INSPIRED by folklore, a nine-year-old Ballarat girl on Sunday helped sew a replica of the Eureka Flag.
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The original flag, sewn in 1854, was said to have been sewn by three women – Anastasia Withers, Anne Duke and Anastasia Hayes – which captivated namesake Anastasia Parker.
Anastasia, a grade 3 pupil at St Patrick’s Parish Primary School, learnt about the flag at school and was delighted to have the chance to help sew a replica.
“It’s special because when the teachers told us they (the sewers) were called Anastasia the whole class was just looking at me because it was my name,” she said.
About 24 stitchers put in a combined 16 hours to sew just under half a flag, which when completed will be flown on Eureka Day, December 3.
M.A.D.E Ballarat marketing and retail manager Zoe Bradshaw said the project was akin to a historical study designed to test how long the flag actually took to make.
“There’s a beautiful book written which makes it sound like it happened overnight but we don’t actually know how long it took,” she said.
Ms Bradshaw said Val D’Angri, a descendant of a woman believed to have helped sew the flag, provided direction for the project, which will be open to contributors at the Eureka museum.