Watching news about the devastating brushfires raging across Australia, people around the world and here on the South Fork have been moved to help in all sorts of ways, from donating to nonprofit relief organizations to holding bake sales for firefighters and wildlife rescue groups to knitting and sewing items for displaced animals.
The fires, which, according to NPR, have “swept through an area larger than Massachusetts and New Hampshire combined” since September, have by some estimates killed nearly one billion animals, some of them species found nowhere else in the world. Those dead or imperiled include not only headline grabbers like koalas, kangaroos, and wallabies, and but also rare birds and insects.
When Fiona Weatherell of Sag Harbor learned of a worldwide effort to sew what are called joey bags or pouches for orphaned baby koalas, kangaroos, and other marsupials, she decided to put her sewing skills to use. Saddened by the scope of the fires and their impact on wildlife, she felt it was the least she could do, she said.
As of Tuesday, Ms. Weatherell, with help from her daughter Ciara, had made upward of 120 pouches, which range in size from 4 by 6 inches for the smallest creatures that have yet to grow fur to 20 by 26 inches for larger kangaroo and wallaby young that already have fur. She will wait to arrange shipment until she has enough to make that worthwhile, she said. “There’s no point in me sending 10 at a time.”
The bags, made of cotton flannel, are meant to help replicate a mother’s pouch.
Following specifications from the Animal Rescue Craft Guild and similar organizations, Ms. Weatherell has been sewing at home and at Long Wharf Upholstery and Fabrics, owned by her friend Linda Pazera. She has depleted supplies from her own linen closet and is now on the lookout for donations of used flannel sheets and pillowcases, as well as thread, and even an old sewing machine, should additional people wish to join her. Sheets should be 100-percent cotton, she said.
“I don’t mind doing this, because sewing is my relaxation,” she said on Tuesday at the upholstery shop. Those who have fabric to donate or who would like to help cut or sew can call her at 631-921-0475.
Another option for those anxious to help relief efforts is Cocktails for Koalas, a fund-raiser co-hosted by the Country School and Wildlife Rescue of East Hampton on Friday, Feb. 7, at the Clubhouse in Wainscott. Proceeds will support the New South Wales Wildlife Information, Rescue, and Education Service (WIRES), which helps wildlife in distress and provides shelter and supplies for relief volunteers.
The party will include appetizers, music, and a silent auction. Tickets cost $30 in advance at eventbrite.com or $35 at the door. Those who need childcare during the event have been asked to contact the Country School’s director, Deena Zenger at 631-537-2255 or by email at [email protected].
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Correction: The print version of this article incorrectly identified Fiona Weatherell as a co-owner of Long Wharf Upholstery and Fabrics. It is owned by Linda Pazera.
