Tens of thousands of balls of wool and millions of lovingly applied stitches have resulted in thousands of wraps knitted by the ladies at Yamba Wrap with Love over the past 30 years.

The international charity Wrap with Love WWL, which celebrates its 30th birthday in 2022, began to help as many people as possible by providing warm wraps to ward off hypothermia.

Kathleen Goodrich pioneered Yamba WWL in 1992, with dozens of local women knitting 28 squares to contribute to more than 554,000 handmade wraps that have been distributed to people in more than 75 countries, including Australia, since the organisation began.

Mrs Goodrich heard about WWL when it was launched by her former schoolmate Sonia Gidley-King.

She became aware of WWL two days after Mrs Gidley-King launched the initiative and the Yamba group was soon formed, her daughter Sandra Essex said.

“Sonia Gidley King had some wool laying around in her house and she said what are we going to do with this, and she thought she might knit rugs and give them to people,” Mrs Essex said.

“It started through the CWA and then it grew to church groups, libraries and wherever people meet, they just knit the squares (28 in a wrap) and put them together to form a wrap.”

Mrs Goodrich’s heritage with Yamba WWL is now carried on by her daughter Sandra Essex who has been a member for 20 years.

“In the end mum lost her eyesight, so she used to knit by feel, but she used to drop lots of stitches, and I was the one who used to pick the stitches up or pull it apart and do it again and that’s how I got started,” Mrs Essex said.

Mrs Day said her aunt who was a nun introduced her to WWL the week it was launched in 1992, before she moved to Yamba from Newcastle.

“She told me what WWL was about and I opened my cupboard and the wool fell out the same as it had at Sonia’s, so I got started and I’ve been going ever since.

“When I moved up to Yamba, I came along to WWL, and Kathleen said do you want to take over.

“I said no, I’m coming as an Indian not a chief, but that didn’t last very long, and I was into being a chief very soon.”

Yamba WWL purchases some of its wool and relies on donations to knit the wraps which are then shipped to the organisation’s warehouse in Sydney before distribution.

“They are shipped from the warehouse in Alexandria to whatever countries need them all around the world,” Mrs Day said.

“The last lot went over to Ukraine,” Mrs Essex said.

Both ladies said they get immense satisfaction and have made a lot of friends through their involvement with WWL.

“I have met up with a lot of wonderful people I would have never met, over the years,” Mrs Day said.

“I get a lot of satisfaction knowing that I’m helping people.”

As the Yamba WWL group members are maturing, they are looking for the next generation of knitters to continue their tradition.

“We need a few more knitters and crocheters cause the numbers have dropped off since Covid and everyone is getting older,” Mrs Day said.

“We welcome anyone of any age to come and join in… if they need teaching, we will teach them.”

Yamba WWL meet at Yamba Catholic Church Ted Howe Hall every Thursday from 9.30 till midday, while Maclean WWL meet at the same time at St Mary’s Church Cranny Room.

Every second Tuesday, Yamba WWL meet at Yamba Library from 1.30pm till 3.30pm and Maclean WWL meet at the Maclean Library on the third Tuesday of the month at the same time.

Mrs Day and Mrs Essex thanked all the venues for their welcoming hospitality on behalf of WWL.