Community members mending old clothes.
Story by Belle Butler
Broken chair? Blown amp? Busted washing machine? They don’t have to be thrown away! These Mid Mountains fixers and makers will revive them.
Key Points:
- Waste is a huge global problem with 99 percent of new purchases getting thrown away within 6 months.
- Repairing, mending, repurposing and regifting can reduce waste going into landfill.
- Here in the Mid Mountains we have a plethora of repairers and makers, swappers and repurposers ready to help extend the life of our goods.
In the Japanese art of Kintsugi, or ‘golden joinery,’ a lacquer mixed with powered gold is used to visibly repair broken ceramics. The artwork honours the imperfection, highlighting the breakage as part of the object’s history, rather than using it as a reason to throw the thing away. While the practice can be viewed as both art and philosophy, it is also quite simply… waste-reducing.
Ninety-nine percent of the things we buy are thrown away within 6 months of purchase.
This results in 2,120,000,000 tons of waste being dumped on the planet every year.
Whether for the sake of art, like Kintsugi, or for the environment, mending, fixing, repurposing, regifting and repairing things instead of throwing them away are simple ways we can reduce these numbers. Here in the Blue Mountains, the ease of disposability is being challenged and matched by fixers, menders and repairers of all sorts. Below is a guide to a few excellent options you will find in the Mid Mountains.
Not quite kintsugi, but philosophically aligned, this visibly mended garment by Mid Mountains’ Robyn Maloney embraces the ‘imperfection’ and extends its life.
Needle vs Thread
From the owner: “Needle vs Thread is a multidisciplinary design studio and upholstery workshop based in Hazelbrook.
For 16 years, Kirrily Walker has built a brand and reputation based around handmade vegan bags and accessories. In 2022, upholstery and furniture restoration joined the list of what we do.
Our upholstery services include:
- Full reupholstery of dining chairs, armchairs, sofas, ottomans and outdoor furniture
- New cushions including bench/window seat cushions and outdoor cushions
- Replacement cushion covers or foam inserts
- Zipper, webbing and frame repairs and timber restoration.”
Website: https://www.needlevsthread.com/
Email: hello@needlevsthread.com
Location: Hazelbrook Studio Strictly by appointment only.
Before and after shots from Needle vs Thread. Photo supplied.
Blue Mountains Domestic Appliance Specialists
Repairs whitegoods, ovens and air conditioners
From the owner: “We are passionate about repairing rather than replacing to prevent things from ending up in landfill”.
Location: 8 New St, Lawson
Phone: 4759 2454
Email: info@bmdas.com.au
Four Hands – The Australian Repair Shop
This is a local, family-owned business, employing local artisans and makers.
From the owner: “The Australian Repair Shop has become the ‘go to’ workshop for just about every conceivable repair. From traditional woodwork and metalwork, ceramics, leatherwork, upholstery, jewellery, clockmaking, lead lights, picture framing, toys & collectables, electrical and all the modern technologies like laser engraving, CNC routing and 3D printing. Our range of services is exhaustive and there’s almost no trade we don’t offer, we are also continuing to expand our range of services to ensure we are a genuine ‘one-stop-shop’ for all repairs and personalised projects.
Our business is a combination of social enterprise with an ethos of upcycling and sustainability, backed by: Good ‘old fashioned’ trade services.”
Website: The Australian Repair Shop
Contact: hello@theaustralianrepairshop
Phone: 0405 911 070
Location: 481 Great Western Highway, Faulconbridge NSW 2776
Trading hours: Weekdays 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-2pm
Mark from The Australian Repair Shop says they have a go at fixing anything that can fit through the door. Their full story can be read here.
Central Mountains Men’s Shed
The Men’s Shed is a great option for those wishing to repair or create their own things. Whether you are a beginner wanting to upskill, or an expert wanting the company of others and/or the shared use of space and tools, the Shed is welcoming to all (not just men!).
You can drop into the Men’s Shed Tuesday-Thursday at 5-17 Queens Road, Lawson
Website: Central Mountains Men’s Shed
Contact John Crichton: 0425 271 029 or centralmountainsmensshed@gmail.com
A handful of fixers at the Men’s Shed in Lawson. Read our full story on the Men’s Shed here.
Blue Mountains Women’s Shed
Similarly to the Men’s Shed, the Women’s Shed is a place to upskill or use your existing skills to mend, repair and create your own things in a shared space, using shared tools. The Women’s Shed is specifically for women.
Website: Blue Mountains Women’s Shed
Email: bmws2780president@gmail.com
Mobile: 0412 142 834
Sunday’s 11-2, 1 Loftus St, Lawson (below the library)
Blue Mountains Furniture Hospital
From the owner: “Over 35yrs experience in Antique Furniture restoration using traditional Cabinetmaking, French Polishing and Upholstery skills.”
Facebook page: Blue Mountains Furniture Hospital
Location: 14 Park Rd, Woodford NSW 2778
Contact: 0403 021 734
TubeWave Amps
Amp and guitar repairs
From the owner: “I’m a qualified Engineer with over 30 years experience supporting individual musicians to achieve their best tonal quality possible through modifications, repairs or re-builds of their amplifiers or guitars. Also offering custom builds.
I am passionate about re-furbishing ‘Phoenixing’ old vacuum tube guitar amps and stereo amplifiers built in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. Bringing them back to useful life and out of the appalling ‘land fill’ generation that has been created by cheap overseas manufacturing processes!”
Contact: Ross at zenross@hotmail.com
TubeWave repairs. Photo supplied.
Salty Repairs
String instrument repairs and set-ups.
Guy Saltis will repair guitars of all varieties as well as violins, cellos, violas and double basses.
Location – Lawson
Contact: 0405 006 465
Photo supplied.
Boomerang Bags
Turn fabric waste into bags and other useful items with Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains. Sewing bees are open to all and held every first Saturday of the month. You can hone your sewing skills and help the planet at the same time.
For our earlier story on Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains click here.
Website: Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains – Boomerang Bags
Facebook page: Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains | Facebook
Location: Korowal School
Contact: BoomerangBagsBlueMtns@gmail.com
Alison and Maria of Boomerang Bags Blue Mountains
Australian Parents 4 Climate Action Blue Mountains
The Blue Mountains branch of Australian Parents 4 Climate Action offers an excellent regifting opportunity for parents – quarterly kids’ clothes and toy swaps held at the Mid Mountains Neighbourhood Centre in Lawson.
Become a member or join their Facebook group to stay in the loop.
Website: Blue Mountains – Parents for Climate
Australian Parents 4 Climate Action clothing and toy swap. Our full story can be read here.
Frias Roofing
Roofing repairs by a licensed roof professional – specialising in metal roofing. Replacing tiling to Colorbond.
Website: Frias Roofing Pty Ltd
Location: Hazelbrook based
Contact: 0434 444 420
Mountains Autoglass
Stone chip and crack repairs on windscreens.
Contact: Will on 0417 487 317
Website: Welcome to Mountains Autoglass
Email: mountainsautoglass@gmail.com
Take Action:
- Reduce waste by having broken goods repaired instead of throwing them away.
- Support local by engaging the services of one of these small businesses.
- Learn to repair your own broken goods at either the Men’s or Women’s Sheds.
Share this article:
This story has been produced as part of a Bioregional Collaboration for Planetary Health and is supported by the Disaster Risk Reduction Fund (DRRF). The DRRF is jointly funded by the Australian and New South Wales governments.
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