SCEG members Jo Murray and Sue Guinness are the co-founders and organisers for the
Repair Café Surf Coast.
Repair Cafe Surf Coast is a monthly pop-up event where volunteers help visitors from
the community to repair broken and worn-out items. It provides the opportunity for
skilled, knowledgeable community members to share their skills and help others within our community who may not have the equipment, knowledge and skills to undertake the repairs themselves. The events also provide opportunities for community-building and a chat over a cup of coffee and a snack. 3 locations - Aireys Inlet, Anglesea, Torquay. There is no charge, although donations are appreciated.
Having started in July 2017 and running 6 successful events at the Airey’s Inlet Hall, 2018 was a year of expansion after the accomplishments of the previous year.
In 2018, Repair Café continued to run monthly events, with a break in June and July. Added 2 new venues (Anglesea Memorial Hall and Bellbrae Hall), running 3 events at each of these venues and 3 at the Aireys Inlet Hall. Also, the first workshop was offered to the community - Visible Mending, and plan to do more of these in 2019.
The primary aim is to help our community keep things from landfill. Since 2017, Repair Café Surf Coast have run 17 events where over 350 visitors have had help with repairs to
more than 500 items and we have helped divert over 1400kg from landfill. More than 30 people have volunteered their services and most continue to volunteer on a
regular basis.
Other benefits include the opening of two more Repair Cafes nearby – Repair Café Bellarine in Ocean Grove and also one in Queenscliff. Representatives from both these Repair Cafes visited the Surf Coast to learn about Repair Cafes before starting their own.
While there are more than 1700 Repair Cafes around the world, there are only 30 in Australia, 21 of which are in Victoria and 5 in our area (Surf Coast, 2 in Geelong and one each in Ocean Grove and Queenscliff).
Keep posted on SCEG’s website for upcoming events in your area.