26 May 2023, Issue 1161
Stitches of humanity She can’t stop the bombs, the missiles and the tanks, but Tauranga woman Mary Tarish – armed with her knitting needles – is bringing her own brand of goodwill to the innocent people embroiled in Vladamir Putin’s war on Ukraine. Mary is prolific – “an absolute wonder” is how they describe her – because she has personally knitted 17 blankets to ward off the cold for the needy in Ukraine and other Eastern European
countries where winter temperatures can slip to a bone-chilling minus 25 degrees Celsius. Only once before – July 17, 1903 in Ranfurly – has the temperature dropped to that level in New Zealand. Mary is part of Operation Cover Up – a project uniting Western Bay of Plenty crafters who stitch together comfort, warmth and love for children, families, elderly abroad who
are confronted by intense cold every winter. Their craftiness produces blankets, hats, scarves, slippers, socks, and jerseys that are baled up and shipped over to Albania, Bulgaria, BosniaHerzegovina, Moldova, Romania and Ukraine each year. Read more about Operation Cover Up and its annual collection details on page 14. Photo: John Borren.
ENTERTAINMENT. CONFERENCES. MEETINGS. EXPOS. SPORTS & REC. MERCURYBAYPARK.CO.NZ