Mr. Perfect does a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle

It’s official. Bunnings have somehow gone even further up in my estimation since taking part in their famous Sausage Sizzles this past weekend at the Artarmon store in Lower North Shore Sydney.

To give you some backstory, when I arrived in Australia a decade ago my personal DIY skills used to be shocking. My father-in-law had to give me a detailed lesson on how to drill a simple hole in a wall to put up shelves. In comparison, my two brothers in the UK could put together a kitchen with their eyes closed, with my hands suited for the keyboard, rather than the toolbox.

My wife and I occasionally visited our nearest Bunnings store but increasingly since having two children and becoming more confident with such tasks around the house, Bunnings has become an almost weekly visit. Not just for any items we may need, but my 3 year-old loves the experience of running around the huge aisles with a kids trolley and helping me choose what we need (or add to my impulse purchases). And of course, the aroma of a Sausage Sizzle in the carpark is always too tempting to pass.

So when the charity I founded, Mr. Perfect, saw an opportunity to raise some community profile and funds by applying to run a Sausage Sizzle at the Artarmon store, we knew it was a perfect fit.

Mr. Perfect is a grassroots men’s mental health charity that holds casual Meetup BBQs across the country in over 20 locations currently, including Artarmon. Not only do we hold our own version of these Sausage Sizzles where people can come for a couple of hours to chat in the sunshine (most of the time), but we share Bunnings’ personable, warm approach, right down to their helpful staff. And of course we also buy our BBQ supplies there!

The Sunday just gone was no different. From 7am to 5pm a team of over ten guys and girls made sure Bunnings’ customers were well fed, in return contributing funds that go towards running our Meetup BBQs that are having a huge impact on the mental health of communities across Australia. So keen was one customer that he arrived 30 minutes before we could start and stayed for over 45 minutes to grab that first cooked sausage sandwich with onions!

Despite the day’s 30 degree heat, the team barely stopped, and even got to have some great conversations about what we do and why with customers. I stood back for a few moments when the heat got too much on the BBQ and absorbed the wave of gratitude for the people that made this day happen, including the staff at Bunnings. We even managed to break the record takings for a Sausage Sizzle at that store!

In future we hope to be able to take part in more of Bunnings’ Sausage Sizzles at various stores across the country where we hold our Meetup BBQs, and let more local communities know that there is always a place for them to come and feel safe, worth and supported.

To checkout a short showreel video from the day click here.

To find out more about Mr. Perfect go to www.mrperfect.org.au