

A hand made blanket from St Patrick’s College was one of the first donated items to a family that had lost everything recently.
The family was in a refuge and received the items from the St Vincent de Paul Society, which runs the Nagle Centre in Campbelltown.
St Patrick’s College’s Knitting Group was asked by St Vincent de Paul Society to deliver their bi-annual batch of warm knitted items earlier than usual because of a sharp rise in demand from families experiencing severe financial stress and homelessness.
The Knitting Group got to work and 50 blankets, 16 scarves, 23 beanies, one baby jacket, and a pair of mittens were donated to the Nagle Centre.
Coordinator of the Knitting Group, Francesca Musico Rullo, has been a leader of the club since it began.
She said the co-curricular activity began 19 years ago as a means to deliver skill development to students and outreach to the community.
“Each year, we organise our first blanket handover to the St Vincent de Paul Society in late June or July, then another in September,” she said.
“We are happy to have been able to deliver our items a little earlier this year, to go some way towards meeting the rising need in our community.”
St Patrick’s College students, staff and friends of the College – affectionately known as the “knitting ladies”, some of whom have been knitting for the group since its inception – meet each week to knit squares that are sewn into blankets.
Staff and volunteers mentor students to become adept knitters and to build an intergenerational community with connection and service at its core.
College principal Mary Leask, an avid knitter, contributes squares that she makes at home.
“The Knitting Group is a wonderful reflection of the College’s Benedictine values – community, service and hospitality – in action, and is one of the many ways our students give of their time and talents to positively impact our community,” she said.
“Meaningful impact often begins with small, deliberate acts of care. I’m proud of the students, staff and volunteers who have contributed to sustaining the Knitting Group for 19 years.
“It is a reminder that there are many ways to respond to the needs of the world with compassion and purpose.”