Kindness, love, and giving back to those in need are attributes that are never questioned, but provide clarity for Mrs Helen Louise Comport, as the King’s Birthday sees her awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia.
Helen was awarded for her service to veterans and their families, and is set to wear the medal in September this year during the official ceremony.
In the meantime, however, Helen, when she first heard the news, “was a bit shocked”.
“This is a recognition of what someone does, because there are a lot of people out there who do a lot of good things and help others.
“But you know, I didn’t really expect any recognition for it, I get my reward from being able to help and give to others,” Helen said.
Recovering from a broken shoulder, it was one of her sons who had opened the letter for her, breaking its news, and both were in a state of disbelief, though it was Helen more than anyone else.
“I couldn’t write properly, you know? It was painful to move it and try to write with my other hand, and I just said, look, could you do it?” she said.
“I said, ‘I don’t even know what this is, I think I need to fill in a form’, and he looked at it, and then we both found out.
“My son, he said, mum, this is bigger than the Margaret Golding Award, and I said, oh, I suppose it is – still very shocked.”
Helen was the founder of the Quilts of Valour (QOV) in Australia in the early 2010s, serving as its first president and secretary, continuing her duties until now.
A sister organisation had existed for some time in the United States, but it was a harrowing and eye-opening personal experience involving one of her sons, who served in Afghanistan, that became Helen’s driving force to find something that expressed love to those who served.
“One of my boys was serving in Afghanistan, and he was badly injured; he was in a really dark place, he’d lost mates, he nearly lost himself,” Helen said.
“Then, when someone gave him a quilt, he cried, thinking that someone did all that work to make one for him.
“When he finally came back home, he said to me, ‘mum, imagine if Australians did this for our veterans’, and I just thought, why not?
“Our main goal was to wrap veterans in the warmth and love of a quilt, to show them that Australia and Australians do appreciate them for putting their lives on the line.”
That was the first step, the second came from Helen asking one of her friends who had introduced her to quilting and told her the story.
Her friend then suggested that Helen write to a number of quilting magazines and publications, to see if there were others who were interested and willing to help in Helen’s newfound aspiration.
To begin, Helen expected a small reception, thinking that perhaps a dozen or so responses with a number of helping hands.
“I was thinking that would be all, and at least we could give some to veterans and thank them,” she said.
However, word travelled far and reached the Victorian Quilters Guild, who soon published Helen’s letter of request in their quarterly publication.
Within days, Helen was flooded with emails and contact details, all with messages that read “how can we help?” and “we want to help you”.
The technical hurdle came soon after, with Helen recalling that it initially took her some time to organise a meeting, marking its beginning, and her first time accepting donations.
“I wanted to be sure that people understood that anything they did was going to a cause, so I worked on getting incorporated as an association, then getting an ABN, then getting a charity status,” she said.
“Us quilters, we have our bits and pieces, and that’s originally how quilting started, it was people using bits and pieces of fabric and then putting them together.
“We would join them together in these designs, these patterns and turn them into a quilt.”
When her son came home, there was a massive sense of relief that washed over her, but she also realised that there were parents and mothers who were in her same shoes, who did not get to see their children come back home.
Through her son, Helen was able to get in touch with a colonel in the army, who, in turn, sent Helen’s letter to all the families that had lost loved ones in battle, so that she and the Quilts of Valour would make quilts for them.
“We gave quilts to children of veterans, we gave them to wives, mums, dads, siblings, whoever was affected by a loss,” she said.
“We wanted to say thank you, and give them something that wasn’t necessarily a medal, that’s the government’s role, but the quilt is us saying thanks for what they did.
“Throughout the years, we’ve had so many amazing responses from veterans who’ve received them.”
Helen recalled the time a veteran said to her that he had thoughts of suicide, but it was that gesture of receiving and being given a quilt that had shifted the trajectory in his mind.
For her, it was a revelation that maybe, “we might have saved a life”.
In addition to the QOV, Helen was also part of the Inner Wheel Club of Berwick and was the president from 2019 to 2020.
As of now, she operates as the club’s media administrator and historian, but was also a former newsletter editor.
In the professional field, Helen is a long-time and, in a sense, a decorated teacher with expertise in science and mathematics.
She taught at Margaret College in Berwick from 1999-2000, then at Haileybury College from 2001-2005, and finally, her longest tenure was at Beaconhills College from 2006-2020.
Throughout this time, Helen was still a very active member of the QOV and the Inner Wheel, being awarded the Margaret Goulding Award for her efforts in the latter in 2022.
“It’s just a lovely thing really, helping people out,” Helen said.
“I think, if we all just gave one little thing each day, even a smile to someone, the world would be a better place.
“If people just take a bit of a step back and think, maybe that person’s having a bad day, if I just smile, it might just help.
”I think humans are naturally empathetic and want to help others; we, and I, get rewarded because we’re helping those people.”
Helen added that for many, asking for help is difficult, whereas providing a small helping hand can go a long way.
“You just feel good after helping someone, and I had to sort of tell myself, maybe they will feel good if I let them help me sometimes,” Helen said.
Recalling school teaching, she said she had the same sense of happiness and accomplishment, seeing the young grow and expand their knowledge – it was a fulfilling experience for Helen.
On the more fun side, Helen said that quilting and sewing have, and continue to be, one of her favourite pastimes, and being able to put that effort into something valuable like QOV adds a different layer to it.
“It’s sort of like a meditative thing, but I’ve got my sewing room, which is my happy place,” she said.
Looking ahead, Helen is keen for the official ceremony later in the year, but in the meantime, she has some duties to attend to with more quilts to be made, and responsibilities with both the QOV and Inner Wheel calling for her.
