After COVID-19 prevented them from holding their stalls, Country Stitchers were back in the Barossa Mall once again, selling their crafts to raise money for their cause.
“The money we raise goes to young carers,” said Toni Koeff one of the team who meet in Nuriootpa’s Reusch Centre on the first three Thursdays of every month.
It’s here they busily create all sorts, from children’s clothing and soft toys, to quilts and warm beanies in AFL colours, all in an effort to raise funds for Carers and Disability Link.
There are around 35 members of the group. Some revel in the fun-filled chatter and camaraderie at every meeting, while others are just happy to work from home and deliver what they have made in the lead up to a sale’s event.
For Toni, who has been a member for the past five years, stitching up a storm to raise money for CADL is particularly important.
“In my household, I had seven kids under the age of 10 and my husband was a bilateral amputee and a chronic diabetic,” Toni explained.
“So the children were helping fetch and carry for him, his pills and his potions, and there were still meals to cook, washing to be done and they still had their studies and homework.
“It’s a lot of work for kids and they do get terribly tired, they can become depressed which sounds stupid for a child so young. But, they have a lot of responsibility on their small shoulders.”
Toni said the money Country Stitchers raise through stalls like the one held in Nuriootpa recently provided much needed support to help them “be kids”.
“It means that they get to go to camp, it’s like respite care for children, for Under 18s who are carers,” she told The Leader.
“Because young people with a sick or infirm relative don’t get to do sport, don’t get to go to soccer practice of an afternoon or swimming with their mates and that sort of thing. They have a lot of home duties.
“They don’t really get the chance to be a child and have fun.”
Country Stitchers’ members range from aged 60 to 91 and the group always welcome new faces to their happy gatherings.
Donations are also appreciated, whether it’s new fabric or wool, or even money to purchase materials so they can “stitch, crochet or sew” the many unique treasures they sell during the four stalls held through a typical year.
“Anything to keep our prices down, so it’s affordable for everybody,” Toni said.