Jamie Jansen

Journalist

Local legend Bruce Ferguson recently celebrated his 84th birthday, but he’s showing no signs of slowing down. Since starting his 10c container collection two and a half years ago, he’s gathered 250,000 bottles and cans, raising $25,000 for community projects.

By December last year, Bruce had already hit the 200,000 mark. Just a few months later, he added another 50,000 to his tally.

The money raised has already made a visible difference. 

It helped fund a donation bin for the NicNak Shed, a new barbecue for community events, shade structures at the Centre’s entrance, and monthly dinners for the Men’s Breakfast group. 

His most recent project involved insulating the Centre’s maintenance shed and building a new internal wall, dubbed the “Great Wall of Bruce” by staff.

“It was like a sauna in that shed,” Bruce said. “We added insulation, a ceiling, and built new walls. It’s a lot better now.”

With funds from his latest haul of 50,000 containers still set aside, Bruce is taking his time to choose the next project.

In the meantime, he keeps collecting. Every day, Bruce spends four to five hours making his rounds through town, often diving into wheelie bins at local resorts.

When he’s not out collecting, he volunteers with the Centre’s food distribution team and helps unload the Harvest truck every Tuesday.

“If there's a need, and you’ve got the time, why not help?” he said.

It’s that simple mindset that’s turned thousands of cans into something that really helps his community.