Curtain calls

Andrew Mathieson
Only time stands in the way of the final curtain call for a group of women brightening the lives of disadvantaged households in Geelong’s northern suburbs.
Dedicated volunteers Margaret Farrell, Pauline Rankin, Robyn Elliott, Gerdina Ponjee Wendy Prince and Gwen Marr churn out homemade curtains for every needy room quicker than builders can put up houses to match.
“We’re going to be here doing this in our wheelchairs and our walking frames,” Pauline announces, drawing a loud chuckle from the hearty group.
They consider when age will force their group of retirees and pensioners to draw the own curtains on the community work.
“We’ve been discussing how we can lower the ironing boards,” Wendy jokes.
Between the coffees, cakes and frivolity, the women design a dozen new drapes every Monday morning without fail.
Curtain Connection, a Bethany charity organisation, has been distributing hundreds of curtains to families in public housing throughout Corio and Norlane since 2003.
The six close friends were rewarded with a Victorian Housing Week award last year.
While governments were then keen to improve the look of public homes, the ladies all agree that curtains provide the occupants with dignity.
“A lot of people moving into them only had just sheets, blankets – you know, whatever they could do to facilitate their privacy,” Wendy explains.
Margaret can vouch for the difference the curtains made in her home as she struggled to make ends meet.
“When one of the ladies gave me my curtains, I nearly burst out crying,” Margaret recalls.
“I went home, put them up and came around the next Monday and asked whether they needed another volunteer.
“The curtains were just unbelievable and I didn’t expect brand new curtains made.”
Before the first roll was unravelled, the plan was to just tidy up some unwanted second-hand curtains.
That changed when a fabric company offered cost-price material.
A $30 donation will pay for hundreds of dollars worth of single-drop, rod-pocket curtains.
“Those first dollars do not come anywhere near the cost of material,” Margaret says.
Robyn adds that money is not the point. She says offer of help with curtains does wonders for the self-esteem.
“You pay for it,” she pipes up, “it’s not like they get charity.”
The women take about an hour to measure, cut, iron, sew and then iron and sew again.
Only the material itself slows the process, the ladies say.
“We’ve been classed the A-team,” Pauline quips.
The group’s biggest effort came last year to help Victoria’s bushfire victims.
The ladies couldn’t afford to donate much out of their pockets other than their time.
“I found that everything being donated to the bushfire victims was everything but curtains,” Margaret says.
They jumped on a bus and packed 250kg of materials including 200 thermal-lined curtains, 43 lengths of lace curtains and a 40-metre roll of uncut lace.
There was just enough room for the six ladies and a driver for the trip up to Marysville.
“They had to pack me in the back between the boxes,” Gerdina laughs.