![Wagga Patchwork and Quilters Group Incorporated Chris Francis (front right) with some of the other members at their Tuesday workshop. Picture by Taylor Dodge Wagga Patchwork and Quilters Group Incorporated Chris Francis (front right) with some of the other members at their Tuesday workshop. Picture by Taylor Dodge](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/JEQDf2CFmqVGDcvEsZPwEY/8b386edc-e8ce-4f78-a0df-14058ae6ba79.JPG/r0_0_3696_2448_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
From forming friendships to learning new skills and raising thousands of dollars for local charities, the Wagga Patchwork and Quilters Group Incorporated has achieved a lot in the past four decades.
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Its members celebrated the group's 40th year last week, inviting people to their haven, the ARCC Hall on Tarcutta Street, to help mark the milestone.
Member Norma Simpfendorfer said 60 people from across the Riverina came to the special event.
"We had people come from Gundagai, Tumut, Tumbarumba, Batlow and Holbrook," she said.
The group began as a small group of women who had become fast friends, all with the desire to learn new skills.
One of the longest-serving members, Noeline Lawson, has been part of the group for 36 years.
"We started in 1983 and they began meeting up at each other's homes and then we got too big so we had to relocate," Ms Lawson said.
"We ended up having more than 20 members."
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Ms Lawson was introduced to the group by a friend and said becoming a member had given her plenty of amazing experiences over the years and helped her to meet many women who became her closest friends.
"I think it's very important to have companionship and have your friends and you learn a lot in patchwork, which is also important," she said.
"I still have some friends from when I first started and the rest of them have all about fallen off the perch."
Wagga Patchwork and Quilters Group Incorporated's Chris Francis said the group has also prided itself in giving back to the community over the years.
"A big standout is the exhibition we used to have every two years," she said.
"When this hall got too big for it we had to go out to Uranquinty Pub - and I was shocked with the amount of people who had come from all over to support us.
"It was a well-known event and last year was our biggest, it raised more than $4000 for Carevan."
The exhibition is no longer able to run, but the members look back on their efforts fondly.
Mrs Simpfendorfer said while the exhibition has come to an end, the future is bright, with members happy to embrace anyone with an interest.
"We welcome new people, anyone can join. It's a friendship group, you don't have to know how to do it, and it doesn't matter who you are," she said.
The group's youngest member is currently 31 and members say she has been fully embraced by the rest of the group.
Those interested in joining can contact Ms Francis on 0418 149 549.
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