The garden in front of the CWA hall was ablaze with 1000 origami flowers on Saturday to mark the International Day of People with Disability.
Member for Northern Tablelands dropped in to see the display, the result of a year’s painstaking work by Genny Taverner.
The number of flowers roughly represents the number of people in the local community who are aged or have a disability.
“What a wonderful gesture, and one that displays Genny’s dedication to making a difference,” he said. “It also demonstrates how things have changed in our communities for people with disabilities with so many more opportunities opening up to them and their families.
Ms Taverner, whose sight is affected by albinism, works with Care for Children with Disabilities, a local organisation funded to provide respite for families.
An origami enthusiast, she says she was inspired by a story from the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing at the end of WWII. A young Japanese girl diagnosed with Leukemia decided that if she could make 1000 origami flowers she would be cured of the disease.
She died before she completed the task which was then taken on by other children and members of the community.
“In Japanese tradition 1000 is regarded as a symbol of good luck,” Genny says.
“I worked out that number was close to the number of people in the local area who are either frail aged or had disabilities. I love origami and I especially love making these flowers. Each one took about 15 minutes to make after I had mastered the first few.”
It took 12 months to complete the task but she says the result is worth it.
“A garden of petals outside the CWA Hall where the Saturday Magic Theatre Troup and other activities for people with disabilities take place seemed to me a significant way to represent the International Day of Disability,” she said.
