Her community spirit may have won her an award but Glengara’s Meg Champness sees the past 11 years of donating handmade items and money to local groups as a privilege.
The “unofficial leader” of the 50 or so women who gather to knit, crochet and sew in the village country club every Saturday won the Central Coast Council Community Activity and Service Award earlier this year.
“Everyone was very excited for me here but it’s humbling, really, particularly when you see the wonderful people who were nominated,” she said.
For Meg, the group gives as much to each other as it does to the community.
“I love seeing people together and not being lonely, talking to each other and sharing what they’ve done,” she said. “I really get a lot out of that.
“A lot of single women don’t have a lot to do but on a Saturday morning they can come and chat away. We have a ball.”
The self-proclaimed “people person” and “mad quilter” said the group took great pride in helping people around them. They make rugs and jumpers for homeless shelters, hats and skull caps for cancer, and raise money every year for a community transport charity, Shirley Shuttle, and a local respite home for people with disabilities.
“One of our residents is a quadriplegic, so we always give them a donation.”
Meg admitted she could “never sit still” but said she was trying to get better at it as she gets older. She said her focus, though, will always be on others.
“I love people, and I’d rather give to someone who needs it than make things for myself,” she said. “We are so fortunate in this village that I feel we should all do that.”
