Arepair project with a difference is half way through its trial period in Millicent.
The Millicent Repair Cafe started in March as an initiative of the Climate Change Action Group of the Wattle Range Council, opening on a Saturday from 10am and 12pm at the Millicent Men’s Shed.
The council had given a grant to support the project for a six-month trial period.
Every four weeks the repair café would be open for the public to bring an item to be repaired with the help of the Men’s Shed and the Millicent Craft Centre.
Millicent Repair Café Action Group chair Sandra Young said the project was initiated in order to help to keep repairable items out of landfill and to upskill the public in being able to do their own repairs at home in the future.
“The time, on a Saturday morning, was chosen so that items such as glue, a new handle, et cetera could be purchased by the owner and then the repair work would be continued at the men’s shed,” she said.
“The owner is to be present at all stages of the repair work to learn how it is done and to help if necessary.
“There have been three Repair Cafés, so it is halfway through the trial period. If there is not enough interest by the community, the Repair Café will not continue beyond the three scheduled Saturdays – June 15, July 13 and August 10.”
Ms Young said the Wattle Range Council Climate Change Action group encouraged all people in the region to come along to the Millicent Men’s Shed at 2C Fifth Ave with an item to repair 10am until 12 noon on the dates mentioned.
“They can have a coffee or tea and a refreshment as a bonus, kindly donated by the council,” she said.
“Children are also encouraged to come with their parent/s and can learn how to sew on a button.
“The repairs that have been done to date have been such as, sewing on a button, mending handles on kitchen utensils and a garden fork, mending a hole in a jumper and repairing a table.
“There is scope for many more repairs to be done by the willing and very friendly volunteers at the Repair Café each session. Electrical repairs, however, cannot be done at this stage. Mending, sewing, knitting, woodwork, metalwork and other handyperson work will be tackled by the volunteers, who are willing to face a challenge.
“If the trial proves successful, there could be other Repair Cafés set up in other centres in the Wattle Range Council region, and then, over the years, the number of items that could be kept out of landfill could be tremendous and really make a difference in combatting waste in our community.
“There have been posters around Millicent, radio announcements and interviews, Facebook posts and sandwich board signs made up for the project by the Wattle Range Council so now, it is up to the community to accept this valuable initiative and use it or it will be lost.”
