Costume team turns skills to wildlife rescue

BLOC Music Theatre’s costume department has found a way to remove their “sense of powerlessness” in response to the bushfire crisis.

Costume volunteer, Linda Blake heard the Ballarat Craft Council had been making kangaroo and wallaby bags for injured wildlife and knew her team could use their skills and connections to do the same.

“What about we do something at BLOC?” she said. “We set up four sewing machines and had a look at our material stash and linen cupboards.

“Last Saturday we ended up with about 10 people, with some from Ballarat Craft Council, Sing Australia, BLOC and Creswick Theatre Company. We cut out the patterns and sewed them all up.”

Creating around 30 big pouches measuring 75cm by 130cm, for larger kangaroos and wallabies, the group sewed using mostly natural materials with a close weave, so animals don’t catch their claws.

“As we were sewing, we were remembering where the fabrics came from and it was a really lovely touch that quite a few of them had a nursery feel,” Ms Blake said.

Having recently read online comments about whether the arts matter, she said its periods of widespread challenge that prove the true value of creativity.

“This is our way of saying, not only do we matter, but we have essential skills, especially at a time like this.

“It was a fantastic thing for all of us. It’s a really good feeling and lovely to do it as a hands-on, community activity,” Ms Blake said.

The pouches have been taken to the D2E Gym to be distributed or used by BADGAR Wildlife Rescue.

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