A tradition built on treasured toys

FROM delicate porcelain dolls to collectable teddy bears, the annual Doll, Teddy and Craft Show invites people to take a trip down memory lane.

“I think it brings us back to our childhood,” event organiser Carmen Chapman said.

Chapman had never paid much attention to teddy bears until Kiwanis received a donation of more than 300 bears several years ago.

“I was going through each one and I was picking them up and fixing their ears,” she said. “I was just in awe of it all.”

The show attracts people of all ages each year, with Chapman saying it has become a multigenerational tradition for many families.

“You’ve got grandparents bringing their grandchildren to have a look and then they end up buying them a doll or a teddy,” Chapman said.

“It’s bringing generations together.”

Organised by local service group Kiwanis Geelong, the fundraiser has been running for more than 30 years.

Group member Ruth Ware has been involved since 1998 and said the show continues to connect families and collectors.

Growing up in wartime Scotland, Ware dreamed of owning a porcelain doll.

Today, she spends countless hours preparing for the annual show and maintaining Kiwanis doll and teddy exhibitions across Geelong.

“There’s not many doll shows now in Victoria,” she said. “You get a lot of elderly people – grandmothers with their granddaughters – and I think they reminisce.”

“I love seeing people come – some have been coming for a few years – and I know a couple who have been coming since the start.”

In the event’s early years, many stallholders and visitors made their own dolls, with everything from eyelashes and paints to handmade dresses available for purchase.

Funds raised are donated to children’s charities both locally and overseas, with about $45,000 raised to date, Ware said.

The Doll, Teddy and Craft Show will be held on 13 June from 10am to 4pm at the Masonic Centre in Belmont.