HOLY Cross School, Wooloowin, has joined the yarn-bombing phenomena in support of refugees and asylum seekers.
A colourful yarn-bombing art piece was “installed” on a tall ghost gum tree on the school’s front lawn to the delight of students.
Titled Safe Harbour, the piece depicts a tumultuous ocean with a lighthouse providing welcome and refuge for people displaced because of war and violence in their home countries.
Teddy Bears Without Borders and Mums 4 Refugees crafters created the yarn-bombing piece in support of refugees and asylum seekers for the Maleny Knitfest 2017 tree cosy competition.
To continue to spread the message of compassion and safe harbour for all those who seek asylum, the group decided to loan out the piece to schools, community groups and organisations.
Holy Cross was the first Brisbane Catholic Education school to host the Yarnbombing piece.
Assistant principal for religious education Michelle McClafferty said the students were excited watching the installation and hearing about the creation of the piece and the work of Teddy Bears without Borders.
“There were cries of ‘it looks amazing’ heard from many a child when it arrived in the garden,” Ms McClafferty said.
“With refugee children in some of our schools, I think it fits nicely with our mission, and with the Holy Cross motto of ‘With God for Others’.”
Ms McClafferty said the school was also supporting the group’s current project The Handmade Plush Toy Drive 2017 where the craft group were creating teddies and plush toys to be placed into backpacks for children in Brisbane of refugee and asylum-seeker backgrounds.
A former teacher at Our Lady of the Way School, Petrie, Cheryl Robinson runs Teddy Bears Without Borders.
She said the craft-making group was originally conceived as a community craft project geared towards providing children in Australian immigration detention handmade teddy bears to assist with self-soothing and to let them know they were in the thoughts of the Australian people.
For further information about the work of Teddy Bears Without Borders or to enquire about the Yarnbombing art installation visit https://teddybearswithoutborders.wordpress.com
