Wangaratta Repair Cafe go back to school with $2000 boost

Wangaratta Repair Café can continue spreading the word about the extraordinary power of the ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’ motto thanks to a $2000 boost through the People of Post Grants program. The organisation will use the funding to deliver their school outreach program, making visits to schools around the region to help students develop more sustainable, environmentally conscious habits. By learning the craft of repairing goods rather than replacing, students are empowered to adopt such principles so they can do their bit in avoiding overconsumption. Volunteer Gillian Anderson said the program is already in motion, with students at Springhurst Primary School and Carraragarmungee Primary School, plus some local homeschoolers, getting to learn hands-on from the experts. “We’ve had two very successful sessions so far,” Gillian said. “We had them bring broken items from home and we also fixed broken items from the school. “We’re trying to teach children that if something breaks, you don’t just go out and buy something new; [you] first try and repair something.” If you’re unfamiliar with ‘repair cafes’, they are volunteer-run initiatives which service the community by assisting with broken household item repairs. Being entirely driven by volunteers, they rely on monetary support from the community and grant programs to keep their services operating. "We were so excited and surprised to get this grant," Gillian said. "We haven't done anything like this before." The $2000 will help cover travel costs and enable volunteers to actually equip schools with the bare necessities for repairs. “For each school, we’re making a solid bag that reads ‘Repair Café’ and inside we've got a sewing kit and a tool kit so they have the equipment to do their own repairs," Gillian said. "One of the schools had a broken shovel in their garden shed - all it needed was one nail hammered in. "Now they have a hammer." Gillian said the café is keen to connect with more schools in the community to share their knowledge. For more details, email fixit@wangrepaircafe.org or shoot them a message on their Facebook page, facebook.com/wangrepaircafe. Otherwise, if you have something that needs fixing or simply want to get behind a good community cause, the Wangaratta Repair Cafe will be at the Avian Park Community Market on 19 July.

Wangaratta Repair Cafe go back to school with $2000 boost

Wangaratta Chronicle, Friday, 11 September, 2026

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