Azem Elmaz with the vandalised bathroom.
Photo by
Rechelle Zammit
For the past four years, a humble bathroom at the back of Lutfiye’s Café has quietly served some of Shepparton’s most vulnerable — offering a warm shower, a clean toilet and a small sense of dignity for people experiencing homelessness.
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On Wednesday, April 16, that lifeline was senselessly vandalised.
“I was driving in the car park and I saw the door was open and thought to myself, hmm, I don’t like it,” café owner and local community leader Azem Elmaz said.
“I was very disappointed, to be honest.”
Azem went about his morning, as he always does — preparing the café, greeting regulars.
But it wasn’t long before the reality of the damage set in.
The perpetrator was one of the regular users of the facility.
“After probably one hour later, he came, and I looked at him, and he put his head down.
“He said, ‘I’m sorry about smashing the toilet.’”
Azem doesn’t sugar-coat the disappointment, especially as this isn’t the first time the bathroom has been damaged.
Previous incidents have included broken fans, stolen soaps, smashed windows and ruined shower curtains.
But he doesn’t dwell on anger.
“We are all human beings, we all make mistakes,” he said.
“They will have a shower, use the bathroom, and the majority of them, after they finish, will clean it.”
That attitude — compassionate, patient and deeply human — is what defines Azem and Lutfiye’s.
It’s why people across Shepparton have come forward to help, with a GoFundMe and many local businesses and trades reaching out to help repair the damages.
“I can’t get upset because we do have a really, really good community,” Azem said.
“God bless Australia.”
The funds will go towards repairing the bathroom, installing security upgrades and improving storage for supplies to ensure the space remains safe, clean and accessible for those who need it most.
