It turns out that OddJobbers has been around a while. The concept of a cost-neutral service originates with the Central and Southern Waterloo Tenants Group. The service (comprising six on-call volunteers) commenced operations in 1999. The South Sydney Council and then Department of Housing were supportive. “The simplicity of it is the key,” said Ross Smith, co-founder and monitor. “Assisting tenants with small, non-trade tasks can make a big difference.”
Mr Smith cites various tasks, including some that pose a risk or danger to older residents: defrosting a fridge, changing a light bulb, hanging a picture, lifting a heavy case of winter or summer clothes at end of season, taking blinds up or down. “We have all the tools we need in a shopping bag by the phone,” Mr Smith explained. “A hand saw, an electric drill with a masonry bit, a hammer, tape measure and pencil, nuts, bolts and screws, an extension lead and a multi-purpose milk-crate.”
OddJobbers volunteers pay an initial visit for assessment purposes (sometimes a referral to a tradesperson is deemed appropriate) and clients are asked to provide the necessary hardware for the job at hand – the lightbulb or battery, for example. A small charge based on cost recovery ensures a sense of self-sufficiency and pride. “It’s all about enabling independence and quality of life for people,” Mr Smith said. “It’s rewarding, down the track, to see an older person we’ve been able to help getting on under his or her own steam.”
OddJobbers has enjoyed steady expansion. Mr Smith credits a certain inner-city community spirit and density (2500 households within a 10-minute walk) as well as fellow founders and volunteers Pieter Kamminga, Diana Whitworth, Betty and Charlie Bullivant, with the success of the association. In 2004, the support group was showcased at an international conference held in Sydney. On a single day, five waves of conference attendees paid visits to Waterloo. The low-cost, low-capital model has subsequently been adopted in parts of Ireland and Canada, as well as Tasmania and Newcastle.
Mr Smith recalls one conference delegate asking what motivated him to do what he did. “I remember answering, ‘I’d like to think when I’m older that someone would help me’.”
