Repair Cafe Bellarine set for return

REPAIR Café Bellarine is returning for the first time since 2021 and at a new location.

The Repair Café is run by volunteers with groups all over the world, repairing broken items brought in by the public free of charge.

Repair Café Bellarine organiser Andrew Lewis has re-established the local group, along with about 17 other volunteers, some who have been involved before.

Mr Lewis was originally part of the Repair Café in Bendigo before relocating to Geelong and volunteering at the Highton group.

“I thought it would be really good if there was something closer to the Bellarine Peninsula, to that end of town,” he said.

“Eventually I found the old website and Facebook for the old Repair Café in Ocean Grove and followed that up with the previous coordinator and she helped me quite a lot in getting started.”

The volunteers are made up of people with a wide range of skills including electrical, sewing, bike repair and more.

It has taken Mr Lewis and his team of volunteers around six months to get the group to where it is now, with the return date of July 21 set.

The Repair Café gives items a new life, providing an alternative to landfill, helping save money and reducing CO2 emissions.

“I get a real buzz out of bringing something that was bound for landfill back to doing what it was intended for, while giving a boost to the environment along the way,” Mr Lewis said.

“In some cases, items that are beyond repair can have a second life by being put to another use.”

“We throw away so many household items in Australia, even things which have only minor issues and could easily be used again with the right knowledge and tools.”

Along with giving items a second chance, the Repair Café events also connect people within the neighbourhood.

Repair Café Bellarine will return on July 21 at the Bellarine Training and Community Hub from 12:30 until 4:30pm, the café will then run on the third Sunday of each month.

For more information, head to rcbellarine.weebly.com or the Repair Cafe Bellarine page on Facebook.