The team at xxx cycle centre quickly became aware as students arrived back,
that there was a run on cycles - and not only by students. Non students,
recentl;y arrived immigrants, and kids were all after recycled cycles.

The cycle centre was hoping to attract donations of bikes and bike bits, and
also volunteers who wouldn't mind coming for an hour or so each week to fix
cycles in the workshop, when  yyy called.

Her father, who died last November, had spent the last 43 years fixing and
restoring children's bikes from his back shed, selling them at nominal prices,
and donating the proceeds to his church, where he fellowshipped for 56 years.

A carpenter by trade he had restored some 600 cycles and pedalcars, as well as
numerous swing-ball sets when he died aged 75. And by restored, his daughter
says that meant stripping off the rust, acidising the frame, sanding it down,
priming, undercoating and spray painting before reassembling and applying
original accessories and decals he went to Australia to acquire.

Some of his young customers put in orders for colour preferences.

"And he would spray the bikes pink, purple or yellow, whatever they wanted."

His daughter and her family have spent the time since his death, clearing out
the bikes and bits he didn't have time to dispose of. Frames were slung from
the rafters and covered every square metre of the floor. Progress through the
shed could only be made by diucking under the hanging cycles.

"The shed contained 43 years of hoardings and parts. Dad thought everything
could be repaired and that he could repair it. And what he repaired, he gave
away."

Her father also collected aluminium cans and was known by the local streetkids
as "Comalco", dontaing full fadges of cans to the IHC. He helped IHC children
with bikes and found them job openings. On top of this he had time to visit the
elderly, fetch groceries and provisions for them, and run a safe-house for
streetkids.