Local sustainability group, Transition Darebin, started Darebin Repair Café (DRC) in May 2018 with the support of Darebin Council.
The Repair Cafe is a free service, run by volunteers, held every 2 months in venues around Darebin. Locals bring broken domestic items to be looked at.
Furniture repair, death doula, lamp cord replacement, and sewing machine maintenance workshops have also been run.
Most repairers are still volunteering post lockdown which is a testament to the passion and strength of the DRC team. Test and tagging electrical items is also available with testers trained paid by a Darebin Council grant.
In 2022 TD collaborated with Span Community House and Darebin Hard Rubbish Heroes via a Sustainability Victoria grant and most cafes were held at Span. 293 kgs and 206 items were saved from land fill in 2022.
DRC has saved 2.287 tonnes and 1198 items overall. Donate at a café to keep us running.
If you’ve got fixing skills or would like to be on the DRC committee email darebinrepaircafe@gmail.com.
DRC is affiliated with Repair Café International -https://www.repaircafe.org/en/.
Next repair café is 25 March 2023 at The Bridge, Preston. Check Darebin Repair Café Facebook page. Booking link posted about a week prior. Not on FB – ask to join TD Google Group transitiondarebin@googlegroup.com.