It’s been two years since Gerald Probst moved to Kirchberg-Thening (Linz-Land) for love. And not entirely unencumbered, as he says with a laugh.
The 74-year-old pensioner alludes to his many years of involvement in a Salzburg repair café, which he found by word of mouth. Probst did not lose his enthusiasm for screwing and repairing even after he moved.
So it’s no wonder that he was already busy working as a screwdriver at the repair café in the Linz tobacco factory. Now he would like to establish one in his new home town of Kirchberg-Thening. The aim is to create an offer where interested parties can get help and advice on small repairs (e.g. of household appliances).
The format should find space in the small hall of the rectory of the Evangelical parish, it starts on April 6 (4 p.m. to 7 p.m.). The plan is for the repair café to take place every first Wednesday of the month after this, although the interval can be shortened if necessary.
Probst, who has been in a wheelchair since an accident around 14 years ago, is keen to raise awareness of sustainability among men and women: “Not everything has to be thrown away immediately.”
And something else is important to him: the repair café should also become a social meeting place. “The greatest fun is when children come along and they are allowed to hold the tools.” Probst’s goal: He would like to make the new offer the talk of the village.
The trained baker, who later found a new career path with courses in electrical engineering, has already found some helpers to support him in his project. Eva Blüher can also get a lot out of the idea, she is happy that the parish can support by providing the hall. “Such a low-threshold offer is a good thing. Almost everyone has something at home that needs repairing,” says the pastor. The repair idea is not just limited to objects: “You can see that on several levels, maybe even interpersonal rifts can be filled up.”
Volunteers wanted
Probst now hopes that many in the community will be enthusiastic about the offer, and interested parties from the surrounding area are also welcome. The retiree would also be happy about further reinforcements for the team – in the form of employees who are enthusiastic about technology.
You can bring almost anything to the Repaircafé: from toasters to bicycles and clothes. On the other hand, large household appliances and “in principle everything that one cannot carry alone” have to stay at home. If the expertise of the Repaircafé team is not sufficient, Probst can consult his clever list. The contacts of local craftsmen with whom the organizer wants to work well are noted there. (jp)
Source: Nachrichten
