Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Nowra Wrap With Love is a fantastic local community organisation in my electorate which meets in Nowra to knit, crochet and have a cuppa and a friendly chat on the first Tuesday of every month. In 2013, Nowra Wrap With Love supplied 316 wraps, which were each about the size of a single bed, to the Wrap With Love headquarters in Sydney for packing and preparation before being shipped overseas to people in need.

Last year the Wrap With Love movement across Australia delivered over 22,000 wraps to places like Armenia, Mongolia, Cambodia, Nepal, the Philippines, Madagascar, Sierra Leone and Argentina, and another 10,000 were delivered direct to World Vision for use in nations across Africa. On top of over 300 wraps and blankets for those suffering from cold across the globe, our local Wrap With Love group also generously makes knee rugs, cot covers, baby jackets and more for the local Shoalhaven hospital's oncology, renal, maternity and children's wards, as well as knee rugs for a number of local nursing homes.

Earlier this month I was pleased to drop into one of Wrap With Love's monthly local meetings at the Nowra Library and donated more than 40 squares knitted by my staff especially for the group. I hope this will help the group make at least a few more wraps for those in need, both at home and overseas. Congratulations to everyone involved and especially to Mrs Rae Watson for kindly facilitating the Nowra chapter of this amazing international initiative. I thank her for her words of encouragement to start knitting squares in my own spare time.