Joy Tedjosiswoyo felt compelled to enter a quilting exhibition to honour the sacrifice of the soldiers and medical personal who fought and worked in wars abroad.
The 55-year-old nurse decided to create a quilt featuring images of medical personnel, statues of Sir Edward (‘Weary’) Dunlop, a nurse with a wounded soldier and Simpson and his donkey.
Her quilt has been chosen to feature in a giant mosaic at this weekend’s Australian Quilt Convention at the Royal Exhibition Building.
The exhibition commemorates Australia’s fallen soldiers at Gallipoli.
Ms Tedjosiswoyo said she wanted to be involved in celebrations marking the centenary of Australia’s involvement in World War I.
“I chose to display images of medical personnel who served in the war to save lives, to remind the public of the sincerity and dedication of these heroes,” she said.
Ms Tedjosiswoyo is a self-taught quilter who picked up the hobby about 30 years ago as a creative outlet.
More than 100 quilts have been chosen for assembling into the large mosaic that will be the exhibition’s centrepiece.
Event organiser Judy Newman says exhibition visitors will be in awe of the way artists have chosen to depict powerful and emotive subjects.
“As we unpacked the quilts and read the statements about the work, we were reaching for the tissues,” Ms Newman said.
“So many people have created tributes to family members they never knew, to women who received the ‘terrible letter’ on more than one occasion, to family members they farewelled and never saw again.”
The convention is open from 10am to 4.30pm, April 16-19, at the Exhibition Building, Carlton Gardens.
More details are at www.aqc.com.au.
