Pastime or a fast time?: Pacy puzzlers chase peace of mind

Three years ago, Alannah Jenkins wasn’t in a great place, mentally.

The mother of two small children, who is a disability support worker, was depressed and stressed, and then she was off work for six weeks after having her gall bladder removed.

Looking for a pastime, Ms Jenkins turned to a source of joy and comfort from her childhood: jigsaw puzzles.

Piecing together colourful images of hot air balloons or Disney scenes occupied her mind, and she felt accomplished each time she completed a 500- or 1000-piece picture.

It became a passion: so far this year, Ms Jenkins, 30, of Scoresby, has finished 70 puzzles.

And lately, Ms Jenkins has been “training” for the inaugural Victorian jigsaw puzzle competition.

On April 9, 200 competitors aged from six to over 80 will converge on Malvern Town Hall, uncover a 500 piece Harlington puzzle, designed exclusively for the event, and have three hours to finish it.

Keen jigsaw puzzler Alannah Jenkins, 30, and her children, Elouise, 6, and Noah, 4.Credit:Eddie Jim

The pairs event starts at 10am, and the individual competition starts at 2pm. The fastest result so far in two years of state competitions was last year’s Queensland pairs winners, who finished in 34 minutes and 25 seconds.

The individual record was set at the 2022 the Western Australian championships – Emma Telfer with a time of 1 hour 13 minutes and 27 seconds.

Ms Jenkins could challenge that: she says her usual time for a 500-piece image is between 50 and 80 minutes.

Dogged pursuit: Alannah Jenkins and her dogs Teddy and Izzy.Credit:Eddie Jim

D’Arne Healy, who founded the Australian Jigsaw Puzzle Association three years ago, said it would be free for spectators to attend the Victorian titles, and competitors can be entertaining to watch. Everyone has their own technique. Some people wear fancy dress.

“You can see competitors that are quite nervous, or people that are relaxed. Some people are chatting through it,” Ms Healy said.

“Some have wild celebrations when they finish; they squeal, do a happy dance, jump up and down. You can watch people who are neck and neck, you can feel the excitement in the room.”

Jigsaw puzzle companies reported a surge in sales during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chris Marlow, co-owner of Jigsaw Store, said in the first three months of the pandemic in 2020, sales jumped by more than 600 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels.

“They’re still higher, at least double what they were in 2019,” he said.

Jacques Levy, managing director of puzzle and game maker MJM Australia, which is a sponsor of the Victorian titles, said broadly there had been “a significant increase in jigsaw puzzle sales over the pandemic.”

“[People] were locked down, and they went and bought puzzles and games to pass the time,” he said.

Competitors in the Western Australian jigsaw puzzle competition in January 2021.Credit:D’Arne Healy

Ms Healy said doing jigsaw puzzles “doesn’t require any electricity or batteries, it can be done over and over again, it’s relaxing.”

“I think a lot of people were suffering from mental health issues and stress during lockdowns and puzzles were the perfect activity.

“And every age group can do it — the child, the grandmother, the teenage son and Mum and Dad.”

Ms Jenkins often works on puzzles with her children Elouise, 6, and Noah, 4, which gets them off screens and using their brains.

A cheer squad supporting a puzzle team at the South Australian state Jigsaw puzzle competition in 2021.

And by posting on the Australian Jigsaw Puzzle Association’s Facebook page, she made a good friend, another mother of two, Jessica.

They swap, and solve puzzles at each other’s homes. “We’re constantly messaging each other with our photos and following each other’s puzzles. It’s just joyful,” Ms Jenkins said.

The looming Victorian competition offers a new reason to get excited about puzzles, as well as the prospect of winning a trophy, a $500 travel voucher and a jigsaw puzzle. The winners will get to represent Victoria at the national competition at Williamstown Town Hall in November.

The national winners will earn free travel to Spain for them and a friend to compete in the world championships.

“I don’t mind if I don’t win,” Ms Jenkins said of the state event. “It’s about having fun and being in a room with like-minded people who enjoy the same thing I do.”

Lifeline: 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au

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