“My dad outlived two wives,” says Peter Watson, president of the Men’s Kitchen Association. 

“When he passed away, he was in his 80s and he’d never been in the kitchen.

“He was just skin and bones, but not because he was ill, because he didn’t feed himself well enough, and he was too stubborn to get out and learn how to cook or do anything else. 

“I think that’s what pushed me to realise that I don’t want to go down that route.”

From this experience, Peter formed the Men’s Kitchen Association, a place for men over 60 to learn basic cooking skills in a social and supportive environment. 

“What a lot of guys do, is they come to the Men’s Kitchen for nutrition and hygiene and cooking reasons, but they very quickly realise that that’s not why they keep coming back,” says Peter.

“They keep coming back because they just love the company and the fun.

“It is really a very holistic way of guys staying socially connected.”

Thanks to the help and support of the Woden Community Service, this year Men’s Kitchen is expanding from its base in the northern beaches of Sydney and Ku-Ring-Gai to Canberra, with a new site opening at the Woden Valley Uniting Church Hall.

“It just started out as an idea that Peter and I were throwing around of ‘wouldn’t it be great if we could extend this to Canberra’,” says volunteer lead for Canberra, Sam Silver. 

She says she got involved with the association after looking for volunteer opportunities following her retirement from the public service. 

She says she was drawn to Men’s Kitchen in particular because she thought it would have been a great program for her dad to have participated in. 

“I just thought it would be fantastic for him to have done something like that and not just the practical side of learning how to cook, but to meet other men, people in the same situation who have lost a partner and are living alone and they don’t know how to cook,” she says.

The Woden and Tuggeranong area has more than 10,000 men over 60, which is the target demographic for the program.

“Men of that generation are not big talkers, but when they work in pairs side by side and chat about things, their story comes up and it’s in a really safe environment,” says Sam.

“It’s not the first thing you think of, but they cook together then sit down and share a meal, so it is a very social activity.”

While the new Men’s Kitchen program in Woden has seen a positive amount of interest for participation, they are still looking for volunteers and there are a few key roles they still need to fill.

“Sam’s the only one in town at the moment, so we need a bevy of other people to come along and help us, to be cooking instructors, and also to take on some leadership roles, to help organise things and the logistics of each cooking session,” says Peter.

“We’re looking for a Canberra treasurer, so anyone with book-keeping skills or an accounting background, also someone to do a lot of the admin work, coming here and helping with registration, taking calls, providing information,” Sam says.

Sam says that they are looking for anyone that has the time and commitment to help, irrespective of their age, gender or background. 

They’re also keen to hear from any organisations interested in sponsoring the program, as they currently rely on the small membership fees of participants, Peter says.

There will be a meeting at the Woden Valley Uniting Church Hall, 11am, March 27. Anyone interested in volunteering should register their interest before then. 

Register with Sam on 0456 408003, or email info.cn@menskitchen.org.au. Information about the association’s history at menskitchen.org.au