The Riviersonderend Quilting Guild has raised more than R11,000 for the Overberg Crane Group (OCG). The Guild quilted a beautiful crane quilt – the prize in a raffle that was held over the past year.
In a ceremony held at VN’ Desden Restaurant in Riviersonderend recently, the Guild handed over a cheque for R11,200 to the OCG. The OCG will use the money raised to increase awareness of Blue Crane conservation and other threatened big bird species, such as Secretarybirds, Denham’s Bustards and Korhaans.
The quilt, which is approximately 1.5m by 1.5m, took eleven months to complete. A farmer from Citrusdal, Drikus Mouton, was the eventual winner of the quilt.
According to Mick D’Alton, Chair of the OCG, the effort put in by the Riviersonderend Quilting Guild for crane conservation has been exceptional. “As the Crane Group, we are incredibly grateful to the Guild, for putting 11 months of work into this lovely quilt. It truly is a work of art, and captures the cranes living on the landscape beautifully. Efforts such as this one taken on by the Riviersonderend Quilting Guild ultimately help us raise awareness of the plight of the Blue Crane and so many other threatened birds that live in the Overberg.”
Whereas bird species such as the Korhaan were frequently spotted on the Agulhas Plain in the past, today they have become an increasingly rare sight. “It’s therefore vital for those working on the lands to be aware of the birds they see, what they are not seeing so much of. So we are very thankful to vital partners, such as the Riviersonderend Quilting Guild, for actively playing such an important role in conservation.”