Orange Sky’s Vehicle Upgrade Project, Fuelled by Innovation
Innovation is part of our DNA at Orange Sky and continues to be the driving force behind our five year strategy; to triple our impact by 2025 whilst exploring new and improved ways to help more people in the community doing it tough.
Orange Sky was founded in a Brisbane garage in 2014 by 20-year-old mates, Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett. The duo pushed the limits and hatched a world-first idea to provide a simple, yet essential service to support people doing it tough.
They threw two washing machines and two dryers in the back of an old van, with a plan to visit parks around Brisbane and provide access to free laundry services. Eight years on, Orange Sky now operates in 36 locations across Australia, providing over 300 shifts every week, and is supported by over 2,500 incredible volunteers.
In everything we do, we’ve strived to think outside the box; from our expansion into mobile showers, to building a software platform that supports other not-for-profits to manage their volunteer operations, and most recently, innovative engineering to upgrade our entire van fleet across Australia to significantly reduce environmental impact and maximise service reliability.
Two key features included in the upgrade project have been the removal of diesel generators that have now been replaced with solar-powered equipment and battery banks. In addition, all vans have been fitted out with the innovative Orange Sky ‘Waru Dryer’ – the world’s first clothes dryer to use fuel-powered air heaters and solar-powered batteries. Gary, one of our long-standing volunteers in Townsville, is just one of many who is already seeing great impacts from the vehicle upgrade project.
“I love using the upgraded van. It is easier to use, and more reliable for everyone. The vans now have brand new washing machines and dryers that work more efficiently. They are solar powered as well, which is great for the environment and without the noisy diesel generators, the new vans are wonderfully quiet.” – Gary, Townsville Volunteer.
With innovation at the forefront, backed by the continued support of our volunteers, friends and partners, the vehicle upgrades will reduce Orange Sky’s electrical consumption by up to 90%. Additionally, we can help an estimated 1,000 additional friends across Australia every year, and continue our mission to provide the best experience for our friends and volunteers.
“Every organisation can take little steps to reduce their impact on the environment, and this vehicle upgrade is just one small step in our journey to be better for the environment” – Nic, Orange Sky Co-Founder.
Dreaming about new and better ways to do what we do, and then making it happen speaks volumes to us at Orange Sky, and continues to be the fuel that powers our impact. We see innovation as an opportunity to create impactful change, and with the rising cost of living making it harder for everyone to get by, Orange Sky wants to be there to support the growing number of people doing it tough by creating a safe space for connection -our mission since day one.
Learn more about innovation at Orange Sky
Meet Orange Sky’s newest Board Member, Keiron Lander
Orange Sky is excited to welcome Keiron Lander as the newest Non Executive Director. Keiron brings to the board table his expertise in preventative health and youth advocacy, with a focus on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ outcomes.
A proud Dieri and Mithaka man from South West Queensland (Quilpie), Keiron is passionate about leaving a legacy of progress in his footsteps.
We sat down with Keiron to learn more about his background, values, and what drove him to be a board member for Orange Sky Australia. Yarning under the fig trees in Brisbane (Meanjin), Keiron’s passion for community, deep thinking and knack for storytelling became clear.
“How do you think people learn anything important?” Keiron asked.
“Storytelling,” he said.
Orange Sky is grateful to share an aspect of Keiron’s story and benefit from his voice in supporting Australians experiencing homelessness.
Background
Career highlights:
- Deadly Choices – State Operations Manager | 2010 – 2022
- Rugby League – Coach Ipswich Jets | 2016 – 2021
- Young Guns Container Crew – Head of Indigenous Impact | 2022 – present
Keiron’s professional history represents an exceptionally hands-on approach to supporting his community. Keiron was instrumental in the early development of one of Australia’s most successful preventative health programs, Deadly Choices. As the State Operations Manager for over a decade, Keiron and his team played a role in growing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples health checks by 762% (since 2010, source: Deadly Choices).
