Harden-Murrumburrah Archie’s Army Vicki Lovell and Sue Chesworth were both recognised with a “Special Community Award” at the 2021 Harden-Murrumburrah Australia Day Awards Ceremony.
The pair were both surprised by the announcement and for Vicki, she did not find out until Hilltops councillor Chris Manchester rang her husband to see if she could be in attendance for the presentations. Kay Allen, a great helper for Archie’s Army, nominated the pair for the award and it was presented by Australia Day Ambassador Graham Ross. Upon receiving the award Sue said it was great to see that word has spread, although it was the quilters who deserved the praise. “I was shocked at the nomination initially but pleased when we won. I deal with some very sad stories, particularly when one of our little recipients passes away,” she said. “Our quilters are the ones who have the biggest job and without all of them, we could not continue.”
Archie’s Army usually gather on a weekend to sew quilts but since Covid disrupted gatherings in 2020, the band of Archie’s Army quilters remained positive by sitting at home, sewing from there, then sending it off. With over 100 quilts sent out each year, this number hardly dropped last year. Vicki recalls one lady who moved from Talbingo to Canberra to be closer to family after the loss of her husband. The women said Archie’s Army has been a blessing for her, a thing that keeps her going forward. Archie’s Army was formed in September 2015 after the death of Vicki’s grandson Archie Armitt from mitochondrial disease, at the age of just eight. By that stage, Vicki and Sue had been friends for over 10 years and Sue would spend a lot of time with Vicki once Archie passed on.
Sue also lives down the road from Vicki and used to own a quilting store in Murrumburrah, which is where the pair grew their friendship. Once Archie passed on, Sue suggested getting together on weekends as well as gathering of quilts to donate to Maria from Palliative Care at Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick. Maria was a staff member who gave Archie a quilt that he took everywhere with him, whilst in the hospital, to tests, the theatre and it stayed with him on his bed till the very end. Around 70 quilts were collected at one of the inaugural weekends and then things got bigger from there on.
Quilt donations began coming from all over NSW and this included Grafton, Griffith, Wagga Wagga, Canberra, Bateman’s Bay and Talbingo to name a few. Others would donate money which helped the Army go a long way for fabric, cotton and thread to be sent to people all over the state to sew quilts and send them back. Sue’s role is to liaise with various hospitals and organisations, as well as finding families to best match the quilt to the right child. Going the extra mile, Sue would also coordinate requests and organise making of the quilts by the many active members. At times this included a little fabric or knitted teddy bear, or even a certain superhero quilt.
Vicki said it’s all about keeping it relevant to the kids. “The reaction to see when they receive their quilts is priceless and amazing. Some kids won’t even leave the house without their Archie quilt,” she said. “When you see the little ones faces, it makes it all worthwhile.” Members of Archie’s Army make quilts for kids experiencing trauma either through sickness or personal circumstances, this may be from a serious illness, ongoing disability or family circumstance. Archie’s Army originally gathered on weekends at Witchcraft but then moved to the CWA room. The Times would like to recognise and congratulate Vicki and Sue for their efforts, as well as the rest of Archie’s Army members and contributors. Christopher Tan
