185 Years of the Rajah Quilt: An Afternoon with the Governor
Honouring the Rajah Quilt, one stitch at a time
On Monday 20 July 2026, members of the Rotary Club of Deloraine were honoured to join Her Excellency the Honourable Caroline Wells, Governor of Tasmania, at Government House in Hobart for a special afternoon tea celebrating the 185th anniversary of the Rajah Quilts arrival in Van Diemen's Land.
It was a fitting outing for our club - one steeped in history, community, and the kind of quiet, patient craftsmanship that Rotary members know well. And it carries extra meaning this year, with an exact replica of the Rajah Quilt set to be the feature exhibit at the 2026 Tasmanian Craft Fair.
Government House in Hobart
A quilt that carries a story
The Rajah Quilt isn't just a beautiful piece of needlework - it's a document of history. Pieced together from over 2,800 fabric fragments during the four-month voyage of the convict ship Rajah to Van Diemen's Land in 1841, it was made by women whose lives had, until then, been shaped by poverty, hardship, and conviction. The finished quilt now holds pride of place in the National Gallery of Australia's textile collection, and the facsimile Tasmanians can see closer to home tells the same remarkable story.
In her remarks, Governor Wells traced the quilt back to Elizabeth Fry, the English Quaker reformer who believed every person (including the women held in Britain's harsh prisons) deserved dignity and a genuine chance to rebuild. Fry and the British Ladies' Society for the Reformation of Female Prisoners supplied the convict women with sewing materials, encouragement, and the belief that meaningful work could restore hope as well as skill. The Rajah Quilt was the women's way of saying thank you for that kindness, a message stitched into its very border.
Inside Government House
Small stitches, lasting legacy
What struck many in the room was the Governor's reflection on how much history overlooks. Soldiers, explorers, and political leaders tend to be remembered; the quiet labour of women who built homes, raised families, and made something beautiful out of very little, less so. The Rajah Quilt gives those women a voice that has now carried for 185 years.
The Governor also spoke of the many hands that have kept that voice alive since - historians, conservators, museum staff, educators, and volunteers who've dedicated themselves to preserving the quilt's story, including recognition for the sustained efforts of Anne and Rob Thompson. It's a reminder that remembrance doesn't happen by accident. It takes ongoing care, much like the quilt itself, which was built piece by piece until many small fragments became something far stronger together.
Why this story matters to our Rotary Club
For our club, the parallels were hard to miss. Community, service, and the belief that individual acts - however small - accumulate into something lasting are principles Rotary was built on. Standing in Government House, hearing the Governor describe how "acts of kindness, like stitches, may seem small on their own, but together they create something that can endure for generations," felt like hearing our own motto reflected back at us.
Rotary Club members, Stephanie (Tasmanian Craft Fair Director) and Merrilyn (Secretary) next to the Rajah Quilt Replica.
See the facsimile at the 2026 Tasmanian Craft Fair
The exact replica of the Rajah Quilt will be the feature exhibit at this year's Tasmanian Craft Fair, giving visitors across the state the chance to see the intricate stitching up close and reflect on the resilience, skill, and quiet courage of the women who made it.
We hope you'll come along, take a closer look at the needlework, and consider the generations of hands (from the convict women aboard the Rajah, to the reformers who supported them, to the conservators and craftspeople keeping their story alive today) that have kept this quilt, and its lessons, stitched into Tasmania's history.
The Rotary Club of Deloraine looks forward to seeing you at the 2026 Tasmanian Craft Fair.