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Trafalgar’s jigsaw champion

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Like many people, the boredom of covid lockdowns resulted in trying new hobbies and getting back into old ones. For Trafalgar medical doctor, Hannah Farthing, it was jig-sawing. 

Farthing traced her love for jig-sawing back to her childhood where she did her first jigsaw at around the age of three. 

“I always sort of did them [jigsaws] growing up, but I got back into it during covid.”

Farthing explained that every night during covid, she would complete a thousand-piece jigsaw whilst watching TV; something her mum thought was “weird.”

From there Farthing went looking and stumbled on the Australian Jigsaw Puzzle Association –  which she joined – and has been a part of ever since. 

In 2024, Hannah competed in many competitions, including state, national, and world. 

The Victorian state competition saw Farthing clean up nicely, placing first in both individuals and pairs, doing a 500-piece jigsaw in amazing time. 

In nationals, Farthing placed 8th in individuals, and 1st in pairs and teams.

The world competition whisked Hannah off to Valladolid, Spain which saw her place 29th in individual, 10th in pairs, and 6th in teams. 

When asked how Hannah prepares for competition, she boiled it down to practice.

“Most of the time I come home from work and do at least one, or two five hundred [piece jigsaws].” 

“It also goes a lot further. It’s a bit of recording yourself doing puzzles, and then rewatching the footage to see what you could have done better,” Farthing said.

With the right amount of practice, Farthing believes that everyone has the potential to become a jigsaw champion. 

“Puzzling non-competitively is something that the vast majority of people have done before. It is relatable to a lot of people.”

“I would certainly recommend doing some puzzles, joining a group, and seeing what is out there. A lot of people might just end up swapping puzzles or talking about how to approach a puzzle. Then if you want to be competitive, you can always lean into that,” Farthing said. 

In 2025, the competition continues as Farthing plans to go back to defend her title as Victorian State Jigsaw Champion, and compete in the World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship, in September. 

“I won Victoria last year, so I am hoping to defend that,” Farthing said. 

Perhaps, dear reader, this is a sign for you to get back into an old hobby. You never know what could happen. 

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