Crochetier is nation’s fastest
Day in the life | Sonia Grevell
WHEN she’s not singing, Sonia Grevell is almost certainly busy lending her time to others.
She’s Australia’s fastest crochetier, a Justice of the Peace and an ex-nurse but that isn’t enough for Ms Grevell who constantly volunteers throughout the Toowoomba region.
“Myself and five other ladies crochet for the Toowoomba Hospital as well as the ambulance so we’re fairly busy,” she said.
“We probably have been crocheting bears for about 18 months but we have been crocheting and knitting baby clothes for the hospital before that.”
Ms Grevell was crowned Australia’s fastest crotchetier in 2006 and she still holds the title today.
“I beat all of Queensland so then each winner from each state went down to Federation Square to compete in front of 1600 people,” she said.
“I dropped a hook in the middle of the competition but I thought ‘just get on with it Sonia, you’re a pensioner and you’ve had a trip of a lifetime’ and so I did and I still won even by dropping the hook.”
Ms Grevell studied nursing at James Cook University and credits that to one of her more interesting jobs in her 30 years of service.
“I worked for 10 years for the Greyhound bus company. I was their safari cooker nursing sister or a first aider and I used to travel all around Australia so that was really great.”
She said singing country music took up a big part of her life and one of her most notable achievements was winning an award at a country music competition in Redland Bay.
“I’ve been singing since I was about five because it’s just so relaxing and it’s really healing too if you enjoy it.”
“I hadn’t sung in a competition for about seven years because I had three major operations in those years,” she said.
Ms Grevell has released a CD and has also written 10 books.
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