Holy Rosary craft group’s 40-Year legacy

The parish centre table at Holy Rosary in Watson is strewn with brightly coloured scraps of fabric, elegant embroidery and roll upon roll of thread, punctuated by a cup of tea here and a homemaker magazine there.

The group of women laugh and chat as they work on different pieces, completely absorbed in the warmth and comradery of the space.

But the parish craft group is more than just a meeting of like-minded women.

It is friendships that have spanned generations; parishioners who have gathered through good times and bad; women who have borne witness to decades of change, and are still sitting together, sewing and smiling, welcoming anyone who walks through their door.

“It all started many years ago when the Catholic Women’s League surveyed what people would like, and the answer was craft,” founding member Pat Savas explains.

“We had our first meeting just after that in 1981. We started meeting in the Blackfriars Priory, then moved into people’s homes, and when the parish centre was built, we moved in here.”

Beside her, another founding member, Marie Reed, adds intricate detail to a cushion cover as she remembers the group’s early days.

“We used to make habits for all the incoming priests, and some of the old priests who needed a new habit,” she said.

“We would have big sewing days.”

“I became known for taking up trousers,” Pat adds with a laugh.

“Way back before my kids went to school, I used to sew a lot, and anything I had left I would make little girls’ dresses and little boys’ shorts. I hated to see things wasted.”

A chorus of enthusiastic agreement breaks forth.

“We still hate it, Pat!” Ruth Schwensen calls out.

“We are all very good at recycling.”

The craft group has played a significant part in all their lives over the years.

“We decided we like to meet, so we just keep coming,” Pat says.

“There has been no plan to it. It is come when you can, do what you like and talk. We love to talk.”

Affectionate laughter fills the room.

“And morning tea. Don’t forget morning tea!”

“It’s about friendship, and it’s about company,” Ruth says.

“I think it is that basic need for human connection. People who do craft work are often in tune with that need for connection. It has something to do with the innate ability of people who work with their hands – they share. You might do it as a solitary process, but it is about coming together. You don’t hold it to yourself. You share it.”

“It takes away the loneliness and gives us all hope,” Pat agrees.

“My husband died in 2022 and these ladies have kept me going with our weekly meetings. That’s the way the whole world should be, really.”

During the COVID-19 lockdown, the craft group offered solace amidst uncertainty.

“We were able to meet at a distance for most of the lockdown,” Pat says.

“The little things we could keep doing is what kept our heads above water. It is amazing how people have come through it.”

The group has seen many changes in the local parish over the 40-odd years they have been gathering.

“We have watched lots change along the way, which we have gone along with and adapted to as we go,” Pat says.

“At first, there were still students in the priory. We had the Dominicans, and now the Filipino priests. We have watched as mums started to go to work, the demographics of the inner north changed and macrame went in and out of fashion!

“We are going along quite well. We have just let it develop as it wanted to.”

Pat said finding a way to get involved and make connections in local parish groups could prove invaluable.

“It is good for your well-being,” she says.

“It takes a real effort to get to know people, and this gives you an opportunity to do it.”