Handmade quilts wrap babies in culture at NAIDOC Week celebration

On Worimi Country in northern New South Wales, a heartwarming NAIDOC Week baby celebration brought together Indigenous mothers, elders, and community members. The event, held at Forster's Tobwabba Aboriginal Medical Service, honored babies born over the past year, fostering community connections and celebrating their cultural heritage.

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You feel good … we are proud of what we do. You put your heart and soul into it. We get a lot of satisfaction, playing with the vibrant colours and the Indigenous [patterned] fabrics.

A special element of the celebration was the gifting of handmade patchwork quilts to the families. Jenny Fletcher, from the MidCoast Community Quilters group, collaborated with Worimi elders to create approximately 20 quilts. These quilts, featuring vibrant colors and Indigenous patterns, were designed to be cherished mementos for the children.

"You feel good … we are proud of what we do," Fletcher said about the quilting project. "You put your heart and soul into it. We get a lot of satisfaction, playing with the vibrant colours and the Indigenous [patterned] fabrics."

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The baby shower is a very important thing; it's recognising the next generation. The main thing is the connection, not only to the mums and bubs and grandparents, but also to the older siblings.

Worimi elder Aunty Donna Hall emphasized the importance of the event, stating, "The baby shower is a very important thing; it's recognising the next generation. The main thing is the connection, not only to the mums and bubs and grandparents, but also to the older siblings."

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It's just really special to receive the blanket on his first NAIDOC … we've just converted his room. It will go on his 'big-boy' bed.

Recipients like Lylah-Belle Wilson and Crystal Heavey expressed their delight and gratitude for the handmade quilts. Wilson noted that the quilt for her son Coda was "just really special" and would be a treasured item as he grows. Heavey added that her son Bilgarli's quilt was something he "will have for life" and would always remind him of his NAIDOC blanket. The celebration, part of NAIDOC Week themed "50 Years of Deadly," also included activities like painting tiny feet in Indigenous colors as keepsakes.

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He's going to have this for the rest of his life, and he'll always know that this is his little NAIDOC blanket.