I had been in email contact with a lady in WA called Yvonne. We were researching the same family history and had swapped notes. I had never met Yvonne but she was one of those who enquired after us and who received my email in response.
Yvonne took my letter to her quilting group and they decided they would like to help in some way. There were 11 ladies in her group. They wanted to make a couple of quilts for those affected – someone who could use some cheering up. I didn’t know quite know where to start as everyone was in need. I sent her some details about my friend Gloria. Gloria lost her home and is a quilter so I knew that she would appreciate the work that goes into a quilt. Gloria had also been very close to Alison and they had often done their quilting together, in fact Gloria finished off Alison’s last quilt when she was too sick to do it (& subsequently died of cancer). I also gave some details of Sandra who had lost her husband and home in the fire and had an eight year old son.
A couple of months later a quilt arrived for Gloria and between Yvonne and I, we arranged some press in WA when the quilt left there and some here when it arrived. It’s all a bit vague now but I think I gave Gloria the quilt and the press came and took photos another day. Of course she just loved it and there were tears. What was even nicer was that the ladies had put a label on the back of the quilt with Gloria’s name and the name of their group and the date of the fire, February 2009.
It kind of snow balled after that. The ladies kept making quilts and I kept giving them names of those who needed a bit of cheering up or who weren’t coping too well. There was one for Sandra who lost her husband and one covered in horses for her boy Bailey. Then there was Annie who didn’t lose her house, although it was damaged. More important to Annie was her 70 year old garden with fully grown deciduous trees; her life. Her quilt is exquisite – it is covered in roses and is breathtaking. She was so thrilled that she carted it around in her car for months showing people.
I would tell Yvonne something about each person: Annie loved her garden; Jacqui’s new house had a lot of red in it, Natalie loves purple and dragons; Jo collected teddy bears and Melinda had some chooks that died in the fire; Helen’s husband had died a few months after the fire; and on it went. Natalie’s quilt is purple with a label with a dragon on the back; Jacqui’s quilt is gold and red – simply breathtaking; Helen’s quilt has the name of her husband and heart on it; Trish’s quilt has gum nut babies on it and it turns out she used to paint the gum nut babies. Trish lost all her paintings in the fire.
With each quilt came a gift – either writing cards and envelopes and stamps or an appropriate book. For Annie a gardening book, for the kids there were kids’ books. And each quilt had the name of the person on a label on the back and some sort of special picture embroidered on it. Also included would be a card with a photo of the quilters and a personal letter. Every single quilt was made with the recipient in mind.
I don’t know how the ladies did it but nearly every quilt was perfect for the recipient, either because of the design or colours. There were quilts for couples and quilts for kids and quilts for teenagers. In some cases there were up to five quilts - for one family – one for the parents and one for each child. I’d keep finding people who could use a bit of love and would ask Yvonne if there was any chance at all I could squeeze just one more quilt from the ladies.
All the quilts came registered post to me – usually two in a parcel. A lady in WA had donated the money anonymously, to pay the postage. I would then make a special trip to deliver them or take them to our morning tea group. There were tears every single time someone received one. At morning tea I would wave the parcel around and tease, “Who will I make cry today!” It was brilliant.
Yvonne had asked me to take a photo of each person with their quilt so that they could make up a booklet for their own records and this I duly did. I think I delivered about 40 quilts in the end. The ladies eventually made about 50 quilts - some going to other contacts.
As May 2010 approached and the 12 month anniversary of the morning tea group we decided to have a lunch to celebrate the event after morning tea on 13th May 2010. I remember at the time, Gloria going around taking names of those who would be attending the lunch and thinking “she’s back”. Gloria had been in a really bad space and I was pleased she seemed to be bossy and back in control again.
The morning of Thursday, 13th May arrived and it was wet and cold. Gloria had asked all the ladies that had received quilts to bring them along to morning tea so that a group photo could be taken and sent to the quilters in WA.
I recall looking out the window at one stage and seeing a channel seven news crew and one of the local press reporters. I remember wondering who had let them know it was our 12mth anniversary.
I still didn’t twig that something was up until Catherine came to take my coffee from me and we had a tug of war over my cup – I hadn’t finished and didn’t want to give it to her. She took my cup, dragged me in front of the front door and by now I knew something was going on, “What are you lot up to?” I think I said.
Then, the front door opened and standing there were two ladies with a sewn bag with, “Heather’s quilt” embroidered on it and a news crew with camera and lights. Talk about a rabbit in the spot light! It took a few seconds to twig – because I’d never met them - it was Yvonne and another quilter, Pat! They had come all the way from Western Australia to deliver a quilt TO ME! Makes me teary now to think of it. I was speechless, (which doesn’t happen very often) and eyes over ran with tears. I remember saying, “My mascara will run!” Luckily I had made a bit of an effort that day!
It was absolute revenge on the part of all those who had received quilts. They were all in on the plot.
You should see my quilt. It is absolutely magnificent. But, the most wonderful bit of all – turn the quilt over and there are the photos that I had taken of everyone – with their quilts. The book of photos had been a ruse all along! Around each photo is material from the quilt in question. There are also bits here and there – hearts, Christmas bells, embroidered flowers, a picture of the quilters and in the centre, a picture of two hands “reaching out” with gum leaves on one side and burnt leaves on the other, and on the label, “Heather’s Quilt Reaching Out . Made by Common Threads. Victorian Bushfires 2009.”
Apart from my own children, it is the greatest gift of love I have ever received and my most treasured possession.
Those eleven women in Western Australia had “reached out” to the other side of this continent and shown the greatest love and compassion possible to absolute strangers. And they did it in a way that was so personal and so caring. I am so privileged to have been a recipient of that love.
The cycle continues. On February 6th, 2011, two years after the Black Saturday bushfires, a bushfire ravaged parts of Perth and many homes were lost. The Kilmore morning tea group, consisting of women who mostly lost their homes on Black Saturday, (now known as “The Flaminegoes”) have raised about $1000 from the sale of cookbooks that they have compiled. Last week that money was used to purchase gift cards and they were sent to a family in Western Australia who lost their home just four months ago. The plan is to help a couple more families in the west with personal gifts.
From Little Things Big Things Grow.
Heather Knight
