By XAVIER SMERDON
NOTHING makes Ursula Splitter happier than when she is knitting.
Her hands work furiously as she goes to work on another beanie that will help to ease a little bit of the pain of a very sick person.
Ms Splitter came to Australia from Germany in 1960, working three jobs in order to help build a new life for herself and her husband Heinz.
Now living at Mercy Place Wyndham, Ms Splitter has decided to use her time, and her pension, to make countless beanies for cancer patients.
She even devised her own pattern that allows her to knit a beanie without a seam, making it more comfortable for the patients.
“If you have cancer the seam is hard on your head when you lie down,” Ms Splitter said.
“I started making the little ones and now I make all different sizes.”
Ms Splitter estimates that she has made more than 1000 beanies over the last four years, even using special wool that will not irritate the wearer’s head.
She said she decided to use her skills when her age forced her to slow down.
“I thought I have to do something useful,” she said.
“I don’t want to just sit here and watch TV.
“You can’t change the personality of a person if they have worked all their life. I do it because it makes me happy.”
Service Manager at Mercy Place Wyndham, Loren Jean, said Ms Splitter was inspiring.
“Ursula’s hands are never still. She is always working on something new and always thinking of others. We’re extremely proud to have her in the Mercy Place Wyndham family,” Ms Jean said.
