All aboard

Duncan Sutherland (left) and Jack Freeman proudly display the 2021 Rail Heritage Trust Restoration Award.

WORDS: ATARIA SHARMAN • IMAGERY: MARCEL TROMP

It took more than $1 million and seven years, but the Whangārei Men’s Shed has given the city’s once-derelict railway station an awardwinning new lease on life

Duncan Sutherland laughs as he shares the story of a potential funder who cheekily asked him why they should provide money to “renovate this building for a bunch of grumpy old men”.

‘This building’ is the 1925 Whangārei Railway Station, and Duncan is a committee member of the Whangārei Men’s Shed, the organisation that restored it. Today the heritage building not only accommodates the group but also has created a community space for all ages, and stands as an example of community collaboration.

But keeping the project on track wasn’t always easy for those “grumpy old men”.

With around 80 members, the Whangārei Men’s Shed offers men of all ages and backgrounds a place to work together on projects and socialise.

“Matua are … restoring a building that contributes to the community, [and] the knowledge that the Men’s Shed members hold is being passed down to young people”

Incorporated in 2012, the group met temporarily at the Kiwi House at Kiwi North in Whangārei while they looked for a new site where they could create a workshop for their members.

The city’s derelict and empty railway station was offered to them as a place to store their tools and materials. But gradually they made a few changes: the building was reconnected to power; a water connection was added; an old sink and a couple of workbenches were set up. The Whangārei Men’s Shed was moving in.

In July 2013 Whangārei District Council agreed to sell the Category 2-listed building to the group for $1, with the deal sealed in December 2014.

By that time, years had passed since the station’s heyday. Once a community hub, alive with the bustle of railway guards and passengers, the station now had holes in the roof, black mould, missing steps, boardedup doors and windows, and a rabbit warren of small internal rooms.

“With the restoration, we wanted to recreate that community hub,” says Duncan.

The vision for the project was to fix the neglected building and make it available for use by both the group and the community. But renovating the large building was a massive undertaking for the volunteer-run organisation. Instead of the planned three years, the renovation project ended up taking seven years. This was partly due to the building’s size – bigger than many other stations of its era – and also Covid-19, as most of the group’s members are retired and at high risk in a pandemic.

During the restoration, the group pulled down unnecessary walls to create large, open interior spaces, and the roof was replaced with new iron and spouting.

But wherever possible, the volunteers worked hard to restore, rather than replace, original materials – and if replacement was required, it was done with a detailed likeness to meet heritage building standards. For example, some walls in the space that’s now the See more of this story on our video:

www.youtube.com /HeritageNewZealand PouhereTaonga

group’s machine room retain the original tongue-andgroove match lining, painted white, but one had to be replaced with a replica lining. A commitment to sourcing local materials meant the volunteers developed close relationships with local suppliers.

Funding the project was also a challenge. There were different dates and deadlines among funders, multiple applications, and other requirements the group had to satisfy. At times work had to stop because there was no money to continue.

The station’s relatively large size was also problematic, as it made the project appear more expensive than many other station restorations. Ultimately the group raised around $1.1 million, including contributing $50,000 of its own funds, with other main sources including the Lottery Environment and Heritage Fund, the Lottery Community Facilities Fund, Foundation North and Pub Charity.

Now fully restored, the station is open on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8.30am to 3pm. The group used to open the space at 9am, but by that time carloads of men would already be waiting to get into the workshop.

3

1 The late afternoon sun hits the front of the restored railway station.

2 Old railway rails support the roof of the platform.

3 The view from the platform looking across the old railway yard.

4 A sound equipment test panel on the platform awaiting repair.

2 3

4

5

LESSONS FROM THE SHED

Be prepared to discover more work needs to be done

Even with architects and engineers involved, you don’t always know what you’ll find – things like rotten wood under GIB plasterboard, which needs to be replaced. Even when you think you have everything covered, with these kinds of restoration project, things always come up.