Keiron’s work at Deadly Choices was alongside a successful decade in professional Rugby League, as a player and coach. In both roles, he honed his leadership craft, ultimately learning his passion for improving youth engagement. Since April 2022, Keiron has channelled this passion at Young Guns Container Crew, leading their Indigenous impact strategy aimed at getting young people into the labour market.
Values
Keiron’s character and drive were shaped by a childhood of strong family ties and sport. Growing up in and around Mithaka Country, Keiron’s connection to Country and sporting success developed his commitment to teamwork, reciprocity, and camaraderie. Whether it is his teammates on the field, disengaged youth or people sleeping rough, Keiron won’t rest if people are left behind.
“I grew up working hard for my rugby teams, workplace and my community. I don’t do things in halves,” Keiron said.
Values
Keiron’s character and drive were shaped by a childhood of strong family ties and sport. Growing up in and around Mithaka Country, Keiron’s connection to Country and sporting success developed his commitment to teamwork, reciprocity, and camaraderie. Whether it is his teammates on the field, disengaged youth or people sleeping rough, Keiron won’t rest if people are left behind.
“I grew up working hard for my rugby teams, workplace and my community. I don’t do things in halves,” Keiron said.
Orange Sky Board
Despite already undertaking significant professional, family and community roles, Keiron says that a strong value alignment drew him to Orange Sky. Orange Sky’s focus on community-led engagement and improving safe and inclusive spaces, is of key interest to Keiron.
With Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander peoples over-represented in the homeless population, we acknowledge the considerable work yet to be done. Keiron is passionate about Orange Sky growing our social impact with and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Not only in remote settings, but in all locations in which we operate, and, most importantly, enriched within our policies and culture. See Orange Sky’s Reconciliation Action Plan – click here.
The decision to apply for and accept the Orange Sky Board role was not taken lightly. Keiron shared the importance that his community played as he considered the opportunity.
“I discussed the opportunity at great length with my old people. They walked with me on the journey and reassured me that this was a good path,” Keiron said.
Among his interest in governance and training, Keiron made his eagerness to visit Orange Sky shifts clear. He hopes to don an orange shirt and connect with our friends and volunteers.
“We learn through stories. So, for me to learn the real stories of Orange Sky, I need to speak to the people we serve,” Keiron said.
What’s next for Keiron and Orange Sky?
Keiron was appointed as a Board Member at the 2022 Orange Sky Annual General Meeting in November 2022. Keiron joins a committed Board including Andrew Fraser, Paula Holden, Lucas Patchett, Nicholas Marchesi, Nick Miller, Sommer Davies and Lachlan Mitchell.
The Orange Sky family welcomes Keiron as part of the Board, helping us to positively connect more communities. In his role on the Board, he will directly contribute to our strategic goal of providing fit-for-purpose governance to deliver our mission.
Want to know more about our Orange Sky Board members?
Yvonne reflects on why volunteering is more important than ever before
December 5th marks a very special day in the Orange Sky calendar – it’s International Volunteer Day. It’s an opportunity to celebrate our remarkable team of volunteers and the work they do each day to positively connect communities across Australia and New Zealand through washing, showers and most importantly, genuine, non-judgmental conversations.
Each week, teams of volunteers gather in communities across Australia to provide a safe, welcoming and reliable space for our friends doing it tough. In these times of financial uncertainty, our remarkable volunteers are needed now more than ever before. One such Volunteer is Yvonne, who reflects first hand on this need, and explains how important it is to ease the load for our friends doing it tough.
Delassa (Gemai’s Mum) and Yvonne (Orange Sky Volunteer)
“My name’s Yvonne and I’m a Team Leader at Orange Sky. We are a really busy shift with about five people who are volunteers that assist with the laundry on a Monday. None of the little houses have any laundry facilities at all so we are a really highly desirable service for the area. I have an appreciation of the situations some of our friends find themselves in, where they don’t even have six dollars to go over to the laundromat to wash their clothes. The $6 that they saved by doing their laundry with us at Orange Sky meant that they ate lunch that day.”
Gemai is one of those women, who as Yvonne explains, lives right next to where they park the van.
