Jade Jungwirth
After the catastrophic fire that tore through Harcourt and its surrounds, a group of local crafters came together to make hand-knitted and crochet blankets for people living in the neighbouring community.
Wanting to do something to help, Muckleford resident Pam Joseph put a call out on Facebook for anyone wanting to help make a blanket.
“People had lost homes and farms and animals, but also a lot of people in the community had experienced a whole lot of loss of safety and security. It had an impact on everybody,” Pam said.
“So I decided to make a blanket and asked if anyone wanted to help make squares.
“I was thinking it would be lovely if four or five of us got together and made a blanket. Within 24 hours, I had 70 people who contacted me, and I ended up having to have a spreadsheet!”
While many of the people involved did not meet one another, instead delivering squares to friends or at the drop-off point at Grist, there were a few craft gatherings at the Muckleford Hall, where people talked through their experiences and supported one another.
“In that aftermath: people are full of lots and lots of big feelings and don’t necessarily have a way to process that,” Pam said.
“People who hadn’t visibly lost anything, but still had a load of stuff to think through and feel.”
People contributed in a variety of ways, with some knitting or crocheting squares, others putting them together, and some only able to provide yarn.
To ensure the wool was moth-free, Pam put the squares into Ziploc bags and froze them for two weeks, meaning freezer space was at a premium; so an offer from Anne at Malets to use the freezer was welcomed.
One of the members involved, Elizabeth, said she wanted to do something to help.
“I didn’t have cash to splash to go and help someone, and then I heard about the knitting,” she said.
Another member, Flo, said she saw the post on Facebook and thought it was a wonderful idea.
“I can’t build towns or go out and clear the debris or anything, but I can knit squares,” she said.
“I’ve never joined a group where people come and knit, and I really enjoyed the company of everyone here. Now I’ve joined another knitting group with a lot of the Harcourt women where everyone sits and chats and talks and eats. It’s just nice to talk to them.”
So far, the group has given 14 blankets of different sizes to the Harcourt Valley Community Centre for distribution. There are still another eight being created, and once they’re finished, the group will wind up.
“We wanted it to be about community helping people in the community. That sense of neighbours and that we’re all here for each other, but also about the dignity of the people receiving them, who are already traumatised,” Pam said.
“We wanted people to have a choice about what blankets they took, if any, and be empowered.”