By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
REVEREND Wendy Snook had a vision.
It was about two years ago when the Reverend from the Cranbourne Uniting Church decided she wanted to put something special together to commemorate the Anzac Centenary.
But what could she do?
That’s when it came to her.
Last month, after 18 months and hundreds of hours of work, Wendy and other members of the Cranbourne Combined Quilters group presented their Anzac Centenary Quilt Triptych to the Cranbourne RSL.
After a heartfelt thank you from Cranbourne RSL president John Wells and many other special guests who attended the handover, Wendy – herself a member of the RSL – said their appreciation meant the world to her and the other quilters.
“Anthony Byrne (Holt MP) made a speech and what he said really touched me,” she said.
“Australian history is a short time period compared to the US, they have the 4th of July, Independence Day, but Mr Byrne thinks in 100 years in the future that Anzac Day may be our national day, rather than the January Australia Day.
“In many ways Anzac draws people together … as we know, textile art survives hundreds of years and this triptych could well be part of our celebration in a hundred years to come, even though we won’t be here.”
Wendy has more than a small connection with Anzac Day. Her great uncle John Harry Fletcher, referenced in several works by Australian author Les Carlyon, survived Gallipoli and later lost his life in France on the last day of the Great War.
The seven metre by four metre quilt consists of close to 5000 quilt squares as well as countless amounts of blood, sweat and tears.
A grant was also given towards the project by the Department of Veteran Affairs.
“Our intention was not to glorify war but remember those who served and honour the Anzacs,” Wendy said.
“I’m a person who visualises things, and I was thinking about the centenary and I thought this would be really good thing to do.”
The last few years focusing on the centenary also saw Wendy reflect on her own service to the armed forces.
From 1991 to 1996 Wendy served as the first female chaplain for the RAAF at the Pearce Airbase just outside Perth.
Twenty years on, particular interactions with servicemen during her time at the base are still etched in her mind.
“One of the things I did was help out with the Air Force hospital and one day some guys were in there because they had to emergency eject from aircraft, it had crashed,” Wendy said.
“I was talking to them about that and it was just amazing to listen to their story … it was like you see on the movies – the canopy blows off, and they told me there were rockets under their chairs that tipped them backwards and it was like time slowed down.
“The canopy of the parachute went out and started to stop their fall, and then it was like time went back to normal.
“I’d never talked to anyone in those situations and it touched me … there were many good things and sad things.”
