Forty years of 'that might come in handy' in Surfers Paradise
Belinda Kelly · Shed Cleanout · Surfers Paradise
The story
I found Clear Out by searching on my phone while standing in the middle of the mess in Surfers Paradise. My father-in-law built his shed in 1983 and never threw anything out. When he moved in with us, the shed had to go empty before the house sold.
Old drums, rusted roofing iron, pallets, a ride-on mower frame, a pile of tyres, fencing wire and a couple of rotted bags of cement.
Surfers Paradise is a dense high-rise beachside centre where most homes are apartments and short-stay units, and getting things out isn't always simple. Metered street frontage is limited along Cavill Avenue and the Esplanade, so we usually load from basement car parks or side service lanes.
When I rang, the person who answered asked a few simple questions about what it was, where it was and how to get to it, and said they could come and look that afternoon.
The crew pulled up, had a look, and told me the price straight away. No surprises, no 'we'll see how it goes'. I said yes and they got started within five minutes.
A lot of it was metal, and the crew kept it all separate for scrap. Chris said it took a fair bit of weight off what went to the tip, which helped the price.
What I appreciated most was that nothing was rushed and nothing was a hassle. They explained where everything was going: charity, recycling or the tip. I felt good about it.
It's a small thing, but having someone else carry it all out made a much bigger difference than I expected.