Val knits 'trauma teddies' to help sick and injured kids

The Glen Innes resident has knitted hundreds of 'trauma teddies' and donated them to the newly opened Glen Innes ambulance station as well as a local doctors surgery for children In need of emotional support.

Ms Rozysnki, who turns 85 in May 2024, began knitting the teddies after her husband passed away to help deal with the loneliness.

She has been taking teddies to her local doctor's surgery to give to children receiving vaccinations or experiencing other traumatic appointments.

"I was playing bowls until fairly recently, which I really enjoyed but had to give it up unfortunately as I was getting a bit old," Mrs Rozysnki said.

"I just thought to myself one day when we were talking about knitting, that I would start knitting some teddy bears for the children in the hospital to make them feel better.

"I took 40 teddy bears to the doctors and I think 70 to the ambulance station."

Ms Rozysnki estimates it took her a few months to knit all of the teddy bears, a few days to knit each one by hand.

"The lady at the doctor's said they were giving them away to the children already.

"She told me that the children just loved them, they loved them so much that they stopped crying which made me feel so good," she said.

And her generosity doesn't stop at teddy bears.

"I also knit blankets for the people in the nursery home who are in wheelchairs, for them to put over their knees. It gets cold here in Glen Innes."

Mrs Rozysnki's close friend Joy Woods said she has always been a strong supporter of the Glen Innes community.

"She and her husband George were involved in setting up the Glen Innes standing stones and have always promoted and supported the standing stones as a feature of the Glen Innes area," Mrs Woods said.

"For many years they both marched in the Celtic parade, proudly wearing their Glen Innes tartans.

"It's so lovely to see her knitting and giving away the bears, they're such beautiful comfort toys for the children.

"That's why she knitted them for the ambulance service, if they have a child in the ambulance who might be feeling distressed or uncomfortable, they will have a comfort teddy there for them to help with the stress of it all, that's just the kind of person she is, so thoughtful."

When asked what her favourite thing about Glen Innes was, Mrs Rozynski said she loved the town's history and its people.

"My husband George was an alderman, and was a councillor on the Glen Innes council.

"We were the original owners of the Blue Sapphire caravan park on Grafton Road which is still in operation today," she said.

"George was working on the Snowy Hydro scheme and we lived in Sydney for some time.

"We moved to Glen Innes and bought the block of land and built the caravan park from scratch, just the two of us.

"We dug all of the trenches and laid all of the water pipes, everything."

She said her husband had proved quite capable on the tools and he dived into challenges head on.

"Then, with the standing stones, I remember George drilling out and cutting all the stones and helping to move them around. I have done a lot of work up there myself also, such as planting the grass out the front.

"It's a life we built here together, and there are so many friends here. I love to give back to my community in any way I can and that's why I started with the teddy bears, I hope I can knit many, many more."