“Gemai has a number of children, two of whom are autistic which places a lot of extra demands on her time and money. Gemai knows we’re here, she accesses us on a weekly basis and she’s the most pleasant, polite, engaging lady that you could get. Her Mum [Delassa] also lives in the complex too, she’s just a delightful lady, we really enjoy engaging with her and providing a service for her.
We’re making their lives a little bit easier by doing what I think is a fairly small thing, but to them is something really huge. I don’t think we should underestimate that, I think it’s a great thing that we do to help them”.
With the rising costs of living affecting so many communities across Australia, it’s more important than ever for volunteers like Yvonne to be there to help #EaseTheLoad.
A YEAR IN REVIEW: 2022
At the close of 2022 year, we can reflect on the enormous challenge of the past 12 months.
From COVID-19 through to the floods in South East QLD and NSW Northern Rivers, Orange Sky worked hard to positively connect communities, supporting people with access to free mobile laundry, warm showers and genuine conversations.
This year Orange Sky saw growth in services, innovation and impact.
We launched new services - including four in remote communities (Aurukun, Yungngora, Yakanarra, Galwinku) - and led a number of successful ventures, including vehicle upgrades that will allow our fleet to be more reliable, user-friendly and better for the environment. As an organisation, we are committed to being an ethical, sustainable and inclusive charity leader, and we’re proud to have a Reconciliation Action Plan.
We want to say a massive thank you to our partners, donors, volunteers and friends who have stayed with us, trusted us and supported us throughout the year.
Orange Sky cannot have an impact without you!
Hear from our community
Lean more about Orange Sky's Reconciliation Action Plan
OUR PRINCIPAL PARTNER
OUR NATIONAL PARTNER
OUR PARTNERS
Orange Sky Australia • 2020 • 17 Dover Street, Albion Queensland 4010 • (07) 3067 5800 • ABN/Charity ID: 85890622990 • We are a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) All donations over $2 are fully tax deductible as a Deductible Gift Recipient by the Australian Tax Office.
Orange Sky acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the traditional custodians of the land across Australia. We pay our respect to Ancestors and their descendants who hold a continued cultural and spiritual connection to the land, seas and community and would like to recognise and uphold Indigenous knowledges and contributions of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. We are committed to working together to create a positive future through our Reconciliation Action Plan.
Orange Sky Innovations Recognised for Design Excellence
Orange Sky’s RV3.0 Vehicle and Waru Dryer recently received an Australian Good Design Award Winner Accolade in the Social Impact category for outstanding design and innovation.
Orange Sky’s Co-Founder and Chief Delta Officer, Nicholas Marchesi (pictured, right) and Designer, Magnus Murray-Douglas (left) accepted the award at the 2022 Australian Good Design Awards last month.
The Australian Good Design Awards is the country’s most prestigious award recognising design and innovation. The Awards celebrate the best new products and services on the international market. Projects recognised with an Australian Good Design Award demonstrate excellence in professional design and highlight the impact a design-led approach has on business success and social and environmental outcomes.
Orange Sky was recognised with two Design Excellence Awards for the Waru Dryer and RV3.0 Vehicle. Both innovations were developed by Orange Sky’s own Team Delta – a department focused on ‘Imagination and Innovation’. The department name of Delta is linked to the Greek triangle and symbolises change and growth.
Waru Dryer – Good Design Excellence Award
The idea for harnessing the sun’s power to develop a solar-powered dryer was born in while Nic was under the scorching Anangu Central Desert sun. The Waru Dryer provides more efficient ways to support our friends doing it tough, whilst being kinder to our planet. Learn more about the Waru Dryer here.
The Good Design Awards jury commented: “The Waru Dryer is an innovative solution to support people doing it tough whilst being kinder to our planet. The product design incorporates innovative technical solutions to reduce energy consumption and increase operational efficiencies. This design is coupled with the moving artwork which honours the ideas and traditions of Indigenous culture and seeks to positively connect local communities.”
