Repair Cafe Sunbury is marking its fifth birthday, celebrating five years of repairs, community connection, and skill sharing.
A volunteer-run program of Sunbury Neighbourhood House, the cafe forms part of the wider repair cafe movement that began in Amsterdam, where residents hand in their broken or damaged items to be repaired, helping to prevent excess landfill.
Repair Cafe Sunbury volunteer Sharon Ross said the group has prevented 732 kilograms of items from being discarded during its five years of operation.
“It’s pretty amazing … we’ve had over 690 different items brought in to be repaired,” Ms Ross said.
“It’s not just about the repairing, it is about connecting with the community, and we have a lot of repeat visitors who come back month after month … we love to see them and catch up with them.”
Neighbourhood House community development co-ordinator Cathy Grose said she is proud of the program and the fact that “all of the people involved are really great people, [are] really generous and skilled, and they enjoy giving back to the community”.
She said the group is looking for more likeminded volunteers.
The repair cafe will run on Saturday, February 15, running from 10am–12.30pm, with a birthday cake cut at 11am.
Details: sunburyhouse.com.au
Oscar Parry
