Canberra Daily recently embarked on a DIY journey to make homemade citrus garlands. Our main obstacle was sourcing a dehydrator; it was one of those situations where you needed to use something once and were unlikely to use it again. Purchasing a dehydrator for just one use would not only be financially foolish, but not very eco-friendly either.
As we brainstormed possible solutions, a lightbulb switched on above our editor – she recalled seeing a website called the Community Toolbox Canberra where members can borrow items they need and return them after use. After a quick google search, we were in luck … they had dehydrators available.
A few phone calls and days later, I ventured to Watson to meet the lovely Rebecca and pick up our glorious dehydrator. Volunteer-led, the Community Toolbox is packed to the brim with all kinds of weird and wonderful items. Need an ice-cream machine? They have one. Need pet clippers? Check. Impact drill? Yep! They even have a pretty-in-pink kayak. The name is deceptive; there’s definitely more than just tools at the toolbox.
After chatting with Rebecca and choosing from the five available dehydrators, I was on my way back to the office. Ready to begin our citrus garland making adventure, we quickly realised no one at CW had experience using a dehydrator. Fortunately, our photographer became the knight in shining armour we never knew we needed. The loan period of an item at the Community Toolbox is generally two weeks, but they’re pretty flexible on timing. I’ll be returning it during their opening hours of 10am-1pm on Saturdays.
The experience of borrowing from the Community Toolbox was fantastic. It felt like what my grandparents would describe as a ‘friendly neighbourhood’ – you could borrow a drill from Bob next door, a cake tin from Mary on the other side, and John’s mower from across the street. I think it’s a great initiative that feels innately Canberran, and I’m eying off their underwater skateboard for my next Community Toolbox escapade.
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