South West residents are right into repairs

Local residents have been quick to embrace the message behind a new initiative offering a chance to repair and restore well-loved household items in the name of sustainable living.

First held in late March, the Dunsborough Community Repair Co Op partners local experts with people with items that need a sharp eye and some suitable equipment to keep it off the rubbish pile.

Organiser Jo Kennedy of A Single Leaf South West said initial concerns that repairers may not have anything to do at the first event were soon allayed.

“As a back up plan I had a number of items from my own home that needed fixing I and lined up three friends to bring items, that way I thought we would at least have a few things to do,” she said.

“I needn’t have worried because at our very first event we had 21 people come with so many items that I didn’t even have a chance to get my items out of my bag!

“Secateur sharpening was especially popular and we made over $80 for the Dunsborough Community Garden who kindly host our event for free.”

Jo said volunteer repairers hailed from all over the local community.

“Some are professionals, some are retired professionals, some are simply handy and others are organisational wizards,” she said.

“They all give up their time for free and are committed to sharing their knowledge and helping people learn the skills required to fix their belongings.”

So far, the group of dedicated volunteers had enjoyed plenty of success with their repairs.

“We don’t guarantee to fix everything, but if we can’t fix we might know someone else who can,” Jo said.

“For items that really have reached the end of their usefulness we have a huge list of local artists and groups interested in repurposing unusual items, failing that we should be able to point you in the direction of a local recycling opportunity for some if not all of your item.”

As well as providing a handy service, the Co Op promotes skill sharing.

“A number of people who had their kitchen knives sharpened, returned to the following event with their own sharpening systems to get taught how to do this themselves in the future – this is exactly the kind of thing we love as it means people now have the skills to fix their own items and won’t need to bin them and buy new ones,” Jo said.

“We’ve been very surprised that more people haven’t come with clothing repairs, we’ve had lots, but we expected this to be the part of the service that was busiest.

“If you do have clothing items that need a little TLC please do bring them along as the textile industry is now a major contributor to climate change and over 90 percent of textile waste in Australia comes from our homes.

“Every item we can mend and continue to wear helps reduce this.

“Our sewing team can teach you how to sew on a button, how to basic repairs and show you how simply sewing machines can be if you want to take it to the next level.”

Even the smallest of fixes can lead to a wonderful result, as was the case with a long-broken clock brought in by a local.

“At our very first event we had a beautiful wooden clock which just needed a small repair – a loose timber piece fixing back into place that our local carpenter fixed much to the delight of its owner who said it had been broken for ages as she didn’t know where to get it fixed,” Jo said.

“One of our repairers, Sue, has a a clever little machine which soaks silver jewellery in a special solution to lift the dirt and help return shine to areas that have tarnished.

“We’ve had some very happy customers get their silver jewellery sparkling again.”

The Co Op is held from 9am to 11am on the last Sunday of each month at the Dunsborough Community Garden. Jo sets up and runs the event for free, alongside A Single Leaf South West’s paid workshops and decluttering services.

“All the fixing is done completely free of charge and we simply ask for a gold coin donation to the Dunsborough Community Garden if possible,” she said.

“We’d like to make sure that everyone who might be interested in the event knows about it and so we’re asking our lovely locals to spread the word to their friends, families and networks.

“If anyone has a suitable place and would like a poster to display, please get in touch via info@asingleleafsouthwest.com.au.”

More information is available on the A Single Leaf South West Facebook page and asingleleafsouthwest.com.au