Hanni Sanders

Mrs Hanni Sanders was born in Munich and came to Great Britain as a refugee in 1939. She finished her schooling and trained as a Nursery Nurse. She joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) and worked as a mechanic and lorry driver.

Having married in London in 1948, she and her husband moved to Aberdeen in 1954 with their daughter after his offer of a job. A son was born in Aberdeen.

Hanni ran a nursery school with friends for many years followed by a few years at the Raeden Pre School Assessment Centre. Her interest in handicrafts was always there and, on leaving work and with her children leaving home, she found time to follow her pursuits.

Her output was vast. She also loved passing on her knowledge and interest to others, especially young children. She demonstrated her skills with wool in many schools and at craft fairs. She could take a raw fleece, card the wool, spin it, dye it with natural dyes and then knit, crochet or weave it into a beautiful piece. She also won prizes for her felt. She enjoyed being a member of The Grampian Guild of Weavers, Spinners and Dyers, where she had many friends.

She spent many hours making New Pitsligo lace and also demonstrated the process at craft fairs along with others in the lace group.

Hanni's pastimes were numerous, from painting to geology, working with clay to embroidery. She had a lovely voice and sang in the Haddo Choir and the Edinburgh Festival Chorus. She learnt Gaelic and walked the mountains, glens and coasts of Scotland.