What kind of items do you fix?
I have been servicing small home appliances, electronics and mentoring new apprentices.
When did you first start volunteering with Repair Café Toronto?
I started volunteering for the Repair café August of 2017.
What is your day job?
I have been working for Epson Canada for 28 years. At first as a technical support specialist then I moved into technical training and after Covid I moved into the field servicing industrial printers and provide support for field technicians.
What is your favorite location?
My favorite location was at the tool library at St Clair and Oakwood.
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Learning never exhausts the mind” from Leonardo Da Vinci. A great inventor and a man of discovery. Someone who I greatly admire and find him to be an inspiration. He is someone who we can all learn from.
Why did you start getting interested in repairing things?
It started for me as a child when I began disassembling and assembling simple toys. I was curious to see how mechanical objects worked and operated. As I grew, my passion grew for more complex machines like cars. I was never the type to want to sit behind a desk and be a pencil pusher. I knew for me to expand my mind I needed to start with my hands.
How did you learn your skills?
My first official training began in High School. I attended Central Technical School and in the first two years I had the opportunity to take multiple courses from plumbing to electrical. My final two years I decided to major in automotive technology. After high school I trained as an automotive apprentice. This is where my mind truly expanded. Even though I enjoyed this trade I wanted to learn more and that’s when I attended multiply colleges and studied electronics.
What does it mean to you to volunteer at Repair Café Toronto?
For me to volunteer at the Repair Café Toronto means not only to repair items but I found that it also provides a sense of healing to someone who may bring in an item that has been in their possession for many years or even multiple generations.
What is the most memorable item you have fixed?
The most memorable item I fixed was a phonograph. A young woman had brought back with her I believe from south America and needed help assembling it. Once we had figured it out, it was amazing to hear one play. I’ve seen them in pictures but never touched one.
Why should people get involved with Repair Café Toronto?
Repair Café is not just about repairing items, but it creates a bond. From that bond the volunteers learn from our experiences and is passed on to our customers in the form of satisfaction and that satisfaction can be a simple smile.
Where do you see Repair Café Toronto in five years?
In five years, I can only see Repair café growing.