Hidden Treasures

By Liz Clark

On a trip to the Anglesea Resale Shed (aka the “tip shed”) a few years ago, I was fortunate to uncover two chandeliers hidden in a box, old and dusty, but offering immense possibilities to my imagination. What a find!

Many members of our community will have found treasures there too – a chair or table, scooter or bike, garden pot or book.

Community groups in the Surf Coast Shire see the Recycle Shed as a treasure trove too, as so many of them are able to supplement their fundraising income by working shifts at the Shed on a Saturday, receiving payment for their services. Over the course of a year, this adds up to a wonderful boost to their funds.

Now I can reveal another set of treasures to be found at the Resale Shed – but only on Mondays and Tuesdays. These treasures are not goods or services. They are real LIVING treasures – from Leisure Networks. Never has there been so much joy to be found at the tip.

Leisure Networks is a group offering a wide range of NDIS services and programs to people with disabilities, assisting them to build life-skills, confidence and social connections, encouraging them to lead more independent lives and to achieve their aspirations.

Leisure Networks approached the Resale Shed Committee to discuss the possibilities of some of their community members working at the Shed. The agreement was that they were not to be paid for their work, but would gain some experience and find meaningful activities and tasks, as well as offer their unique abilities to support this important work in our community.

On each of the allotted days, a team accompanied by two leaders works at the Shed, managing the day’s business, cleaning and sorting goods, sweeping and dusting, greeting customers, taking payments, suggesting suitable items for customers to purchase, emptying the trailer, and working to make the Shed more productive and more viable.

Leisure Networks Monday group volunteering at the Resale Shed.

Shed, there had been torrential rain the previous night, and the place was flooded. Never have I seen such an energetic and enthusiastic clean up team, wielding brooms and shovels with glee, scraping mud, pushing the water out of the Shed, then wiping down damaged and sodden goods, all with amazing good humour and a sense of fun.

I met the team leader, Sam, who spoke very proudly of how hard they had been working, and offered to introduce me to the Leisure Networks team members.

Each member of the team has a role that suits their specific abilities, but they are encouraged to work together and try new things also.

Firstly, I was introduced to Brad who has been coming to the Shed for two years. His task is to ensure customers sign in, and to offer general customer service. He says he has the ability to “talk under 10 feet of water with a mouth full of gravel” so is the perfect front-of-house person for the Shed.

Brad is very aware that the Shed offers the community a great chance to recycle goods and save rubbish from landfill. He is also pleased he can help the community groups make a bit of money. Working at the Shed both days is a real joy for him, and he enjoys his role in their sales team.

Scotty told me that he loves to chat to customers, and he was true to his word, trying to sell me any number of goods. He leaves home at 7.30am on Tuesdays to ensure he is ready for work on time.

He was proud to tell me that he has learned a lot about fixing bikes since he has been at the Shed, and is able to pump up tyres, fix brakes, and salvage bits and pieces. He likes to be busy, is very helpful to customers, and with a wonderful smile and fantastic attitude he is a great asset to the Shed team.

Gary is the newest member of the team and is greatly appreciated for his ability to use his physical strength to help move furniture and goods around with ease. He is a keen cyclist who rides his bike everywhere – about 200km/week. He was a bit discouraged as he had forgotten to bring his lunch and was really hungry after so much hard work during the morning.

Dale came to the Shed late as he had been to a doctor’s appointment with John. Dale is the “money man” for the group, and is very good at assessing

prices of goods, handling the money and ensuring customers pay a suitable amount for the things they purchase.

The Monday group is capably organised and led by Mark and James, both who were encouraging and supportive of their team.

I met Sam, who loves his “awesome job”, wants to sell plenty of things, and particularly enjoys pricing goods. He has learnt how to drive the golf buggy and trailer, and thinks this is the best part of his day. He likes to help empty the trailer and rearrange the goods.

Zane is r eady in his wor k gear ever y Monday and keen to start cleaning the toys in his department, checking any new items, organising jigsaws and games. He has two other special tasks –one to display the OPEN sign on the highway, the other to count the money and take it to the Community House at the end of his shift. He is very keen to use the EFTPOS machine, and helps lock up before hitting the “frog and toad” to go home. He loves his time at the Shed. All participants in this program at the Shed are learning new skills, from testing electrical goods to moving furniture, interacting with customers and money handling, cooperating with one another and being responsible. These are important stepping stones for them to move into other placements and opportunities.

It is said that if you love your job you never have to work a day in your life. These men all love their jobs and bring such enthusiasm and energy to their tasks.

Jim Tutt from the Resale Shed committee indicates that their work is invaluable to our community, and that the benefits for them and for us are the most precious treasures you could find at the Resale Shed.

Leisure Networks Tuesday group volunteering at the Resale Shed.