RV3.0 Vehicle – Good Design Excellence Award
The Orange Sky RV3.0 is the world’s first solar and battery-powered laundry truck supporting health and social outcomes for remote Australians. Fitted with three washing machines and dryers, the RV3.0 provides free mobile laundry to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island communities. Learn more about the RV3.0 Vehicle here.
The Good Design Awards jury commented: “An innovative address of the challenges and requirements of a vehicle under extreme conditions. The social challenges experienced in rural and remote regions are impressively articulated and integrated into the business model. Exceptional post-disaster opportunities are a highlight.”
CEO of Good Design Australia and Chair of the Australian Good Design Awards, Dr. Brandon Gien said: “To be recognised with an Australian Good Design Award is a significant achievement, given the incredibly high standard of projects submitted in this year’s Awards. The Good Design Award is a valuable independent endorsement of professional design quality.”
“We know that good design, when used effectively, can improve our quality of life and make the world around us better, safer, more efficient and more beautiful.”
Thanks to our amazing team of staff and supporters who made the Waru Dryer and RV3.0 possible. To learn more about how Orange Sky is using innovation to improve how we operate, click here.
Vehicle weight 2 - volunteer
Orange Sky has made some key changes to our processes for operating our some of our vans. We’d like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work with local leadership teams to find resolutions to minimise disruption to your volunteer experience.
If you have any questions that aren’t covered in the below FAQ, or you believe that your shift could be impacted but you haven’t been contacted about this, please use this form to let us know!
FAQs
Our vehicles undergo rigorous testing and regular safety audits to ensure they meet compliance standards and current legislation. This benchmarking is completed alongside external organisations to ensure that Orange Sky meets and exceeds the safety standards across all parts of our operations. This issue arose during a routine audit of our van fleet. Once we were aware that there was a compliance standard issue, the operations and risk teams began operating and acting on it immediately and with urgency.
Yes. Specifically, once the requirements for our shower vans and Laurie (hybrid van) are executed on to reduce weight they are safe to drive.
At Orange Sky, we’ve always found ways of tackling challenging problems with innovative solutions. These changes are currently permanent until we can find a longer term solution. We will continue exploring alternative compliance options and future enhancements to allow our shower vans and Laurie (hybrid van) to carry passengers and full water tanks again whilst driving.
This can still be achieved. Training a new driver in a shower van (or Laurie hybrid van) can be completed by ensuring there is no water onboard, so an experienced driver of an Orange Sky van can travel as a passenger while the new volunteer becomes competent in driving the van. We recommend a volunteer travels to and from shift twice before travelling on their own.
Yes. You will have to drive back to the van base on your own in the van. However, if you feel unsafe dropping the van back to base late at night on your own, we would encourage a buddy system, where another volunteer follows in their own car back to base until you are safely back in your own car or form of transport. In light of these changes, we are now looking to have water and waste available at all of our shift locations. On the rare occasion where you may need to empty or refill late at night, our advice is to hand this task to the next available shift to complete in daylight hours by communicating with your service leader that you will no longer be able to fulfil this requirement.
No, unfortunately Orange Sky is not able to assist with parking costs associated with attending shift. However, where possible, Orange Sky will prioritise shifts with parking available and in close proximity to public transport. However, this isn’t always possible. If you are being impacted by these changes, please fill in this form, and someone from Orange Sky HQ can contact you to discuss alternative options to support your ongoing volunteering with Orange Sky
If there is another OS volunteer available (not a friend or member of the public) ask them to be a spotter to help guide the van when reversing. If no one is available to spot, make sure the hazard lights are on, and the driver’s and passengers’ windows are down so you can hear noises from any oncoming vehicles or approaching pedestrians. Be mindful of members of the public wearing headphones and not paying attention, and other vehicles passing by.
These options are at the discretion of the team’s involved, and could change from shift to shift depending on circumstances. We encourage the driver of the vehicle to always check if the water tanks are empty before allowing a passenger to drive with them in the van.
We are currently upgrading our training documents and will be adhering instructional stickers inside our vans, so a reminder will always be present for our flexible volunteers.
