Repair Cafe The Gap

13/06/2026

Bring your VHS/camcorder tapes along to have them digitised! No booking required - see post below for more info!

VHS/camcorder --> DVD/MP4 conversion service

Do you have something precious recorded on a VHS video that you'd love to preserve? A wedding, baby's first steps, or a graduation ceremony perhaps? Our volunteer Ernest will take your video home and convert it to either DVD or MP4 format, so you can enjoy it for years to come!

Just bring your video cassette along to our workshop before 12pm (along with the right size USB stick if you want MP4 format). Make sure everything is clearly labelled (cassette, case and usb stick) with your name and phone number. It will be available to collect from the workshop the following month.

One video per family per month. Extra videos may be accepted for fee.

13/06/2026

Have you got a booking for next Saturday? Please take a moment this weekend to take a photo of your item and reply to the "Help Us to Help You" email that you received when you booked. This helps to give our repairers a heads-up, so they can bring the right tools, or maybe do some research before the day.

Please also take a few minutes to ensure your item is clean, as per the post below. Our volunteers will appreciate it 🙏

13/06/2026

📣Bookings close 8pm this Thursday

Haven't had a chance to book in your repair job for next Saturday? Here's your sign to click this link right now!

https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/repaircafethegap?embed

We still have availability for the following categories:

🌟 Apple Products Support (software issues)
🌟 Bikes, Prams and Walkers
🌟 Computers and Laptops (including End of 10/Linux)
🌟 Costume Jewellery
🌟 Mobile Phones and Tablets (hardware issues)
🌟 Small Motors (mowers, whipper snippers, etc.)
🌟 Upholstery
🌟 Watch batteries and bands

09/06/2026

🖥️Computer/laptop upgrades and repairs

Have you been receiving warning messages from Microsoft about needing to upgrade to Windows 11? Microsoft is ending all support for Windows 10 this October, leaving millions of computers at risk.

They want you to think that you'll need a new computer, but that's not necessarily true! If your computer can't be upgraded to Windows 11 due to its age or other compatibility issues, there are alternatives! One is to install the Linux operating system.

At our next workshop on 20th June, we'll be presenting a special "Introduction to Linux" talk at 10.15am - 10.45am, where one of our IT gurus will explain how it can replace or complement Windows on your current computer, and answer any questions.

We can also assist with other general IT-related issues or upgrades at either 10am, 11am or 12pm. It's a great idea to back up all your files, photos and data before you come, if possible.

Book your spot via this link, filling in the details of your current computer as requested.

https://www.trybooking.com/events/1439350/sessions/6130434/sections/2760274/tickets?date=2026-06-20

For more information about the End of 10 project, please visit their website:

https://endof10.org/

07/06/2026

📣 New repair category - UPHOLSTERY!

Our volunteer family continues to grow, and this month we are welcoming Eileen! She can do small upholstery repairs, such as replacing fabric and webbing. You'll need to supply your own replacement fabric, but if you're not sure what you need, book a spot under UPHOLSTERY and Eileen can take a look and advise what's required for next time.

Other categories available this month are shown in the photos below. DON'T CLICK THE "SELECT" BUTTONS IN THE PHOTOS - they are only screenshots! Instead, click this link to book your spot:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1439350?embed

Bookings close at 8pm on Thursday, 18th June.

05/06/2026

🌏 Local Action for Global Impact on World Environment Day!

Today is World Environment Day. The 2026 theme is, simply, Climate Action. “The planet doesn’t argue. It doesn’t negotiate. It sends signals—rising seas, raging wildfires, heatwaves, melting glaciers. We said 1.5°C was the limit. We are crossing it.”

We all have a responsibility to reverse this trajectory.

Carbon emissions are a major contributor to climate change. Carbon is emitted at every stage of a product’s lifecycle, from mining the raw materials, through to manufacturing, packaging, transporting, usage, and finally, disposal.

Consider the humble toaster. It’s composed of several types of metals, plastics and ceramics, which all must be mined, transported and manufactured, then assembled into the appliance before being packaged and transported again, and finally arriving in our homes. Disposal also emits carbon, through further transportation and, often, decomposition in landfills.

Repairing items when they break or stop working means that all the emissions required to dispose of them and produce a replacement can be avoided! Over four years, we have repaired nearly 1200 items, saving an estimated 36 tonnes of carbon emissions. Together, we are making a difference, but we can do a lot more!

