A letter to a nameless friend

During the last weeks of Term 3, the students of St Charles Primary School, Ryde hand wrote some 500 letters and cards to the residents of Calvary Retirement Village, who had been in isolation from their families and communities for several months. Many residents had little or no contact with anyone. The letters were all addressed “Dear Friend”. 

Lorraine Blacklock, Team Leader for Leisure and Lifestyle at Calvary, said that the residents were delighted to receive the letters and read the stories and did the puzzles provided by the students. They spoke of the joy of their own children and how enriching children were in a person’s life.

To their great surprise, two of the students received a visit from principal Mr Peter Watkins with a reply from one of the residents.

Retired priest Fr Bernie Maxwell OP, sent warm and appreciative letters to Francis (Year 3) and Emma (Year 1), expressing the joy of a thoughtful connection with ‘a young person who cared for an elderly person’ like him. Mr Watkins said the students met the news with huge smiles on their faces and great delight. 

Encouraged by the joy his letter brought to Fr Bernie, Francis said “I am going to write to Fr Bernie again”. However, writing wasn’t enough for considerate Francis, he insisted that his mother Kaye, take him to visit Fr Bernie. The penpals met to the delight of the other, and a lovely friendship grows.

You can read the letter from Fr Bernie to Francis below: