Photo: Supplied.
BY JAN NARY
This, regrettably, is the throw-away age. Increased ability in exploitation of resources, production of consumer goods and their accessibility has seen the transition from “make and mend” to “throw it away and buy another one”, a trend that Repair Cafés – started in the Netherlands 15 years ago – are pushing against.
Louise Yearn is the curator of the Wynnum Repair Café, which pops up for two hours every month at the Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre (renowned for its Devonshire Teas). Volunteer ‘fixers’, with skills that cover a wide variety of needs, make themselves available to repair items brought into them and, when appropriate, show the item owner how to do the repairs. Louise points out that even with such a limited window of time, ‘make and mend’ can have an impact.
“We keep a monthly tally of what we’ve kept out of landfill,” she says. “Last month, we saved 10 items of clothing and a hundred and 47 kilos of hard goods. Our mantra is: if you can carry it in we’ll probably be able to fix it!”
Household goods given a new lease of life include such items as lamps, toasters, clocks; knives, scissors and garden tools that need sharpening; music boxes, power tools, pieces of furniture – items that owners may deem too expensive to replace or repair commercially but with life left in them. Louise says the fixers are from all walks of life.
“Many are retired professionals. Electrical goods are always repaired by a qualified electrician; for safety reasons, that’s one area where we can’t teach the owner how to do their own future repairs. It may be something as basic as sewing on a button or rethreading elastic through a skirt waistband.
“We’re always on the lookout for fixers,” she says. “It’s amazing the number of people who think that they have no skills to pass on who turn out to have a wealth of ability they’ve never recognised.
“As well as volunteers we’d love to see the beginning of new Repair Cafés in other areas. Perhaps there’s a café somewhere in the Redlands that would be happy to host a team of fixers – and their customers – for a short time each month. It really adds excitement to a lunchtime snack or a cuppa!”
Repair Café is held every second Saturday of the month, 2:00pm to 4:00pm. Bookings are preferred, and walk-ins are welcome. For more information, contact [email protected] or call 0474 095 560.
