Plenty of poppies

By Emily Donohoe

Mar 27, 2025

Kaye Speers from the Rochester Historical and Pioneer Society is leading the poppy project. Photos: Jordan Townrow Photo by Jordan Townrow

Ahead of Anzac Day, the community is invited to contribute to the Rochester Historical Society and Rochester Business Network poppy project.

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Poppies can be made through crafts like knitting, crocheting, felting or even quilting.

Rochester Historical and Pioneer Society president Kaye Speers is helping lead the charge on the project.

“Our town has some amazing, capable people,” she said.

“This project will allow people of all ages to make poppies and (for them) to be displayed as a community collection to honour our ANZACs.

“Anzac Day has always been a special day in Rochester, and we want to make sure the community continues to come together to show their respect.”

The colours of the poppies each have a different meaning, with red representing the soldiers, purple for the animal victims of war, white for casualties of war and black for the contributions of First Nations people. Photo by Jordan Townrow

The handmade poppies will be on display in town in the lead-up to the Rochester RSL dawn service, to be held at 5.45am on Anzac Day outside the RSL building.

The project is supported by the Campaspe Shire Flood Recovery Program, along with the RBN, Hotel Rochester, Parsons Rochester and members of the Rochester Community House ‘Happy Hookers’ knitting and crochet group.

RBN president and ‘Happy Hookers’ member Tracie Kyne is looking forward to seeing the display and contributing her own poppies.

“This is such a beautiful project,” she said.

“Once on display, it will be a showpiece for our town that will encourage people to visit, and I can't wait to be involved with the knitting and crochet group.”

Project supplies, including yarn and the poppy pattern, are available for free at Parsons Rochester.

All completed poppies can be dropped to Parsons, open weekdays from 9.30am to 5pm and Saturdays from 9.30am to noon, or to the Rochester Historical and Pioneer Society, open from 9am to noon Wednesdays and Fridays.