Unfortunately, there is no manual drainage point on the clean water tank in our shower vans or Laurie. If you need to drain any water in the clean water tank, it must be transferred to the waste water tank before draining. This means you will need to run a shower to transfer the water over.
We expect that your shift will still be able to run with a limited amount of showers and washing loads. The 250L in the tank available could allow for around 2-3 showers and 2-3 loads of washing, depending on the load sizes.
We will be supplying you with a Smart Flow Meter to attach to the water point when you fill your tank. This has a digital reading showing how many litres of water is going into the water tank. We expect these to arrive to you in the first week of October.
Vehicle weight - volunteer
Orange Sky has made some key changes to our processes for operating laundry vans, both upgraded and non-upgraded. We’d like to thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work with local leadership teams to find resolutions to minimise disruption to your volunteer experience.
If you have any questions that aren’t covered in the below FAQ, or you believe that your shift could be impacted but you haven’t been contacted about this, please use this form to let us know!
FAQs
Our vehicles undergo rigorous testing and regular safety audits to ensure they meet compliance standards and current legislation. This benchmarking is completed alongside external organisations to ensure that Orange Sky meets and exceeds the safety standards across all parts of our operations. This issue arose during a routine audit of our van fleet. Once we were aware that there was a compliance standard issue, the operations and risk teams began operating and acting on it immediately and with urgency.
Yes. Specifically, once the requirements for non-upgraded laundry vans and upgraded laundry vans are executed on to reduce weight they are safe to drive.
At Orange Sky, we’ve always found ways of tackling challenging problems with innovative solutions. These changes are currently permanent until we can find a longer term solution. As we continue to upgrade the remainder of our fleet, we’re looking to refine the upgrade design further and are exploring alternative compliance options and future enhancements to allow our laundry vans to carry passengers and water again whilst driving.
Services with upgraded vans
This can still be achieved. Training a new driver in an upgraded laundry van can be completed by ensuring there is no water onboard, so an experienced driver of an Orange Sky van can travel as a passenger while the new volunteer becomes competent in driving the van. We recommend a volunteer travels to and from shift twice before travelling on their own.
Services with non-upgraded vans
As no passengers are able to travel in a non-upgraded Orange Sky van, we recommend holding off on asking new volunteers to drive until your van has been upgraded. However, we understand that this may not be possible under certain circumstances, and you may need a new driver to keep the shift running. In this instance, an experienced Orange Sky volunteer should use the New driver guide (for non-upgraded vans) to train volunteers in driving the Orange Sky van.
Yes. You will have to drive back to the van base on your own in the van. However, if you feel unsafe dropping the van back to base late at night on your own, we would encourage a buddy system, where another volunteer follows in their own car back to base until you are safely back in your own car or form of transport. In light of these changes, we are now looking to have water and waste available at all of our shift locations. On the rare occasion where you may need to empty or refill late at night, our advice is to hand this task to the next available shift to complete in daylight hours by communicating with your service leader that you will no longer be able to fulfil this requirement.
No, unfortunately Orange Sky is not able to assist with parking costs associated with attending shift. However, where possible, Orange Sky will prioritise shifts with parking available and in close proximity to public transport. However, this isn’t always possible. If you are being impacted by these changes, please fill in this form, and someone from Orange Sky HQ can contact you to discuss alternative options to support your ongoing volunteering with Orange Sky
If there is another OS volunteer available (not a friend or member of the public) ask them to be a spotter to help guide the van when reversing. If no one is available to spot, make sure the hazard lights are on, and the driver’s and passengers’ windows are down so you can hear noises from any oncoming vehicles or approaching pedestrians. Be mindful of members of the public wearing headphones and not paying attention, and other vehicles passing by.
Vehicle leaders are being instructed on how to remove the spare tyre from the van, which will happen within the next two weeks. As we have comprehensive roadside assistance in place, in the event of a breakdown we encourage all volunteers to contact Service Support.
All of our vans have roadside assistance available, so there is no reason to have a spare tyre onboard the van. Please contact Service Support and the team will provide assistance.
