We-love your pre-loved

A fabulously revamped old wicker chair has won Black Rock man Martin Ball top prize in our popular upcycling and pre-loved styling competition.

Martin repaired the peacock roll back chair he found and gave it new life with a lick of paint and some second-hand cushions from the Family life Black Rock op shop.

The chair now sits proudly in the garden instead of rotting in landfill and has won Martin a $200 Eftpos voucher.

Our ‘Re-love your pre-loved’ competition – launched to celebrate Garage Sale Trail and National Recycling week – invited the community to share their second-hand finds and upcycled gems.

The idea proved popular, and we loved seeing your revamped pre-loved items and hearing the stories attached to them.

Thank you to everyone who took part and showed us how well pre-loved goods have graced their homes and yards.

The winners are:

People’s Choice Award

Sean Houston won a $200 Eftpos voucher

Laughing young woman sitting at a wooden dining table

Sean beautifully upcycled an outdoor dining table. The Oregon timber beams came from a friend’s pergola when he demolished and rebuilt his home in Hampton. The beams were planned, jointed and resurfaced. He has gifted the fabulous dining table to his daughter and they all enjoy family celebrations around it.

Overall winner

Martin Ball won a $200 Eftpos voucher

Happy man sitting in wicker chair he revamped

A discarded peacock roll back wicker chair was repaired, repainted and brightened up with second-hand cushions from the Family life Black Rock op shop

Highly Commended

Stella Chivers won a $50 Eftpos voucher

collection of colourful vintage tea and biscuit tins

A smiling-girl biscuit tin purchased for $5 at a garage sale has added a cheerful centre piece to Stella’s tin collection. The tins are handy for storing bits and pieces like her many crafting items.

Highly Commended

Helen Berwick won a $50 Eftpos voucher

Collections of old crockery, second hand cabinets, glassware and revamped chairs

This brilliant collection of second-hand goodies highlight’s Helen’s love for op shopping, tip shopping, finding street treasure, and trawling marketplace for preloved gems.

Helen explains why we should all love a pre-loved.

“Generally, I don’t have to do much to them at all,” she said.

“I restored the varnish on the crystal cabinet, recovered the cane chairs as the old covers were very moth eaten and mouldy. Most other things just need a really good clean, or buff or shine, and they come up beautifully.”

/Public Release. View in full here.