NEWS Of The Area was invited to a very special gathering of the Karuah River Craft Group last week.

The occasion was the unveiling of a beautiful quilt created in honour of their local fire fighters.

The idea for the quilt was born out of the devastating bushfires that surrounded the town last November.

“It was very frightening for everyone, especially the elderly, we were cut off in both directions, we didn’t know which way to go, we had no communication,” Jean Keeley told News Of The Area.

“We had no water or electricity for days.”

In the wake of the emergency, the ladies of the craft group wanted to pay tribute and thank the local volunteers of their Karuah Rural Fire Service.

“We thought it would be nice to have something hanging in their kitchen so that when they got back from shifts they’d have something to relax and look at,” Judy Staples said.

Seven months later the quilt was finished but the group was faced with the problem of where to hang it.

“If you put a nail in the wall of the fire station it would fall down,” Rural Fire Service Captain Ken Smee said.

“With the rain, there’s water coming through the door and the walls,” Ken said.

“They couldn’t even hang it in the toilet because that’s a shipping container,” Joyce Armstrong said.

Not surprisingly, members of the Karuah Rural Fire Service have been campaigning for years for a new fire shed.

“I think it’s fantastic, it’s amazing how the community has come together, it’s just a shame we’ve got nowhere to hang it,” Ken said.

For now, the magnificent quilt will hang in the KWT centre in town, while the fire service continues its quest for a new home.

The Karuah River Craft group meets every Thursday between 10am and 2pm.

New members are always welcome.

 

By Margie TIERNEY