These options are at the discretion of the team’s involved, and could change from shift to shift depending on circumstances. We encourage the driver of the vehicle to always check if the water tanks are empty before allowing a passenger to drive with them in the van.
We are currently upgrading our training documents and will be adhering instructional stickers inside our vans, so a reminder will always be present for our flexible volunteers.
Here is a list of upgraded vs non-upgraded laundry vans.
Upgraded laundry vans
| Van | Location |
| Mikey | Sunshine Coast, QLD |
| Peggy | Townsville, QLD |
| Splasher | Adelaide, SA |
| Sandy | Brisbane, QLD |
| Tubbsy | Canberra, ACT | Koorda | Perth, WA |
Non-upgraded laundry vans
|
Van |
Location |
|
Bubbles |
Townsville, QLD |
|
Sadie |
Melbourne, VIC |
| Bluey |
Geelong, VIC |
|
Marcia |
Melbourne NW, VIC |
| Dasher |
Melbourne SE, VIC |
|
Jelley Fish |
Hobart, TAS |
| Cathy |
Port Macquarie, NSW |
| Tumbles |
Central Coast, NSW |
|
Hunter |
Newcastle, NSW |
| Rebecca |
Sydney, NSW |
| Daisy |
Wollongong,NSW |
You can empty the clean water tank by using the manual drainage point on the tank. The draining point is located at the rear of the vehicle, inside under the washing machines. A hose at least a few feet in length will be required to ensure that there is clearance from the van (however, it doesn’t have to be a full length hose).
VOLUNTEERS WITH SHIFT CANCELLED
Our main goal as a result of these changes is to limit the number of cancelled shifts as much as possible. If a shift has been paused during this process, our Community Impact Team will be working hard to find alternative solutions to allow the shift to resume as soon as possible. We will be in contact with impacted teams if circumstances change and we are able to resume a shift and/or if we have new information regarding the changes that have come into effect.
Yes, if there is an alternative shift that you can attend, please apply to be included on this team in Volaby under Volunteering > Activities.
Unfortunately, we are unable to directly notify friends of cancelled shifts. There are two ways that they will be able to learn this information. Firstly, via our ‘find a shift’ locations page on the website where when they search for a shift it will come up as ‘cancelled’. They will then have the option to explore other shifts available in their local area. Secondly, we encourage you and your fellow volunteers to share via word of mouth with our friends and service providers if a shift can no longer go ahead.
Yes. After your van has been upgraded, your van will be able to carry water in the water and waste tanks to and from the service location (but won’t be able to carry passengers). This means that your shift will be able to restart and continue to provide friends with access to clean laundry and genuine, non-judgmental conversations.
Please see below an indicative timeline of when vans will be upgraded. Please note this is subject to change: we will keep you in the loop as these upgrades are rolled out.
|
Van |
Location |
Scheduled Upgrade |
|
Sadie |
Melbourne, VIC |
October 2022 |
|
Bluey |
Geelong, VIC |
October 2022 |
|
Marcia |
Melbourne NW, VIC | October 2022 |
| Dasher | Melbourne SE, VIC |
October 2022 |
|
Jelley Fish |
Hobart, TAS | October 2022 |
| Cathy | Port Macquarie, NSW |
Cathy is being replaced with laundry pods. |
|
Tumbles |
Central Coast, NSW | November 2022 |
| Rebecca | Sydney, NSW | November 2022 |
| Daisy | Wollongong, NSW | November 2022 |
| Hunter | Newcastle, NSW | December 2022 |
Unfortunately not. The Orange Sky HQ team is working as fast as they can to ensure that the vehicle upgrades can be completed to the highest standard and in the fastest time frame in line with our project delivery plan. The team are currently exploring what changes we can make to address the weight issues and minimise their ongoing impact on the future delivery of our services.
No. We have been in touch with all affected service providers that we partner with that have had shifts cancelled as a result of these changes, and let them know if we will no longer be able to attend the shift at this time.
Yes. If your shift has been cancelled temporarily and you would like to opt out of any non-essential operational emails, please fill in this form.