ISLAND LIFE

Life can be tough when you’re a tiny lamb battling cold weather and drought.

But thanks to knitters like Dunalley’s Judy Young, frail orphaned lambs are being given a second chance at life.

Young is one of an army of knitters across Australia who have banded together to create woollen jumpers to keep lambs warm and make life easier for droughtstricken farmers.

The colourful outfits may look cute, but they also serve an important purpose.

Many interstate farmers are having to handfeed weak lambs for the first few months of life to keep them alive through the drought, due to cold weather and a lack of green pasture. In other cases newborn lambs are being rejected by their mothers because of low feed and an increase in twin and triplet births. Without added warmth, many of these lambs would die.

The Lamb Jumpers — Helping Our

Farmers project was started by NSW sheep farmer Marie Knight who knitted jumpers to keep her own lambs warm.

It has since gained the support of the Country Women’s Association and other community groups like Sorell Lions, of which Young is a member.

The 77-year-old says lamb jumpers are definitely the strangest thing she’s ever knitted. But having spent most of her life living in rural areas she’s pleased to be able to do something to help farmers.

Knitters follow a pattern posted online (which is slightly shorter for boy lambs so they don’t wee on their jumpers) and then drop-off or post the completed jumpers to designated collection points for distribution among farmers. Those who can’t knit have also been sewing and crocheting coats and jumpers for lambs and calves.

For more information, including a pattern to knit your own lamb jumpers, visit the Facebook page at facebook.com/ lambjumpershelpingourfarmers