"Men's Sheds" for Hua Hin - a panacea for loneliness?

[404cameljockey]

Does anyone think this is a good idea for Hua Hin? I have no idea about the cost/legal requirement to set this up here, and I'd be daunted to take first chair on it myself, but there are stronger hearts than mine out there.

https://menssheds.org.uk

And a quote from today's The Times about the Australian version where the idea was conceived (quoted as fair use):

"Retired stockbroker Greg Soudure expertly turns a lathe as he puts the finishing touches to a wooden bowl.

Fellow baby boomers fix chairs, chests of drawers and old bicycles, or toil away on their own woodwork creations.

This giant shed in a smart suburb of south Perth is one of more than 1,300 across Australia offering a haven for older men with plenty of time on their hands.

Cooking, social media and beekeeping classes are among an eclectic range of activities on offer at the Showgrounds Community Men’s Shed, a building once used to show off farm animals at the Perth Royal Show, the city’s annual agricultural show.

Soudure, 73, said his wife urged him to sign up shortly after he retired a couple of years ago as he was spending his days monitoring the financial markets on his laptop.

“Now she has no difficulty getting me out of the house,” he added.

Australia has taken pottering around in a shed to another level, spawning a grassroots movement to help provide camaraderie for generations of frustrated or lonely older men around the world.

This year members are marking 30 years of “shedding”, with parties and barbecues planned. To celebrate, more than 250 members from 92 sheds have just taken part in relay legs of a 2,000-mile bicycle trip around Western Australia.

The inspiration for the community men’s shed came from Maxine Chaseling, a care worker, who established the first one in Goolwa, South Australia in 1993. She had the idea when her father sank into depression after being forced to give up work following a heart attack.

The simple concept struck a chord and there are now more men’s sheds in Australia than branches of McDonald’s.

Other countries have cottoned on too, including the UK, which has almost 550 sheds and 129 more under construction.

In total there are now almost 3,000 men’s sheds operating across 12 countries,"

[Dannie Boy]

The idea is great, but I’m sure someone in authority would come up with a list of why it wouldn’t be allowed in Thailand - can’t have these pesky foreigners enjoying themselves!!

[Nereus]

Yes, I looked into setting one up years ago. Firstly, the social structure of the retirees as a group do not fit what we have in Australia. Just read some of the BS posts on this forum!

Next, most of them have Thai wives, and or family, and the whole concept is completely alien to them.

Regardless of the way that you set it up, the Thai authorities will regard it as a business, and therefore illegal! Just ask the group of oldies in Pattaya a couple of years ago that were rounded up and put in jail for playing some card game!

A late member on here set up his own in a small purpose built shed at the rear of his house in Bor Fai.
The police arrived and demanded that he open it up for inspection. He himself was not there at the time, but to her credit his wife told them to piss off! How did the police know about it? Not hard to figure out!

You yourself have just had enough stress with the loss of your wife to last the rest of your life. Find something else to do with your time.

[404cameljockey]

You yourself have just had enough stress with the loss of your wife to last the rest of your life. Find something else to do with your time.

Thanks for that kind thought. The legal aspect was the one I also thought could put the kibosh on it. And anyway the old fellas I know seem to use golf to get away from their Thai wives, I don't see them happy with a wood chisel instead of an 8 iron.

[bigston]

In a previous life we did a lot of landscaping, including plantings etc.
there was a " mens shed " type of place quite close to home where i sometimes went to offer any help, assistance
or just basically get in the way
they grew seedlings, cuttings and repotted them etc ready for distribution to organizations that could gratefully use them
i must admit the numerous hours i spent there were hours well spent.

[VincentD]

The culture is different, as is the tax structure and your retirement safety net..