It's an amazing subculture here: Australian men and their sheds. And I'm not talking about any men, these are almost exclusively married Australian men. And their sheds appear to be the only place they feel they can sit back on their thrown, crack open a beer, and survey their exclusive demesnes free of interference from "the little woman" - even if it's only four feet square. It's where men keep their treasures like power tools, half finished projects, and the nudie calendars. All the married men at my office talk about theirs, invariably adding wistfully that all they want to make their shed complete is a portable fridge and a toilet.
The shed as a male cultural icon is so prevalent there is a
book written about the phenomenon as well as a website for a support organization called (I kid you not) The
Men's Sheds in Australia Association.
Meanwhile, on a trip back from the Limestone Coast recently I innocently asked whether livestock out grazing in the blazing sun are ever given shelter and was told, "A shed? Um, no. They are born, live, and die under the open sky."
Seems like there's a lesson in there somewhere.
- Farmer Ted
The shed as a male cultural icon is so prevalent there is a book written about the phenomenon as well as a website for a support organization called (I kid you not) The Men's Sheds in Australia Association.
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