Partners of Vietnam Veterans Association Quilt

Love, activism, and frustration motivated the formation of the first branch of the Partners of Veterans Association (PVA) in 1999. Dedicated partners in rural New South Wales led the charge, and by 2003 there were branches in every state.

A close group of friends created the Melton PVA branch in August 2005 to advocate for fellow partners of veterans. The friends were very concerned that the mental health of the partners and children had been ignored by Veterans Affairs. They were bonded by shared experiences and determination.

In the members’ own words, “we have an understanding of another and of our situations that is unique to a veterans’ partner and allows us an insight into each others’ hearts.”

Figure One: Early PVA Melton Members

The Melton Love, Peace and Unity Quilt was part of a nation-wide, federal grant funded quilting project that, according to National Project Co-Ordinator Margaret Rehorn, aimed to allow the partners of veterans to “share their stories in textile and language” and enable the community to contemplate peace as a “state of being”.

Making the quilt took a year of work and coordination at the Local Veterans Welfare centre, as sixteen local women stitched together individual panels that represented multiple perspectives on Peace, love, and Unity. The work forged together friendships and bolstered resolve.

Figure Two: The Peace, Love and Unity Quilt.

After receiving a City of Melton grant, the Melton quilters accompanied the quilt to Canberra for display at Parliament House before the entire PVA quilt collection toured across Australia and New Zealand.

This was a very special trip that allowed the Melton quilters to share their stories in the heart of the nation. According to former PVA Melton president Carole Doyle, travelling together to the exhibition and seeing it on display filled the group with pride and improved the “self-esteem of the group immeasurably”.

Figure three: Melton PVA members at Canberra

In 2007 the City of Melton recognised the significance of the PVA and the Peace, Love and Unity quilt by granting the PVA Melton Branch, the quilting group and Carole Doyle individually Certificates of Recognition for voluntary service to the Melton Shire Community. The quilt also won the City of Melton Project of the Year Award in 2007.

For many years, the quilt adorned the walls of the Council Chambers in the Melton Civic Centre until a restoration project in 2024 meticulously revitalized and preserved it. Now, elegantly framed, the quilt finds its new home at the Melton Library and Learning Hub where it can be viewed and enjoyed by the broader community. Its grand reintroduction took place during the City of Melton Heritage Festival Launch Celebration, unveiled by City of Melton Mayor, Cr Kathy Majdlik, on Thursday, April 18, 2024.

Figure Four: Awards

“Marlene represents herself and her partner as two wise old owls who have travelled together to a place in their lives where they are at peace with life, in love and enjoying each other’s company”.

“On Shirley’s square there is a rainbow which has always been significant in her life, sunflowers being her daughters and bluebirds representing herself and Tom and their love for one another”.

The success of the Quilt project inspired the Melton PVA branch to engage in further advocacy projects across several decades. Early on they created, with Department of Veterans Affairs funding, the We can Move on: Help and Support for Partners of Veterans DVD. This DVD details the struggles local women faced understanding living with a veteran and their collective journey towards healing.

Figure Seven: Stills from We can Move On – Help and Support for Partners of Veterans