The Stitch Gatherers Group were hoping that funds raised at this year's Biggest Morning Tea & Teddy Bears Picnic would at least equal last year's total of $1,550. How about a whopping $2,150 - that's an amazing amount for a small community and just proves that North Arm Cove residents are prepared to dig deep for a good cause.
Raffles and auctions helped to raise this record amount and a highlight of the day was the "Big Ted" raffle and weight guessing competition. There's also a great story to go with this prize. Big Ted, a very large CareFlight bear, was donated by the Anglican op-shop at Tea Gardens. On the day Cheryl delivered Big Ted to Joan Williams, council worker Mattie was on a job nearby. When he spotted the bear he knew it had to be his. On being told it was going to be a raffle prize, Mattie immediately bought some tickets. Unfortunately, his was not the ticket drawn from the barrel - the bear went to Barry Young. But on hearing Mattie's story, Barry kindly handed his prize back.
Other raffle prizes included hessian shopping bags, beautifully embellished with embroidered or knitted flowers by members of the Stitch Gatherers and many other quality items donated by Cove residents.
The best dressed bear or toy competition proved popular and there were some hard decisions for the judges. Kay Furley took out People's Choice with her beautifully knitted "Scots Family". Annette Searle won best hand crafted bear with "Jeremy" the English gentleman, resplendant in a tweed suit
Winners in other categories: Olga Leary (female bear) Maureen Kelly (sporty bear) Annette Searle (sassy bear), Kerryan Griffin (material bear). Raffle winners were Christine,Lorraine, Kate, Barry, Sue, Kay, Barb, Jenny, Jim, Merilyn, Joe, Jenny (R-H) and Bev.
The Stitch Gatherers group was delighted with the result and Joan Williams thanked her team for their efforts and the North Arm Cove community for their generosity.
And it’s great to know that after such a wonderful picnic so many teddy bears and toys, big and small are now enjoying their new homes.
We even hear that one adopted Teddy has his very own facebook page!
