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Meet Sam
Conversations with a super star
Sam is one of the driving forces behind the Warners Bay Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group.
We chatted about the art of repair, and engaging kids in civic participation. “Sustainable Neighbourhoods encapsulates a lot of the things I value – community building as well as sustainable living.”
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Sam with participants at a Nature Play Adventure event
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“I love that if you have an idea, everyone just supports you to make it happen.”
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Sam is one of the dynamos behind Repair Café Lake Mac, where volunteers help to fix a range of items like clothes, hand tools and small furniture.
“I’m a nanna at heart. I can’t stand waste and I love all the old kind of repair skills that seem to have been lost. The Repair Café we held in March was a definite highlight. It was such a success. When it opened and people were streaming through the door, I thought, ‘OMG it’s actually going to work!’”
“The Repair Cafe gives people a chance to start thinking about repairing as an option, rather than being a consumer and racing out and replacing it.”
“I love that people get to share their skills and generate a personal sense of worth. All the volunteers at the end of the day are very satisfied and have had a good time.”
Sam has been a member of the Warners Bay Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group since it started in 2016.
“I’ve always been of the opinion that if you don’t like something, then change it. Sustainable Neighbourhoods is a way to make changes in local community for the better. And it’s fun!”
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Kids' deconstruction zone at a Repair Cafe event.
Sorting fabric ready for a Repair Cafe event.
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“It’s the people that make it fun, and that’s why everyone stays involved. We make sure it’s fun, otherwise we’re missing the point.”
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Sam is also a mum of two, and is glad for the opportunity to show her kids real civic participation.
“By me being involved, they are too. I like that they see people making change, not just talking about it.”
“Everyone is happy for the kids to join in – they add another positive dimension to it all. My kids often help at our events, and it gives them self-worth and responsibility."
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Warners Bay Area Sustainable Neighbourhood Group members
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"They feel important and gain a sense of belonging. They feel a part of the group, and even have their own group t-shirts.”
With the team at a Nature Play Adventure event
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“I’d love for Sustainable Neighbourhoods to be more well known. So many of our projects could have a greater impact with more community involvement.
“I’d like for us as a community to live more purposefully, and be more connected. To each other, and to the environment around us. I think Sustainable Neighbourhoods is a way to achieve that.”
“Your commitment can be what ever you want it to be in terms of time or involvement. And because we operate under a broad banner of sustainability, you have the opportunity to introduce whatever project interests you.”
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Team members at the Lake Macquarie Awards
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