INLSA

COVER TO COVER: Theo Watson, a volunteer at the Hospice bookshop in Orange Grove, arranges books before packing them on shelves. The goods at Hospice Corner, ranging from clothes to books, entertainment gear and furniture, are donated. Pictures: Itumeleng English

THERESA TAYLOR

Bullets, guns, pornography and dagga are some of the unusual things that pensioner Dawn Dorfan has sifted through in the depot of Hospice Corner.

“There are a lot of (donations) that we don’t have the faintest idea what they are,” says Dorfan, who has been volunteering at Hospice for the past 12 years.

The weapons are given over to the police. The pornography is disposed of. Sometimes dagga comes in among the possessions of a deceased cancer sufferer – an aid to ease the pain in their last months.

“My husband wasn’t very popular when he flushed the dagga down the toilet,” admits Dorfan with a laugh.

Recently the shop received a pair of glass eyes – they sold within a few days. That’s the beauty of Hospice Corner – one man’s trash really is another man’s treasure.

STUFF FOR SALE: Santie Snyman, a general manager at the Hospice shops in Orange Grove, says theyre looking for someone truly funky to come and sort out their LPs. Picture: Itumeleng English

INLSA

The shop spans a large property on Louis Botha in Orange Grove and comprises 11 shops in one, ranging from music to clothing to collectables to bric-a-brac to furniture and books.

All the stock in the shop is donated and all the profits from sales go to the Hospice organisation, which works with cancer patients and their families.

Sometimes people drop off bags of stuff that is essentially junk.

“It might look like rubbish but we must go through it. We examine every single donation,” says Dorfan.

She recalls a time she diligently sifted through boxes of waste paper, and found a valuable gold Parker pen.

The book store is where many of Joburg’s second-hand book dealers start their day.

They come in to trawl the latest donations for finds. Some even come from as far as Zimbabwe and Malawi to find books to sell in their countries.

But Hospice Corner is more than a shop – it’s a community for those who shop there and for those who volunteer there.

Hospice volunteer Dawn Duckworth is nearly 80 and looks radiant in her sky-blue suit and beaded necklaces.

While explaining that the reason people love the Hospice shops is because they can always find something they like, a Spiderwick Chronicles book distracts her from what she is saying.

“Ooer! Look at this,” she exclaims. She points to the picture on the cover. “He looks like that hobbit from Harry Potter.”

The shop is overrun with books.

“It’s easy to find your way around if the minions put the books in the correct places,” says Duckworth.

“I’m a minion,” she adds mischievously.

Her sense of humour is sharp, and as shiny as the glossy book covers. Working for Hospice helps keep Duckworth active and on the ball.

“It’s nice to feel useful instead of sitting and crocheting,” she says.

She socialises with other volunteers. But, more important, she gains a sense of purpose from having a schedule and a place to be where people need her help.

In the music store the sound of jazz piano comes from a large light-wood music centre.

The shop has a large collection of CDs, video cassettes, LPs and books.

“People don’t want to come and volunteer because they associate Hospice with patients and illness, but I need someone truly funky to sort out my LPs,” says general manager Santie Snyman. “We want to move away from that image that we are yucky,” she says, pointing out the designer buys hiding on the rails and the shiny accessories.

Every month Snyman makes changes to her wardrobe, buying clothes and donating ones she no longer wears. “I’m rarely in the same thing twice,” she laughs.

Hospice also runs shops in Parkmore, Balfour and Cresta.

To donate goods or volunteer call 011 728 1052.