Avintage piece of furniture has been saved from going to landfill due, in part, to Millicent’s innovative Repair Café.


Millicent business owner Michelle Whawell had a 1960s-era teak cabinet which had, to use a cliché, “seen better days.”


Ms Whawell had earmarked it for the dump but had a change of heart and brought it to the Repair Café in Fifth Street.


The ample skills of the Millicent Mens Shed volunteer woodworkers were summoned and the sought-after repair to a shelf was quickly completed.


However, the woodworkers had other ideas and, with the permission of Ms Whawell, the teak cabinet will be freshly coated with varnish.


This action requires warmer weather to dry but Ms Whawell is grateful and in no hurry.


She expects the restored 60-year-old cabinet will not only become a storage place for her massage-related equipment but also a talking point for her clients.


The Repair Cafe’s popularity has waxed and waned since it began last year with between four and 16 items repaired each time.


Electrical items are not fixed but volunteers are on hand to help with mending, woodwork, metalwork and other handiwork skills.


The Millicent Repair Café is held on the third Saturday of each month at the Men’s Shed in Fifth Street.


The Repair Cafe is an initiative of the Wattle Range Council Climate Change Committee as a way of reducing landfill.


Development services coordinator Emma Clay said the other tasks at the latest Repair Café included maintenance on two sewing machines, re-stitching stirrup pants and making a wooden frame for a cherished piece of agate.