Meet the volunteer refurbishing crisis accommodation caravans for the Social Justice Advocates

One of the most recent SJA campaigns, It's Up To Us, focuses on raising money to purchase a unit in Merimbula, but since 2017 they have been refurbishing crisis accommodation by refurbishing old caravans.

The Black Summer bushfires in 2019/2020 saw over 400 homes destroyed in the Bega Valley and so SJA began upping their search for old and decrepit caravans to refurbished for bushfire victims.

Although many the caravans came in looking as though all they'd be good for was a chook house, the organisation has found a way to do them up, and do it on the cheap.

That's where volunteer Geof Maher from Bournda stepped in. He had a varied career including working as an aerial photographer and writing for publications in both Australia and West Africa, but his retirement left him with a lot of free time and idle hands.

In a past life he also refurbished boats. He was a "yachtie" and repaired timber boats so working with the wood and compound curves of caravans was a task he could do.

Mr Maher became SJA's caravan refurbishment guy. Despite his modest proclamations of having just "limited skills" and being, "no great carpenter," he has managed to refurbish and repair 79 caravans to date.

"Any of us can find ourselves down on our luck at some stage in life, and forced out on the streets.

"It could be as a result of domestic violence, losing a job, our home being sold and having to vacate, or such natural events as a bushfire burning our home to the ground and destroying all our possessions.

"I saw all of this occurring and when the opportunity came up to assist SJA's Caravan Project, I jumped at the chance to help," said Mr Maher.

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The caravans come from all over the place with some purchased and others donated. Chairman of the Social Justice Advocates Michael Brosnan tows them to Mr Maher's home and then he gets to work.

The caravans take between 20 and 80 hours to transform into a modest, but respectable living quarters.

The first job is to knock off all the rust using a rust converters. Then he pressure washes the outside of the van, this also allows him to identify and fix any leaks.

After the drying period of about 24 hours, the roof is painted with one or two coats of a waterproof paint.

The body of the caravan is then sanded, followed by a spot priming, undercoat, and then a final coat- a process that can take several days.

Mr Maher said he prefers starting on the outside of the van to avoid starting his working day with a, "drab-looking project".

The next task on his list is cleaning and vacuuming the inside. He also uses this time to discover any rot which is treated with Copper Naphthenate before being repaired.

After removing and replacing any rusty screws, he replaces or fixes any broken windows. The inside is also given a paintjob and the appliances and electronics are checked to be in good working order.

Mr Maher said this is where the fun part really begins as he gets to start adding linens, such as bedding and curtains, and knick-knacks from garage sales or op shops.

He usually looks for a piece of artwork for the wall or a clock, hooks for utensils, and will often purchase a couple of cushions for the bed.

The wheels of the van are then painted, the tyres are blackened and the windows are washed. The final detailing uses rags and metho, and a very handy tool for those hard-to-get-to places, a toothbrush.

Not every job is the same though, some of the vans come in better condition than others, meaning less money has to be spent on refurbishment.

The current van Mr Maher is working on came in a decent condition and so he has spent less than $100 to fix it up.

It helps that he already has a lot of tools, salvaged carpet and wood, and fabric for the curtains handy in his shed. He also frequents the tip to find items like door and cupboard handles.

Mr Maher is a big advocate for alternative housing, such as tiny homes, and feels that Australian policy makers must prioritise more affordable living arrangements to tackle widespread homelessness, particularly across regional Australia.

"Providing a caravan as a home is not the complete answer. It's a temporary measure that solves part of the problem in the short-term.

"Governments and local councils have to think outside the square and implement something more permanent," he said.

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