A BRISBANE Catholic schoolteacher and her mother have revived an Aussie icon to help homeless people stay dry while sleeping rough at night and protect their belongings during the day.
Jean Madden, a religious education teacher at Stuartholme School, Toowong, took the Aussie swag and turned it into multi-purpose bedding and a day carry bag, called a Street Swag, after watching a program on homeless people while curled up in her own swag one night.
With her mother’s help, Jean developed prototypes on a home sewing machine and gave them to homeless people to trial.
After a week’s trial and a number of minor alterations, homeless veteran Tony Tarasenko gave the water-resistant sleeping swag, which doubles as a carry bag during the day, a big thumbs up.
Rosies manager Gary Parsons said the Street Swag crew had come up with a great idea and Rosies was proud to be involved in the project.
To make a donation visit www.streetswags.org or phone Rosies on 1300 767 437.
