Group projects are not

things I normally get involved in by choice. My working life has required a great deal of working in (mostly small) groups. I like to leave them behind when I am taking some time away from work.

But, I belong to a group of knitters and crocheters who meet once a month in our local library. They have, and continue to be, a wonderful group. They are friendly. They support me and each other. I regard them as good friends. A group project with them is something I can do.

We have done several now. They have been done for the "Christmas Tree Festival" which is held once every two years. It is held up the hill in the same building as the other council library. We have covered trees in blanket squares and turned them into charity blankets after the event was over. We made a lot of crochet "smiley" faces and hung them and then passed them out to children and others in need of a smile. 

We are already working on what we hope will be next year's tree. A tree made of knitted and crocheted "wind spinners". The spinners can be passed on individually later. I have provided most of the yarn in the sense I proof read a thesis for someone. I did not want to be paid for doing that as I felt the person needed support but the result was a very, very large quantity of cheap acrylic yarn appearing in front of me with the words, "Use it for your wind spinners. Is it enough? I could get some more." 

There is more than enough. I took most of it to the library yesterday and members of the group went home with almost all of it.  

We were planning on doing all the work ourselves but the person who is the "Community Officer" saw several spinners we had made and inquired about them. When we explained he was enthusiastic and a meeting with the man who is responsible for the "community shed" has led to a promise a collapsible tree frame will be made by them. They will provide the necessary timber. It is becoming more of a community project. 

And it is a community project. Anyone can join in. If someone does not have knitting and crochet skills then we will happily teach them. If they need woodwork skills then the woodworkers will help. The library staff like the idea and don't mind the few hours of mess once a month. Other library users will wander over to see what we are doing and play with the spinners. It is working as a means of bringing people together.

I know there might be some ups and downs before we get the tree up in late November 2027 but I believe it will happen. It will be good. It is not something we expected any sort of funding for, indeed did not ask to be funded. That a small amount of timber can be bought and turned into a tree frame for us is an unexpected but very welcome addition to the project. 

I thought of all this as I was reading through the list of community projects being funded by the current federal government. The multi-million dollar grant to the golf course in his electorate is just part of the problem. There are too many projects there which are not community projects. They do not potentially benefit everyone or allow for everyone to participate. I have just read the comments of someone who was trying to justify the way the money was being spent. The argument was that the projects would help migrants "integrate". We are being asked to believe just 94% of the funding has gone to electorates which favour the present government, electorates they naturally want to keep. Apparently that is "normal" and "acceptable" just as it is equally acceptable there is no means of applying for a grant. They happen by invitation only.

If the same sort of process occurred here at this level for the project our little group is working on then several of us agreed that we would have said we did not want to accept anything. It would take away part of the value of what we were doing. The Christmas Tree Festival is for everyone. You do not need to Christian or a church goer in order to participate. It is a community event. Any community organisation or group within the council area can join in. Anyone can join our knitting and crochet group. People have come along and done their cross stitch and their macrame before now and may in the future. 

We want it to be a real group project - one where everyone interested in it can join in to the best of their ability.