AN ARMY of crafters is working hard to ensure this Anzac Day will be one to remember.
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Every Tuesday a group of women meet at the Bendigo RSL Club to knit and crotchet red wool into poppies.
The project began as part of the nationwide '5000 Poppies' movement, to commemorate 100 years since Australia's involvement in the First World War.
A few Bendigo women started knitting poppies and as the project attracted more participants they set a goal of 6000 poppies to represent each soldier who enlisted for the First World War from the Bendigo region.
As the project grew, the 6000 target was passed and the team is now aiming for 10,000.
Numbers of poppies continue to grow since the RSL has been leaving baskets of wool out for anyone to take home.
People are dropping off woolen poppies by the bag full.
Bendigo RSL president Cliff Richards said the team quickly realised they needed a way of displaying all the poppies at the Soldier's Memorial in central Bendigo on Anzac Day.
So a team another team of crafters is sewing poppies on to a backing cloth.
Mr Richards said the poppy project had become a successful community cultural arts project involving a large number of people.
"I’ve never known such an exciting time and a time of involvement," he said.
"I'd almost challenge Bendigo to say this has been one of the biggest cultural arts projects in Bendigo."
Mr Richards does not want to reveal exactly how the poppies will be displayed on Anzac Day but assures it will be spectacular.
Red is not the only colour being used to make poppies, there is also white and purple.
Mr Richards said a woman came in with 72 white poppies to symbolise the number of nurses who enlisted for the Great War from Bendigo. Another woman came in with purple poppies representing animals who went to war.
"Each poppy means something to that person and they’re knitting for that particular reason," Mr Richards said.
He said many of the bags of poppies dropped off at the RSL club came with heartfelt messages of gratitude to those who gave their lives.
"When a person hands you over a bag of poppies you can see that compassion in their eyes that says they’re doing this in memory of (someone)," Mr Richards said.
"There’s so many wonderful stories and surprises behind the reasons why somebody would knit a poppy."
The craft group meets from 10am to 12pm every Tuesday. To find out more call the Bendigo RSL Club on 5442 2950.