Perth Voice Interactive

EIGHTY-FOUR-YEAR-OLD volunteer Max Lurie has been shortlisted as a finalist in the 2014 community champions award.

For nine years he has recruited volunteers to refurbish discarded computers and sent them to children in developing countries.

Over the past 10 years the group has delivered more than 2000 PCs to orphanages, schools and charity organisations throughout Tanzania, Burma, Kenya, Cameroon and Zambia.

It diverts thousands more from landfill by restoring them and giving them to Australian seniors, pensioners, students and others who find it hard to afford new technology.

The operation is run by the Perth Lions Club but most work is done by local volunteers, including kids with disabilities.

Mr Lurie says even PCs too far gone for repair can be cannibalised for 95 per cent of their parts: “Every Wednesday volunteers gather to complete the sorting, refurbishing, and packaging of the donated equipment ready for shipment.

“This provides an outlet for those individuals to enjoy the company of like-minded people in the knowledge that they ‘get out of the house’ for one day a week and that the effort put in is to the advantage of needy people all over our planet.”

The season’s community champions award will be named April 28.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK