Man caves have become a useful tool to promote positive mental health. They act as a salvation for men who could be suffering from a mental illness, a place to take time out from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
Some man caves are simple. They might hold gear to maintain the house and garden, or exercise equipment to help alleviate stress and anxiety. Others use their man cave as a place to showcase collectables, such as baseball caps or records.
Ralph Plarre’s man cave is on a slightly larger scale. His space holds a large collection of specialist fuel-efficient vehicles and luxury cars.
Ralph, 68, has always had a passion for cars. He was the president of the Victorian Cadillac Car Club for six years and is currently the president of the Victorian Rolls Royce Car Club.
“I’ve loved cars from day dot. My father said I should have been born with mud guards,” Ralph says with a laugh.
“(When) I started collecting cars … I’d have one here and there in a different garage and rent this little space. But my dream was to have all the cars in one space and at home. Not in a factory somewhere – I wanted them at home, my heart was here,” Ralph says me as we chat at his home in Essendon.
To have this dream garage, Ralph had to excavate a tennis court at his home. Once the large garage was built – it’s the size of a car showroom – the tennis court was relaid on top of it.
After difficulties with the builder, Ralph took control of the project. This brought him even closer to realising his dream.
“I started thinking for it to look better, to make it more fun, and it changed the nature of the whole thing from just being a garage, a concrete box to put the cars into, to more of a showroom,” he says.
Ralph describes his man cave as “a big lounge room with cars” and says the novelty of it never wears off.
“I really wanted it to be a fantasy” he says, “so when you go down there the rest of the world doesn’t exist.”
The trend of man caves has developed growing support within the community. Examples of their success can be seen in ManSpace Magazine and ManSpace TV, which look into the sheds, garages and spaces of men to see what’s most important to them and what makes them happy.
Using caves to promote positive mental health was discussed at a mental health event for Volunteering Geelong last night.
Beyond Blue Ambassador Tony McManus hosted the evening. He believes man caves play an important role in society and can help those living with a mental illness.
“A man cave is a positive factor in the prevention of mental health issues, providing the man of the house a sense of his own place, space and identity,” he says, adding that his man cave includes an impressive collection of James Bond toy cars.
“(Caves give men) the opportunity to muck around and collect things they have an interest in,” Tony says. “Things that generally aren’t appropriate in the confines of the house but are OK in your garage, or wherever the man cave is set up.”
“It’s very good when you want to get away and have a bit of your own time to charge your batteries from day-to-day living.”
