If you think the teams competing on TV’s House Rules pull off some amazing house transformations, you should meet the Work Party in the Pilbara this week!

Bendigo couple Marion and Laurie Anderson and Don Horsburgh from Lang Lang near Melbourne have travelled 5000km across the country to give their time, skills and hard yakka to make some huge improvements to the Frontier Services’ residences in South Hedland.

The houses accommodate respite services staff in the remote Pilbara region – without them, it would be virtually impossible to attract staff because accommodation costs are so high.

In less than a fortnight, the trio have made a huge difference to the properties, saving thousands of dollars in the process and getting the work done in a fraction of the time that it would normally take, especially in this region where tradespeople are costly and hard to find.

The volunteers have rebuilt a pergola, repainted all the living rooms in one house, installed a new gate, replaced termite-infested wood in the laundry, installed a new toilet cistern, replaced taps, door handles and more.

Pilbara Respite Services Manager Judy Drayton was extremely grateful: “What a crew, you can’t get service like this these days! It is just fabulous what they are doing and they are doing it because they enjoy it.”

“They’ve parked their vans at one of our sites and make their way here in the morning and then work all day! They are doing a brilliant job with everything.”

Laurie and Marion Anderson have volunteered on Work Parties since 2006. It has taken them right around Australia from Charleville, Emerald and Longreach in QLD to Queenstown in Tasmania, Katherine in the NT, Swifts Creek in Victoria and now to the Pilbara in the West.

“It is just something we do,” said Laurie, a builder with 50 years experience in construction. “We have a look around, meet lots of different people and do something to help other people.”

On their days off, they visited some of the surrounding sites, including Marble Bar, the hottest place in Australia.

Thanks our Work Party Coordinator Gordon Hill