A careful clear-out of Nan's unit in Reedy Creek

We've been in Reedy Creek for a while now, and this was the first time I'd paid someone to take rubbish away. Dad passed in the winter and I was the executor. I live in Melbourne, so I had a long weekend to clear his unit before the lease ended.

Her wardrobes were full of beautiful clothes, plus a sewing room with a machine, fabric, and boxes of patterns. There were also photo albums in every cupboard.

Reedy Creek is leafy hillside estates backing onto bushland reserves, and getting things out isn't always simple. Sloping driveways occasionally need a hand-carry.

I half expected to be put on hold, but it was the bloke who'd actually be doing the job. He asked about stairs and parking, which made me think he'd done this a few times.

Two of them turned up right on time in a tipper truck. Before they lifted anything, they walked the route from the pile to the truck and pointed out a couple of spots where they'd put down protection.

I was dreading the paperwork. The crew put anything with writing on it into separate boxes for me to check, and offered to take the rest for secure shredding instead of the tip.

When they were done, they swept up and walked me around to check. I paid the price we'd agreed, and that was it. The whole thing took less time than I'd spent worrying about it.

My advice to anyone in the same situation is not to wait as long as I did. The relief was worth more than the cost.