Friends stitch together to help wounded wildlife

Two crafty ladies have organised a town effort to help fire affected wildlife.

SAVING OUR WILDLIFE: Carolyn Thompson sewing bat wraps and joey pouches with her two sons, Jake, 11 and Eli, 7.

CRAFTY mums Carolyn Thompson and Anita Mooney are joining forces to ensure wildlife on the Sunshine Coast benefits from nationwide fundraising efforts.

The Palmwoods residents were busy at work making bat wraps and joey pouches when they decided to band together and hold a sewing bee at the Palmwoods Country Womens Association hall.

“We went from tragic to catastrophic wildlife loss in a matter of days … so I set myself up as a local hub for the Sunshine Coast and put a post out on my local Palmwoods page asking for any spare fabric and pillows to make more items,” Ms Thompson said.

“Other members of the community such as Anita Mooney also put out a call for supplies and Anita and I together are now running a sewing bee.”

Ms Mooney said as a past wildlife carer she wanted to make sure the wildlife was taken care of.

“People are raising so much money at the moment and I think the wildlife gets left behind so that’s what kicked it off,” Ms Mooney said.

“We were doing our own thing and we thought many hands make light work.”

Starting at 10am on Sunday, the items, created throughout the day, will be donated to the Animal Rescue Craft Guild which supplies thousands of rescue groups with much needed materials.

Guild founding member Belinda Orellana said since the fires begun the guild’s Facebook group had grown from eight to over 100,000 members.

“It’s amazing without all the people helping we wouldn’t fill the orders,” she said.

“And it would mean carers would have to stop taking in animals and if they start saying no the animals that have survived could possibly start dying.”

Sewers and knitters of all ages are expected to attend the sewing bee.

“There is something everyone can do.

“Cutting out patterns, measuring ribbons for ties, learning to use a sewing machine or just providing moral support and coffee.

“No matter who you are or what your situation there is something you can do to help.”

Ms Orellana encouraged people to get involved.

“You can’t help what the fires have done but you can help fix what’s left and it’s amazing that people are saying we can help and as they say many hands make light work,” she said.

“We have a list at the top of our page that shows what’s needed because it changes each week,” she said.

“So people can get on the page and make whatever they want.”

The CWA donated the hall free of charge and sewing machines for the event.

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