Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett

Founders of Orange Sky Australia

What’s the idea behind Orange Sky Australia? Lucas

The first thing most of us are lucky enough to do in the morning is put on clean clothes. That idea inspired us to fit out and drive a van around to wash clothes for people who are experiencing homelessness; to give back a little dignity. Orange Sky now has 31 vans with showers and one laundry pod in Australia and two vans in New Zealand. We’ve washed more than 1.4 million kilograms of laundry.

What do you find rewarding about it? Nic

One of our friends [who uses the service] said it was the conversation that kept bringing him back. He said, “I can come and start talking about fishing, camping, whatever and you guys always join in. It alleviates a lot of pressure and that helps people.”

Washing takes time and that’s an awesome opportunity to have a chat with someone who is ignored for 99 per cent of the day.

Lucas: And what about the challenges? Nic

We received a large number of requests from people who’d lost everything due to the bushfires. It was a challenging time but also rewarding. We have friends who are having the toughest time of their lives, being lonely and isolated. But the unique thing about Orange Sky is that it’s based on human connection. We also see that in our volunteers and donors. We have a donor in Mount Isa who gives us a dollar a week from her pension and she feels like a part of a community that is greater than all of us.

Photograph by Ben Knight

Ricky Ponting in 2011

Tim Paine in 2019