The red memorial poppy, first sold in Australia in 1921, is a symbol of loss and hope. In the spring of 1915, red poppies were one of the first plants to appear in the ravaged battlefields of northern France and Belgium. Moved by the sight of poppies on the battlefield at Ypres, Canadian medical officer Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the well-known poem, In Flanders Field.
Come along to our poppy craft sessions and help Ipswich Libraries make 1,560 poppies as a community tribute of respect and remembrance to commemorate those who served in WWI. That’s one poppy for every day Australians fought in this war. The second session of the year will be held at the Ipswich Central Library on Friday, 23 January 2015 from 11.00am to 12.00pm. These sessions will continue to run at the Ipswich Central Library from February to April 2015, on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of the month.
If you are unable to make it into the Ipswich Central Library, you can always collect a craft-in-a-bag kit from the other Library branches during March.
All completed poppy returned to the Library by Friday, 24 April 2015 will be included as part of our special library displays.
Participants at the first poppy craft session – 9 January 2015 – Ipswich Central Library
Participants at the first poppy craft session – 9 January 2015 – Ipswich Central Library