Jeanene Annie-Brown has been with Newey's Drive Thru Cleaners for 30 years

She had just started learning the craft in high school and, like most grandparents, he was perceptive enough to know how far the hobby could take her in life.

"It was just a little machine and I sewed little things at home," she recalled.

"I wasn't too bad, so I just went with it."

Decades later and she is still utilising that skill learnt when she was just a teenager.

For the past 30 years she has worked at Newey's Drive Thru Cleaners with the majority of that time spent in the clothes repair section.

"I don't think I made a conscious choice to do it, but when the job came up and it was sewing, I went for it," Ms Annie-Brown said.

"I get to sit over there in my own little corner and get on with it."

While there are plenty of regulars she has gotten to know over the years, one thing she loves about the job is that no two weeks, days or even pair of jeans are the same.

"It's not like you're sewing the same thing over and over," she added.

"You sometimes even get a bit of a challenge and I don't mind that."

Ms Annie-Brown noted that often people would come in to try something on, or ask whether it's possible to do a "particular thing" with a piece of clothing.

More often than not, the experienced seamstress will tell them to "leave it with me."

"There's a lot of out there and funky clothes as well that come through the door," she said.

"When those odd ones do come in - the clothes, not the people - and I really do something with them and it looks good at the end, I feel really proud that I was able to do it for them."

Mike Chambers, along with his partner Kylie Robinson, bought the business back in 2021.

Since then, they have have always been able to rely on Ms Annie-Brown.

"J is great. She's been here a long time and when we started, she just knew the run of the joint and how everything worked. Every time we've had a problem, she fixed it," Mr Chambers said.

"There's certain areas in the business where things don't work as well as I'd like them to and I need to get involved. With respect to J's part of the business, I don't get involved at all."

He noted that if the business had another 15 of her, it would be a lot easier to run.

"It's a dying art, mending, repairs and alterations," Mr Chambers added.

"My mum had a sewing machine at home and did lots of these things. It's a skill that people just don't have anymore."

Ms Annie-Brown believes on a "good day" she'll average about 25 pieces of clothing repaired.

Do the math and that's more than 30,000 skirts, dresses, trousers, shorts and anything else you can imagine, brought back to life during her tenure.

"A zip on a jacket will take longer than a hem on a pair of trousers," she said, offering a little nugget of wisdom.

"Before I'd started working here, if I'd busted a zip on a pair of jeans I would have just thrown them out. Now, guys will bring you their jeans which are ripped to shreds and tell me it's their favourite pair and ask if I can salvage them."

While the thrill she gets from fixing a piece of clothing and making someone's day as a result is enough to keep her happy, it also helps that she's got an "amazing" team to work alongside.

In recent years, the business has picked up steam - something Ms Annie-Brown won't complain about.

"It just keeps coming," she said with a smile.

So how long can the people of Orange expect for her to stick around Newey's?

"I think I'll be here until the time to retire," she added.

"Whenever that may be."

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