04/12/2025
We are really proud of our continuing support for our friends at the Brollie Brigade. Below is a report from Jim Mellor on activities over the last year . It’s longish but worth a read . It’s great to see what can be achieved when we all work together.
Dear supporters, colleagues, friends,
With summer heating up, the holiday season upon us and 2025 almost in the rear-view mirror, we’re past due for a quick update.
The truck that you all made possible has now been in full service for a year, following a two-week trial in late Nov 2024.
Showers & Haircuts given
As of this writing, we are well on track to exceed 1000 showers for the calendar year. In the previous year, we averaged around 500 showers while using the interim trailer for service.
We have 15+ official service stops already scheduled for December, even with some hubs suspending and some organisations closing over the holidays. We are now also providing some non-hub services.
Prior to the loss of access to the east truck we were paying to use up until early 2023, we peaked at around 1500 showers per year and we are confident that we will meet or exceed that average in the second half of 2026.
We are also averaging in the range of 5-600 haircuts for the year. Our small but dedicated hairdressing team is far more popular than our shower service 😊 and, if more opportunities were available, they would probably far exceed our shower statistics (and enjoy the bragging rights).
Service stops and activities continue to expand
The Shopfront. At last update, we were preparing to begin a fortnightly Monday lunch time service, which is still operating and will continue into the new year. We are averaging 1- 4 showers per visit.
Vic Park Community Centre. We have increased our presence to weekly over the last three months and will continue going forward. We generally provide 4-8 showers with occasional haircuts. Monday evenings include food and laundry.
Salvos Merriwa. We have been providing a fortnightly Thursday service alongside a Salvo’s hot breakfast and average 2-4 showers per service and probably 4-6 haircuts per month. In 2026, we will likely shift to Friday brunch alongside Positive Spin laundry and increase to weekly service when able.
Moore St. We are determined to add fortnightly Thursday evenings to our weekly Tuesday services in 2026, but we have a few logistical challenges to overcome first.
Service stops challenges – an anecdote
We have been pursuing an arrangement to support Midland Meals, which provide a 365-day evening meal service in a public carpark. We have held discussions with the City of Swan, the carpark owners, for six months and have recently been informed that we will need to submit a development application and be approved before we can either visit weekly with the shower truck or provide a pop-up water station that would enable Midland Meals to provide daily showers using our trailer.
Going forward, we are focussing on the second option as either requires a DA and the trailer option will support more people in need as it can be left in Midland and be readily available.
Showers & hygiene field triage
On an increasing number of occasions in the second half of 2025, we have learned of people sleeping in carparks in the northern suburbs, both inside of and without cars, as well as becoming aware of a few encampments on the edges.
For people for whom a tent is home, they cannot safely attend a service hub and risk losing everything so, when we deem safe and appropriate, we are now bringing the showers directly to them. We intend to provide more of these services in 2026 – the ultimate best use of a mobile service that can operate independent of power and water supplies.
Winter Warmer call-out a success
With your generous support, we were able to keep up with the steady demand for sleeping bags, mats and packs throughout the cold and wet months. Even with the change of seasons, we are still using the tail end of the allotment you provided to keep up with requests. Thank you for making it possible.
Depot search and interim solution
While we continue the search for a small central depot, and squirrel away some savings in anticipation, we are most grateful that the Perth Alliance Church in Kewdale has stepped forward to provide us with an interim solution.
Their timing is great, as we will shortly lose our ad hoc truck storage on a vacant residential lot in Vic Park. Their secure carpark will also provide a safe place for volunteers to pick up the truck and store their own vehicle. We anticipate that we’ll also be able to use a small storage place for restocking our consumables, exchanging towels and storing some donations.
In appreciation, we’ve cut the grass, added some compacted gravel levelling, added parking dots to all of the bays, repaired pavers and are sprucing up the entry gates.
Thank you all; for making our service possible, for keeping us viable and ensuring the we remain sustainable as we grow our impact. It only works because all of us make it possible, working together. We’ve been out and about, staying connected and also finding new friends and look forward to sharing some of those stories in the near future.
As we look forward to 2026, may everyone first enjoy a holiday season that provides for rest, relaxation, recharge and of course laughs with those who are nearest and dearest.
Our appreciation as always and best regards,
Jim on behalf of the team
