CLARE QUILTERS

Mrs GERAGHTY (Torrens) (15:45): On Monday of last week a group of 18 ladies travelled down from the Clare Valley to visit Parliament House, and they were particularly interested in having a look at the women's suffrage centenary tapestries that are in the House of Assembly chamber. I had the privilege of hosting them on behalf of minister Gago.

This group of women meets regularly. They call themselves the Clare Quilters, and they celebrated their 25^th anniversary last year in 2011. As part of their celebrations they presented an exhibition in the town hall at Clare. It was the largest exhibition they had ever presented, and they won the local Australia Day Community Event of the Year. They then also proceeded to win the State Event of the Year. Eight of the ladies from the Clare Quilters travelled to Government House to receive their reward in January this year. I have to say they are an absolutely delightful group of ladies.

The club has provided an extremely important service to the community by not only providing a channel for women in rural settings, many of whom are isolated and live on farms, but the Clare Quilters have also participated in a huge amount of charity work, where they have made and donated many quilts to organisations for them to raffle for fundraising. Certainly, I am sure their work is much sought after.

The club has not only supplied quilts to disasters in local areas, such as the floods in Stockport, but also to other states where there have been a number of disasters which have devastated the community. They have donated thousands of dollars towards cancer research, the local hospital and many other needy groups. Clare Quilters received a mayoral award for services to the community in 2006.

What was most noteworthy to me, apart from their other outstanding achievements and work, was the amazing connection a member of their club has with this parliament. On our wall is displayed a tapestry of the portraits of three leaders from the suffrage campaign. Elizabeth Webb Nicholls on the right was the president of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union. I was really quite surprised and thrilled to discover that her great-granddaughter, Anne Whitehorn, was standing with me in the chamber admiring the tapestries. I thought that was really quite extraordinary.

I would really like to offer my congratulations to the ladies of the Clare Quilters for their wonderful community spirit. It was a great pleasure to host them on behalf of minister Gago. I look forward to accepting an invitation to visit them and see them at their work. Well done ladies, a fantastic effort. I know that you will continue to support your community and many others.