Centre enjoys an enormous amount of community good

To visit the Bower is to be tempted and delighted by the wonderful variety of rescued and repaired items that may have otherwise been consigned to the local dump, but there is far more here than meets the eye.

What is the Bower?

The Centre is a co-operative, non-profit, community organisation whose primary business is to divert household and office waste for re-use. The Bower repairs and resells a range of goods, from building materials to electrical appliances to household furniture. It also supports a repair workshop which its members are able to use to repair personal goods. The Bower has a number of objectives, including:

• To educate the community about the value of waste reduction provide renovation and re-use craft skills,
• To provide affordable goods to low income and disadvantaged groups,
• To provide a source of local employment,
• To advocate for sustainable living and involve the community in making these goals part of everyday living.

In short, the Bower actively pursues the improvement of Sydney's urban environment by fostering an inclusive "culture of repair".

The Bower claims that some 10,000,000 electrical appliances and a further 3,000,000 whitegoods are manufactured or imported into Australia every year. But many items are thrown away merely because they are outdated or otherwise superseded though they are working well. The Bower will repair and resell whatever items they can salvage, mainly electrical appliances, building materials and home-wares. The Bower tests electrical appliances for safety before resale. Minor repairs are made where feasible and sales are made in an "as is" condition. Building materials sold includes doors, bathtubs, basins, scrap metal (pipe, fencing, etc.) and scrap timber. Home-wares are bed bases, tables, lounges, chairs, toys, outdoor furniture, taps, doorknobs, musical instruments, mirrors, jewellery and kitchenware. The Bower will even pick up unwanted goods and deliver sold items in a limited area.

Sources of Inspiration ...

In September 1996, a group of five inner Sydney residents met to discuss the possibility of establishing a re-use and repair centre in Sydney. They had together attended an Earthworks waste minimisation course, teaching awareness of these practices in relation to the local environment. This first group came together with others to form the Bower Advisory Committee in early 1997 to seek funding and location for the project. They successfully secured a grant from the NSW Environmental Protection Agency to establish the centre and in 1998 called the inaugural meeting of the Bower Re-use and Repair Centre Co-operative!

... and Support

The establishment of the centre and in particular, the building of its ambitious and ingenious "strawbale" building stretched the limits of the centre's funding and the stress tolerance of its members! In this trying phase of the launch the Southern Sydney Waste Board came to the Bower's rescue with an offer of significant financial aid. Ongoing support has been received from a number of other sources. The Addison Road Community Centre has been supportive of the Bower's endeavour right from its inception. Many councils in the inner west of Sydney encourage householders to divert unwanted goods to the Bower Financial assistance is received from the NSW government's Waste Planning and Management Fund's Waste Reduction Program , the Cook's River Waste Management Authority and the Sydney City Council.

Passing the Message

In educating the community on waste reduction methods, the Bower conducts training programs in a variety of areas, such as

• Computer Upgrade & Maintenance,
• Minor Electrical Repair,
• Simple Construction, and
• Sanding & Finishing.

In addition, workshops on creative re-use of various items are organised by the Bower.

Why a Co-operative?

The Bower began its life as a community driven initiative and the co-operative structure was preferred by a number of its original members, who had previous experience of community based co-operatives in the area. In its early stages, the Bower was a worker style co-operative. As it has evolved, however, it has shifted towards a consumer model.

The Centre has more than 130 members drawn from the surrounding communities. They provide voluntary work as well as support and advocacy for the aims of the Bower. All members pay a small annual fee and commit atleast 8 hours of un-paid service per year in return for their membership. This time is not always easy for its members to find and so there are some difficulties maintaining the balance of responsibilities, especially in relation to management. The Centre is working to attract new members so that they can better spread this burden in the future. The Bower also provides part time employment for around 12 members in its shop and repair centre.

The Broader Context

Governments, communities and individuals across Australia are looking to strengthen their communities and find innovative and collaborative ways to approach persistent social and environmental concerns. Community building initiatives like the one established by the Premier's Office of NSW, are an important recognition of the potential of communities to drive the identification and resolution of issues that are important to them. Not only is it recognised that this process may provide more sustainable resolutions than those applied without community involvement, it is also understood that the collective action of community members is an empowering process for both the communities and their individual members.

The Bower Co-operative is a shining example of a community driven organisation that serves to address community concerns and operates in a manner that by its very nature, and at every stage of its development, actively involves local citizens. It has forged supportive partnerships with local and state government bodies, the Addison Road Community Centre, numerous local community groups and other re-use centres around the country. It has maintained a co-operative business structure that provides a participatory and democratic basis for its day to day operations, provides workshops to teach a range of skills to all interested community members and employs more than a dozen members, providing them with training allowances so that they can improve their employability in the broader labour market. As a result, the Centre enjoys an enormous amount of community good will and support and is growing ever more active and productive.

Contact Details

Addison Road Centre for Arts, Culture, Community and Environment
142 Addison Road, Marrickville 2204
Tel: (02)9568 6280

Open 7 Days - Monday to Saturday 9-5pm
Sunday 11-4pm

Email:thebower@pacific.net.au

Website: http://home.pacific.net.au/~thebower.