Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to acknowledge SecondLife Recrafted, a brilliant local small business from Saratoga in my electorate of Robertson. In early 2022, husband-and-wife duo Mark and Katie Silvia decided to act on an idea they both had for a long time, and so began SecondLife Recrafted. The business is centred on repurposing recycled timber that would otherwise have been taken to landfill and discarded. Mark, a carpenter of 20 years, handcrafts this recycled hardwood into magnificent homewares and kitchenware for sale. All purchases are accompanied by the history and background of each handcrafted item, which is a really unique selling point of the business. Mark and Katie specialise in repurposing and reusing locally sourced hardwood from demolished structures, as well as American oak whisky and French oak wine barrels.

The idea behind SecondLife Recrafted was heavily influenced by Mark's work and seeing, too often, good timber from construction sites being wasted. Mark could see that the timber still had plenty more life in it, but, because it was not needed, it would end up in a waste heap. Second Life Recrafted has been embraced by the Australian community not just on the Central Coast but across the nation. The business won an Australian Post Local Business Heroes business package totalling $6,000 worth of support. I want to congratulate Mark and Katie on the success of SecondLife Recrafted, and I would encourage all Australians to support local small businesses in their communities, as there are exceptional enterprises out there.