepherd said.
The benefits for members are also apparent.
"What used to happen is men got to the end of their working life and they'd retire and sit at home and maybe go to the bowls club every day and have a couple of beers but that was their only contact," Mr Shepherd said.
"But we've got a social club that's making something that's unusual, so it's giving back to the community."
It's not every day that the acting prime minister of Australia walks into the Toronto Men's Shed flanked by uniformed security.
And it's definitely not the venue you'd expect a media pack to be asking questions about US President Donald Trump or the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East.
However, that's the bizarre situation that unfolded on Tuesday morning in the industrial backroads of Toronto.
Members of the men's shed stood around sipping tea and coffee as, for several minutes, their workshop became the centre of the national news cycle.
Acting PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles fielded questions about Trump's late cancellation of his meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 summit and the Iran-Israeli conflict before focusing on the issue at hand, promoting men's health.
During the recent election, Labor promised $32 million to support men's health.
Over a quarter of that spend [$8.3 million] was dedicated to funding another two years of the Men's Shed Initiative's National Shed Development Program.
Mr Marles said there were more than 1300 men's sheds in Australia and they provided an "invaluable service" for mental health and well-being.
"They promote community, men getting together, and they really deal a lot with the challenges of isolation that men particularly feel in retirement," Mr Marles said.
"When you listen to the stories of those here at the Toronto Men's Shed and how people are looking after each other, providing camaraderie and doing really good things for the community and keeping their own mental health in stead, you realise how important this men's shed is and how incredible the movement is across Australia."
The acting PM was flanked by the Member for the Hunter, Dan Repacholi, who was last month appointed the special envoy for men's health.
Mr Repacholi said communication was the biggest challenge that needed to be overcome to improve men's health.
"The biggest gap is us, as men," Mr Repacholi said. "It's actually making that step and having those communication barriers broken down.
"We think we have to be strong. It's not weak to speak, as we say all the time. But it's something that doesn't happen enough."
Mr Marles and Mr Repacholi weren't the only public faces at the Nicholson Street workshop.
Pop music icon John Paul Young, himself a life member of the Toronto Men's Shed and the host of the monthly podcast The Shed Wireless, was also in attendance.
The Love Is in the Air and Yesterday's Hero hit-maker said the men's shed provided an "organic" way for men to address health issues and to find social connection.
"Whether or not they sit there and talk about their prostrate or whatever, it doesn't matter in a way," Mr Young said.
"It's the fact they are together and talking a lot of crap, to be honest, but there will be kernels of truth in there."
Toronto Men's Shed boasts 48 members and is heavily involved in building wood and metal products for the community, such as pencil cases, model cars, and timber toys for charities and also provides a lawn mowing service.
"We'll hear someone that might be down on their luck a little bit, or the husband might be in the hospital and can't get the lawns mowed and we'll come around and do that," Toronto Men's Shed president Glenn Shepherd said.
The benefits for members are also apparent.
"What used to happen is men got to the end of their working life and they'd retire and sit at home and maybe go to the bowls club every day and have a couple of beers but that was their only contact," Mr Shepherd said.
"But we've got a social club that's making something that's unusual, so it's giving back to the community."
It's not every day that the acting prime minister of Australia walks into the Toronto Men's Shed flanked by uniformed security.
And it's definitely not the venue you'd expect a media pack to be asking questions about US President Donald Trump or the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East.
However, that's the bizarre situation that unfolded on Tuesday morning in the industrial backroads of Toronto.
Members of the men's shed stood around sipping tea and coffee as, for several minutes, their workshop became the centre of the national news cycle.
Acting PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles fielded questions about Trump's late cancellation of his meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 summit and the Iran-Israeli conflict before focusing on the issue at hand, promoting men's health.
During the recent election, Labor promised $32 million to support men's health.
Over a quarter of that spend [$8.3 million] was dedicated to funding another two years of the Men's Shed Initiative's National Shed Development Program.
Mr Marles said there were more than 1300 men's sheds in Australia and they provided an "invaluable service" for mental health and well-being.
"They promote community, men getting together, and they really deal a lot with the challenges of isolation that men particularly feel in retirement," Mr Marles said.
"When you listen to the stories of those here at the Toronto Men's Shed and how people are looking after each other, providing camaraderie and doing really good things for the community and keeping their own mental health in stead, you realise how important this men's shed is and how incredible the movement is across Australia."
The acting PM was flanked by the Member for the Hunter, Dan Repacholi, who was last month appointed the special envoy for men's health.
