A cuddly buddy for everyone

What started as a hobby has now become an integral component in the life of a Maraisburg woman who took up knitting and what she calls a cuddly buddy for everyone.

Kobie Oliver is a pensioner and has been a long-standing member of Roodepoort Running Club – completed 10 Comrades Marathons and has participated in the Argus cycling race three times with numerous other marathons and cycling races.

For years, she has been knitting, filling, and decorating cuddly bunnies and donating them to the local general hospitals, dentists, and orphanages for children who experience trauma – like the dreadful experience of visiting a dentist to have teeth pulled and said that there’s a cuddly bear for everyone.

Kobie serves her community with patience, time, and dedication and has other women and her husband who assist, and she drives around collecting and delivering her special gift of love and comfort for the very poor and disadvantaged children.

“I started with the teddy bears project after my daughter who has triplets and family emigrated to the UK. My friend came to visit me and saw the knitted teddy bears and asked if I knew anyone who could make them. I decided to give it a try seeing that my house is empty suddenly,” she said and continued to say that she spoke to other ladies who seemed very interested in assisting her.

The items are made with a need to provide loving relief, peace, comfort, and happiness for those very young and scared in the community who might be suffering.

“I am inspired by a need to give a little pleasure so that they can forget for a short time their suffering,” she said.

A standard pattern is used with wool bought at discounted prices. Every little teddy gets a ribbon, bowtie, or something to make it pretty and special for boys and girls.

“It is so heart-warming to see a scared or crying child receiving some comfort in the form of a loving cute soft cuddly teddy to help them feel better. These teddies go to government dentist/ rape and crisis centres and orphanages in the area,” she said.

The challenges experienced are that of finding donations in the form of wool and stuffing and Kobie said that this has become a passion project that has seen donations of more than 3000 teddies to various institutions since 2018.

Kobie urges anyone who can knit or crochet to contact her to get involved in assisting with the project via email at kobieoliver@gmail.com.