Who we are: a group of local enthusiastic volunteers who care about the environment and want to share our skills with the community.
Our aim:
- Minimize waste to landfill by extending the life of belongings
- Strengthen local communities through face-to-face sharing of knowledge and skills about mending and repairing, often across age and demographics.
What we do: repair household goods, mend clothes, fix broken furniture, make new things from used materials, minimise waste, share skills and have a few cuppas together!
Repair Sessions:
- A number of volunteers help fix your broken items depending on their skill
- We announce in advance which fixers are going to be on hand and what is their specialty. Check our Facebook Page and register to the upcoming repair event to get all the updates!
- Sessions are 2 hours long on the last Sunday of the month.
Join Us: If you want to join the working group to help plan and plot the future direction of Richmond Repair we would love to hear from you. You can help by joining the fixing team or in providing general support during repair session and/or assisting with promotion. We’re also looking for people who know how to make simple shopping bags from used fabric and can teach others to make them as well. Use the form on this page to get in touch with us.
Bring Us: Your broken goods, and we shall try to fix them!
Some examples of the sorts of items that might be suitable for repair at our sessions include:
- Clothing and textiles (holes/rips)
- Small electrical appliances (kettle, toaster, turntable, lamps, amps, sewing machines, vacuums)
- Furniture
- Bags/Luggage (zips/straps)
Where & When:
Sessions are held on the last Sunday of every month at Burnley Backyard, 49 Tudor Street, Richmond.
Please send us an email in advance with details on what you are planning to bring in to get fixed (and a photo as well if possible!). Send email to: repair@rclc.org.au or post it on our event page on Facebook
Frequently asked questions
Can I donate tools or items for repair?
Yes, we won’t accept everything but we’re willing to have a look at any item you would like to bring
Who covers the cost of materials for repair?
Participants may bring along items and materials that they think will be useful for repairing their broken item. Fixers will advise participants on where to purchase parts (if necessary), then they can bring those parts to a future workshop if they wish. Any use of new materials such as leads, plugs, globes or fuses will need to be brought in by the participant.
How do workshop participants know what they will need to repair their broken item(s)?
Some participants will have a good idea of the sorts of materials they will require to fix their broken item.
Before each repair session, we will advertise which fixers are attending and their skill sets on our Facebook Page. We ask for a photo and/or explanation about the broken item to be sent to us ahead of time in order for the right material to be either sourced or purchased by the participants.
Is it okay to repair proprietary products?
This will be at the discretion of the item owner, and it is the owner’s responsibility to understand the impacts of tampering (e.g. unscrewing broken appliances) with items upon any product under warranty. Fixers also have the right to refuse to fix proprietary products.