The Bay Post/Moruya Examiner profiles the hobbies of people in our community each week in the feature, ‘Get on your hobbyhorse’. Do you have an interesting hobby? Email journalist Josh Gidney at josh.gidney@fairfaxmedia.com.au or phone him at 4472 6577.
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WHAT began as a form of therapy after a bad accident became a passion and a great skill for Rona Harvey of Denhams Beach.
Mrs Harvey, 91, was in the ACT when a storm blew up in 1978.
“A tree came down and I was badly hurt,” she recalled.
During her extended stay in Canberra Hospital (where she was personally given a bouquet from Queen Elizabeth II) she was visited by friends who made a life-changing difference to her.
“They visited me every second day, and told me about things that could be made and encouraged me to think about them (for when she recovered enough),” she said.
“They were wonderful and they turned my life around.”
She started making dolls, not the plastic type but exquisite examples hand-made from china that required firing in moulds.
Mrs Harvey moved with her husband Nick (now 97) to Bribie Island in Queensland, and during a stay in hospital in Brisbane, the difference her doll-making could make became clear.
“There were two young disabled girls at the hospital, and they used to love coming over to my bed to see me making dolls,” she said.
She gave them some of her dolls, which put a huge smile on their faces.
“That gave me a lot of pleasure,” she said.
“Sadly, both the girls died.”
The Harveys were originally from England, and Nick served with the British Army in World War II.
He joined the Royal Air Force after the war and this job took him and Mrs Harvey to the likes of Germany, southern Arabia and East Africa.
Seeing how tough children did it in some of these places ultimately gave Mrs Harvey another purpose for her doll-making.
“I made the dolls to sell to raise money for underprivileged children,” she said.
She has a special doll that she also plans to give away.
Mr and Mrs Harvey lost their son Michael 18 years ago, when he was just 47.
She crafted a doll of him, with a photo of him as a youngster to work from.
“I got his original romper suit and put it on the doll,” Mrs Harvey said.
“It will be going to his eldest daughter Jane in Victoria.”
Over the years, Mrs Harvey’s dolls have won countless prizes at shows, which is not surprising to anyone who has witnessed their quality.
“They’re not cheap, but it has been worth it,” she said.