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Freecycle Piano

I mentioned I am a member of Freecycle locale Brisbane. This is their mission statement:

"Our mission is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community."


Freecycle is active all around the world and basically you "offer" or "want" something and put it on the local site.  All members get email updates daily of stuff wanted and on offer.  Then you make arrangements for collection/drop off  via email through your local Freecycle email address.


I needed a piano for my son who has been learning piano for two years and practicing on an electric Casio keyboard. These don't actually have the complete set of keys so he was running out and that limited his learning.  His keyboard was doing strange things and we were getting desperate. (He had his tonsils and adenoids out last week so he hasn't played it yet but was overwhelmed at how wonderful it is)


Anyway, with not much hope I put up a wanted: piano with good guts (insides!) as I didn't want to have to pay to move and tune a piano I couldn't afford to restore. Well I had offers of not one, but two pianos.  The first one is the one I accepted as the insides were done about 10 years ago but it was never played after this.


And here is my Freecycle piano...


The yellow on the left is the keyboard with the cover and music pouch. 



It is just over 100 years old with real ivory keys ... beautiful, no? I was gobsmacked when I saw it and because I know nothing about pianos, I asked the piano teacher to go and have a look for me.  She couldn't believe someone was giving it away! It needs a few keys tweaked and after settling a few weeks, a tune also.  I could not just accept this beautiful piano so I have a voucher for the lady who passed it on to us. I am so grateful! The mover/tuner/restorer valued it quite highly - what a treasure.


I love the concept of Freecycle ... I hate waste and therefore tend no to throw things away if they are still viable but no longer useful for me. This allows the gifting of stuff to someone who needs and it takes it off your hands .. WIN/WIN!!!  I love it.


Do you Freecycle?

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Comments

LinB said…
I've read about Free Cycle but never used it. What a lovely piece of furniture! Glad you were able to acquire it -- and I'm sure its owner is happy that it went to a good home, and not to a burn pile somewhere. I work at a church, and we are forever being offered clapped out sofas and broken tables and unplayable piano). When they don't sell at fundraising auctions, we are forced to either pay to have them hauled off, or use them as fuel for Youth Group bonfires. Your instrument has saved you time, expense, and air pollution. Happy January!
26 January, 2012 02:29
Anita (Summer Gypsy) said…
Wow. What an awesome find! Piano's are such special things. I have a friend who needs to get rid of hers and feels terrible letting it go, what with all the memories. This is a great idea to give it to a loving home. How warm and cozy to know it found a grateful home where it would be loved!
14 February, 2012 01:42
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