A man scans his phone, looking for a portrait of himself. With pride he shares a photo taken by an amateur photographer, his long grey mane sweeping in the wind. The smile on his face says it all, someone is taking notice, listening, and conversing.
My daily routine begins at the crack of dawn, walking my dog around an inner-city suburb of Sydney. Next door, gym enthusiasts are already pounding weights. At a nearby café, a coffee machine is whirring. The man who lives outside the cafe feeds the pigeons and bin chicken’s, his belongings neatly packed in suitcases.
On the edge of the harbour and beneath the beautiful façade of the iconic Opera House and harbour bridge lies a harsh reality that we can’t ignore – the growing issue of homelessness. And with the current cost of living in Australia, it’s not surprising that the impacts are being felt most prominently in metro cities. A recent study from charity organisation Orange Sky found that 64% of residents in Sydney are needing to cut back on expendable purchases.
Beyond the water and the city, I want to dig deeper into this diverse suburb that I have now been calling home for the past few years. To do this, I’ve been given an opportunity by charity Orange Sky to join them for a morning shift at one of their Woolloomooloo locations. Walking down a series of lanes, you can’t miss the bright Orange Sky van coupled by the welcoming smiles of the volunteers at their Charles Street location.
It brings me back to the man and his portrait. This man who has come to rely on the stability of the free laundry service provided by Orange Sky each week tells me, ‘I’ve been coming here ever since the service first started”. Chrissi a vivacious volunteer agrees. Chrissi calls him the ‘poster boy’, he chuckles and tells another story. The two other shift volunteers – Andrew and Steve call Chrissi the Manager of Communications, and it’s easy to see how much the friends of Orange Sky adore her.
The two washing machines at the back of the van are labelled with names, ensuring no one loses their load. To me it signals a familiarity, where everyone is welcome, and everybody is someone. Inside the van a rhythmic tumble rounds out the cycle. The laundry van is a compact set-up that even comes with a solar and lithium battery system to reduce electrical consumption.
Bruce the team leader arrives with coffees. By now we are sitting at the back of the van on chairs that have been set up for people to sit down and have a conversation. Like some of the other volunteers, Bruce first saw founders Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett when they were named Young Australians of the Year in 2017 and found inspiration in their story.
Across the course of the morning friends of Orange Sky drop by. Some stop for chat while others drop off their washing and return to pick it up. One man is particularly appreciative that all eight socks have been returned and are neatly folded. This sets of the adage of ‘where do socks in the wash end up’? While no one has the answer, everyone has a laugh.
It’s this banter that makes Orange Sky much more than an important service that offers people the chance to wash their clothes or have a shower – things we take for granted.
*Orange Sky is a community partner of oOh!media. In support oOh! recently participated in the Sudsy Challenge to raise awareness and funds for people experiencing homelessness or hardship.
