Sam Longmore was one of the guest speakers at Cobar Shire Council’s WOW Dinner on Friday night and she stayed on to hold a Snood making workshop on Saturday morning.
Sam’s business ‘Oh Bulldust’, was created after two car accidents at age 20 left her paralysed down one side.
(Her first accident occurred when she fell asleep at the wheel and the second was later that night when the ambulance she was being transported in collided with another vehicle.)
Sam said after her accident, she needed to find a creative outlet to help her cope mentally and she turned to knitting, which has become her passion.
The group of 22 ladies at Saturday’s workshop in Cobar were shown Sam’s unique style of knitting which uses oversized needles and oversized wool, which she developed because of her disability.
“I didn’t knit beforehand,” Sam said.
“After the accident I was pulled out of the Ag industry that I loved and was always a part of. I’ve always been creative, so I needed to help myself as I was in a bad mental state.
“I started knitting. I loved the wool and I knew how to work with it.
“I jammed all of those passions together, made a scarf for myself and made a scarf for my friend and it snowballed from there.
“I’m not a plan maker, never have been.
“I’m a ‘fly by the seat of my pants’ kind of gal and it just evolved.
“The business just happened,” she said.
Sam found that she could also use her workshops to help educate others about disabilities, all things wool, and also mental health and wellbeing.
“And then all of a sudden my passion was helping other people by bringing people together, maybe creating some awkwardness in the beginning of the workshop, when people aren’t really sure what’s going on, but then allowing people to open up and be comfortable in a space with strangers ultimately.
“You jam a bunch of women in one room and it’s going to be a good time,” she said.
Sam said her reasons for doing what she’s doing now have changed over time and her focus is more about helping others rather than helping herself. She’s also now studying to become a psychologist.
