By ANEEKA SIMONIS
WOVEN into the fabric of a sentimental family quilt and passed down for several generations is a history of love, loss and war.
Pakenham’s Barbara O’Connor recently took ownership of a significant family heirloom created by her great-grandmother after her sons left for World War I.
It is one of five quilts crafted by the mother of soldiers Karl and Percival Steenholdt who each left Longwarry for war in 1915.
Ms O’Connor was noticeably emotional as she imagined her great-grandmother Mary Steenholdt’s heartbreak as she farewelled her sons – with no guarantee they would return.
Unlike most families, however, Mary was lucky enough to reunite with her sons when they returned home from war.
“She made them when her sons went to war … I don’t know why she decided to, maybe it was her way of coping,” Barbara said.
The quilt includes a ship sailing through the Dardanelles and a woman kneeling beneath the words “waiting for the dawn of peace”.
Percival Steenholdt was a Sergeant of the 45th Australian Field Artillery Battery and Karl Steenholdt was a Gunner of the 2 FAB (Field Artillery Brigade) – 14 to 16 Reinforcements (January-May 1916).
According to Barbara, one of the other four quilts is on display at Upper Yarra Historical Museum and the others are with family members.
