George may be a kelpie of few achievements, but one thing he can do is have a gentle gnaw on delicate things and leave them still mostly working. In this case She Who Must Be Obeyed’s dictaphone.
Other than the cap for the USB port the only damage is to the USB plug.
It’s a standard component so all it really needs is a dab hand with a soldering iron and a spare part.
Who can you go to in Canberra for minor repair of things that don’t really need replacing?