Mr Repacholi said communication was the biggest challenge that needed to be overcome to improve men's health.
"The biggest gap is us, as men," Mr Repacholi said. "It's actually making that step and having those communication barriers broken down.
"We think we have to be strong. It's not weak to speak, as we say all the time. But it's something that doesn't happen enough."
Mr Marles and Mr Repacholi weren't the only public faces at the Nicholson Street workshop.
Pop music icon John Paul Young, himself a life member of the Toronto Men's Shed and the host of the monthly podcast The Shed Wireless, was also in attendance.
The Love Is in the Air and Yesterday's Hero hit-maker said the men's shed provided an "organic" way for men to address health issues and to find social connection.
"Whether or not they sit there and talk about their prostrate or whatever, it doesn't matter in a way," Mr Young said.
"It's the fact they are together and talking a lot of crap, to be honest, but there will be kernels of truth in there."
Toronto Men's Shed boasts 48 members and is heavily involved in building wood and metal products for the community, such as pencil cases, model cars, and timber toys for charities and also provides a lawn mowing service.
"We'll hear someone that might be down on their luck a little bit, or the husband might be in the hospital and can't get the lawns mowed and we'll come around and do that," Toronto Men's Shed president Glenn Shepherd said.
The benefits for members are also apparent.
"What used to happen is men got to the end of their working life and they'd retire and sit at home and maybe go to the bowls club every day and have a couple of beers but that was their only contact," Mr Shepherd said.
"But we've got a social club that's making something that's unusual, so it's giving back to the community."
It's not every day that the acting prime minister of Australia walks into the Toronto Men's Shed flanked by uniformed security.
And it's definitely not the venue you'd expect a media pack to be asking questions about US President Donald Trump or the increasingly volatile situation in the Middle East.
However, that's the bizarre situation that unfolded on Tuesday morning in the industrial backroads of Toronto.
Members of the men's shed stood around sipping tea and coffee as, for several minutes, their workshop became the centre of the national news cycle.
Acting PM and Defence Minister Richard Marles fielded questions about Trump's late cancellation of his meeting with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the G7 summit and the Iran-Israeli conflict before focusing on the issue at hand, promoting men's health.
During the recent election, Labor promised $32 million to support men's health.
Over a quarter of that spend [$8.3 million] was dedicated to funding another two years of the Men's Shed Initiative's National Shed Development Program.
Mr Marles said there were more than 1300 men's sheds in Australia and they provided an "invaluable service" for mental health and well-being.
"They promote community, men getting together, and they really deal a lot with the challenges of isolation that men particularly feel in retirement," Mr Marles said.
"When you listen to the stories of those here at the Toronto Men's Shed and how people are looking after each other, providing camaraderie and doing really good things for the community and keeping their own mental health in stead, you realise how important this men's shed is and how incredible the movement is across Australia."
The acting PM was flanked by the Member for the Hunter, Dan Repacholi, who was last month appointed the special envoy for men's health.
Mr Repacholi said communication was the biggest challenge that needed to be overcome to improve men's health.
"The biggest gap is us, as men," Mr Repacholi said. "It's actually making that step and having those communication barriers broken down.
"We think we have to be strong. It's not weak to speak, as we say all the time. But it's something that doesn't happen enough."
Mr Marles and Mr Repacholi weren't the only public faces at the Nicholson Street workshop.
Pop music icon John Paul Young, himself a life member of the Toronto Men's Shed and the host of the monthly podcast The Shed Wireless, was also in attendance.
The Love Is in the Air and Yesterday's Hero hit-maker said the men's shed provided an "organic" way for men to address health issues and to find social connection.
"Whether or not they sit there and talk about their prostrate or whatever, it doesn't matter in a way," Mr Young said.
"It's the fact they are together and talking a lot of crap, to be honest, but there will be kernels of truth in there."
Toronto Men's Shed boasts 48 members and is heavily involved in building wood and metal products for the community, such as pencil cases, model cars, and timber toys for charities and also provides a lawn mowing service.
"We'll hear someone that might be down on their luck a little bit, or the husband might be in the hospital and can't get the lawns mowed and we'll come around and do that," Toronto Men's Shed president Glenn Shepherd said.
The benefits for members are also apparent.
"What used to happen is men got to the end of their working life and they'd retire and sit at home and maybe go to the bowls club every day and have a couple of beers but that was their only contact," Mr Shepherd said.
"But we've got a social club that's making something that's unusual, so it's giving back to the community."
