Quilters for charity

By Kath Gannaway
A SMALL group of Yarra Ranges stitchers last month handed over $32,500 to the Breast Cancer Network Australia.
The women from Mooroolbark, Healesville and Yarra Glen started organising QuiltDownunder, an exhibition and auction of quilts more than a year ago.
The organising committee, Dianne Kennedy, Gayl Dobbin, Debbi Weaver, Ann Templar, Ann Galletti and Mary Jefferson were all members of a patchwork group called Barb’s Girls, which originally formed at classes run at Barb Catalano’s embroidery shop in Healesville.
Mrs Catalano died of cancer some years ago but the group continued to meet.
“We originally envisaged the event as being much smaller with an exhibition of donated quilts in a church hall or similar, and culminating with an auction to sell the quilts,” said group spokesperson Debbi Weaver.
“In fact, it ended up much larger with 115 quilts being donated from all over Australia, a well-attended week-long exhibition and a fantastic dinner auction at the Lilydale International.”
The group also ran a comprehensive website with online bidding prior to the auction dinner, and produced a glossy colour catalogue, both of which involved learning challenging new skills.
Well-known real estate auctioneer, Allan Dobbin, conducted the auction and succeeded in selling every quilt for figures way beyond what was expected.
“While we are very proud of our efforts in organising this event, the highlight for everyone of us has been the stories that have come along with the donated quilts, and sometimes with the quilt purchasers,” Ms Weaver said.
“Many of the quilts were donated by cancer survivors, or were made in memory of loved ones. Others were made by quilting groups to show support for a member.
“One particularly memorable quilt was made by staff and patients of a cancer ward from a major regional hospital,” she said.