Community
31 May, 2024
We can fix it
NEW life was given to a range of household items at the opening weekend of the Warrnambool Repair Café.
Project manager Brenda O’Connor was pleased with the first event.
“Twenty-one guests came with 33 household items in need of repair, of which 26 items were successfully repaired, saving over 100 kilograms from landfill,” she said.
“It was a busy day; there was a great energy and a great vibe.”
Repair skills on offer included clothing, jewellery, mechanical, electrical items, bikes and wooden items.
Ms O’Connor said the opening event saw all of the reasons behind the initiative met, which includes fostering community connection and encouraging people to look into repairing items instead of throwing them away.
“We have bookings for the next session already,” she said.
“The project is for the community by the community.”
Repair Café is a worldwide movement that encourages people to repair and reuse items rather than discarding them.
This helps extend the lifespan of products, reduce waste and lower the environmental impact of consumption.
Ms O’Connor thanked the team of volunteers who gave their assistance with the inaugural event.
“Natasha Mills from Port Fairy Repair Café was our mentor and we couldn’t have done it without her,” she said.
The opening event was made possible thanks to the team of volunteers which included:
Repairers – Jess, Bill, Tric, David, Pieter and Nathan;
Front of house staff – Jacinta, Brenda, Shamsa and Jamzilla;
Café staff – Valerie and Jennifer;
General helpers – Nic and Owen.
The Warrnambool Repair Café can be found at the Merrivale Football Netball Club rooms in Merrivale Drive, Warrnambool.
The Warrnambool Repair café will next be open on Sunday, June 23.