A REPAIR Cafe in Inglewood is officially open.

The volunteer-run initiative launched on Saturday 27 June at Inglewood Bowling and Sports Club, with a turnout that confirmed the appetite for it.

City of Stirling Mayor Mark Irwin officially launched the cafe. Frank Paolino MLA, Dan Bull MLA and Alanna Clohesy MLC were among the first to bring items in for repair.

Volunteers got to work straight away, fixing clothes, ornaments, chairs and vacuum cleaners. Each repair came with the volunteer showing the owner how it was done, with the hope that the skill and interest in repairs stays with them.

Co-founder Anneliese McNeil said it’s about a lot more than what got fixed.

• Repair cafe volunteers Simmone and Anneliese at the launch of the new Repair Cafe Inglewood. Photo supplied

“It was so lovely to see the community come together like that,” she said. “There were some really touching moments of connection. People working side by side over a broken chair or a torn jacket, swapping stories while they worked. We couldn’t have done it without the learning and support from other repair cafes, and our wonderful team of volunteers.”

Most repair cafes collect data on repairs, which is just as important as the repairs themselves. Details can be fed back to manufacturers, identifying what breaks, why and how often. It also gives communities better information to make smarter purchasing choices in the first place.

Cost-of-living pressure is part of why people come. Co-founder Simmone Sache said the cafe is also a small act of defiance against consumerism.

“Every item we fix instead of replace, is a choice against a system that wants us to buy new. It gives us the sense we are doing something and gives us hope when we’re surrounded by so many negative messages. It was amazing to see the different reasons people wanted to get involved, from circularity, sustainability, community building, upcycling, creativity and sharing a cup of tea.”

The event was supported by the City of Stirling, Transition Town Stirling, Repair Cafe Doubleview, Kiwanis Club of Perth Inc, Cool Planet, Loop to Loop and Inglewood Bowling and Sports Club.

Transition Town Stirling also supports the Repair Café Doubleview which has been running since 2018 and recently reached the milestone of 2000 repairs.

Repair Cafe Inglewood is held on the last Saturday of every month, 9.30am to 11.30am. Volunteers of all experience levels and all ages are welcome, from people happy to sit at the front desk, through to those with hands-on repair skills.

Repairs are free. One item per person, if you can carry it, volunteers can try to fix it. Donations welcome.

by SIMMONE SACHE