DIY saves dollars

After receiving a high quote for interior painting, a volunteer learned to spray paint by watching YouTube videos, then showed others how to do it. Buying a compressor kit and a spray gun with an extension to reach the high roof, they did the job themselves, saving tens of thousands of dollars.

(SOURCE: DUNCAN SUTHERLAND)

1 Equipment and tools in the machine room. 2 Jack Freeman assembles his miniature wooden car. 3 Tools hanging from the wall in the engineering workshop. 4 Men’s Shed members discuss their projects. 5 Duncan Sutherland (left) with Harry Hexstall, displaying his Garden Woodies. 6 Morning tea time in the dining room area of the restored kitchen. Members use their own refurbished chairs and tables. 7 Kurt Terpstra (left) and Bob Boud measure up the plans for their project. 8 Mike Collins (left) and Jorgen Owre construct rat traps for Northland Regional Council.

7 8

Entrance to the wooden villa-style station is through its red front door (the restored original; all interior doors were replaced with versions built by the volunteers) leading into an elegant entranceway. To the right is the kitchen, which, on the day of Heritage New Zealand magazine’s visit, was abuzz with men taking a morning break, congregated around a long wooden table amid members’ projects: a repurposed railway sign, handmade cabinetry, refurbished furniture and joinery.

Due primarily to age-related health issues, not all members can use the tools or go into the workshop, but they still come in weekly to catch up with fellow Men’s Shed members. The kitchen space is also used for men’s health workshops, speaker sessions and monthly member meetings.

To the left is where the group assembles. At work benches, members are putting together the pieces to construct rat traps for Northland Regional Council – one of the many projects they do to support the community. Members have also built mud kitchens for kindergartens, mentored home-schooled children and run sessions for women.

Beyond this area is the machine room, containing woodworking machines and table saws, which members are using to cut wood for the traps. Beyond this is the engineering room, housing more wellorganised tools and equipment, and a small side room with metalworking equipment and safety gear.

Most metalworking is done outside, but the room is a boon when it’s cold or raining. Originally built to house the heavy luggage of passengers before they boarded trains, the engineering room has a hardwood floor, as does half the machine room. Housed at the front of the long building is the first organisation to share the restored station with the Whangārei Men’s Shed – Creative Northland, which supports and develops the arts and cultural sector.

Led by General Manager Hinurewa Te Hau, the team’s office is decorated with the work of Te Tai Tokerau-based artists and attendees of its annual youth summit. Creative Northland and Men’s Shed members often come together for social events, where everyone brings a plate.

Duncan reiterates that the purpose of restoring the heritage building was to see it widely used – “that it is a working building”. The kitchen can be hired by community groups; until recently a choir practised in the space due to its excellent acoustics, and even vintage car meets have been held at the station.

Bill Edwards, Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga Northland Area Manager, says the success of the project is testament to the hard work of Duncan and his team, and their sensitivity to the building’s heritage features.

“The railway station was in danger of becoming a wreck,” says Bill. “But where others see something old, like the old station and the Men’s Shed members, it’s exactly the opposite – old mātua are getting out there and taking an active role in contributing to their community, and restoring a building that contributes to the community. And it’s a full cycle too; the knowledge that the Men’s Shed members hold is being passed down to young people.”

The group’s vision for the restored station continues, including a desire to see it part of a Whangārei heritage trail, to showcase the building’s history and restoration.

And in June, some welcome recognition was bestowed on the group of “grumpy old men”, with their work on the station receiving the 2021 Rail Heritage Trust Restoration Award.

“The team at Men’s Shed are thrilled to receive the award,” says Duncan, “which is major recognition for the seven years and thousands of hours of hard work by the members.”

1

2

1 Hinurewa Te Hau (left) and Olivia Garelja from

Creative Northland at the entrance to their office.

2 Olivia, Hinurewa and poet Piet Nieuwland are surrounded by colourful artworks by local artists.

mātua: fathers/men

See more of this story on our video:

www.youtube.com/HeritageNewZealandPouhereTaonga