Repair Café The Gap operates on the third Saturday of each month, 10am – 1pm, Rivercity Church, 59 Settlement Rd, The Gap. The next one is on 20th June. Bookings open tomorrow morning at 7am, via this link:

https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/repaircafethegap?embed

30/05/2026

📊 The stats for our May event are in!

👨‍🔧 16 repairers and assistants
🙋‍♀️ 9 support crew
👫 40 customers with items to repair
🛠 57 items brought in for repair
👏 51 items repaired or advice given (89.5%)
⏸ 2 items in progress
👎 4 items not fixable or referred to professionals
⚖️ 87 kg of items saved from potential landfill
🌫 817.8 kg of carbon emissions saved* (equivalent to driving an ICE car 5465 km, or roughly from Gympie to Perth!**)
😋 Lots of coffees, jaffles, sweet treats and fruit consumed

🎉 Huge thanks, as always, to all the volunteers, and to everyone who came along and at least tried to get their things fixed! Also, we really appreciate everyone who made a donation - all funds raised go towards paying for our rent, insurance and consumables.

Our next workshop will be on Saturday, 20th June . Online bookings will open at 7am on Saturday, 6th June, via this link:

https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1439350?embed

Like our page and turn on notifications to stay up-to-date!

* CO² emissions saved calculated using this website:
https://frc.cfsd.org.uk/index.php/rc-carbon-calculator-quick

** Distance driven calculated using this website:
https://www.distance.to/

22/05/2026

Most of the repairs we do are practical - kitchen appliances, clothes, electronics, phones and computers, mowers, knife and tool sharpening, for example. These things are needed for everyday life, and repairing rather than replacing saves money and limited resources.

But now and then we get a job that's more about the heart than the hip pocket. This was the case with Michele's grandfather's clock...

"When we had to move my Pop out of his house 20 something years ago it was so heartbreaking. So much got taken to the tip. 💔 Pop had had the clock for years and had never got it fixed. He gave it to my husband and told him he knew he'd love it and appreciate it. My husband is a clever guy but clocks are something he knows nothing about. We've had that clock all these years just waiting to find someone who could try and fix it. Roger was our man!

I spoke to my mum tonight and told her how wonderful it is to hear it gonging. She said Pop will be smiling down on us tonight, so thrilled that it's finally working again 🥹 It's the first time in my lifetime that I've seen it working. I was so emotional when I saw it! The team there is just so incredible!!!"

Thank-you, Michele, for sharing the story of your Pop's clock. These are the special repairs that we remember for a long time 🥰

** sound on to hear its dulcet tones!

21/05/2026

If you have old computers that you don't want to repair, here's an excellent option!

♻ Have old laptops, desktops, monitors or accessories? You can drop them in to my office to be reused!💻

Computers 4 Learning (C4L) refurbishes donated devices and provides them to students, seniors, veterans and concession card holders, helping more people stay connected while reducing e-waste and giving tech a second life. Learn more via their website: www.computers4learning.org.au

📍 The Gap Ward Office | 477 Waterworks Rd, Ashgrove

18/05/2026

📣 Today marks the start of National Volunteer Week, Australia’s largest annual celebration of volunteering. It aims to highlight the important role of volunteers in our community and invite people not currently volunteering to give it a go! The theme is "Your Year to Volunteer".

We are very grateful to have around 40 regular volunteers at Repair Cafe The Gap, a number that has steadily grown over our four years of operation. In the last 12 months, we've had an average of 16 repairers and 7 other volunteers at each of our workshops, ready with a smile to check you in, serve you some coffee and treats, and of course - fix your precious things!

We'd love to say a huge 🙏THANK-YOU🙏 to our volunteers, for their dedication, skills, friendship and humour! You are all absolute stars and make the workshops so much fun 🤩

Have you had a positive experience at Repair Cafe The Gap? Show our volunteers some love in the comments! 😍

Want to join in the fun? This is your sign that it's Your Year to Volunteer! New volunteers are always welcome. We'd especially love to hear from any licensed electricians who'd love to help fix home appliances. Electrical repairs is the most in-demand category (as anyone who's tried to book in their toaster will tell you 😅), so if you can help, please get in touch!