Summary

Letter sent by Joshua (with help from a grown-up) to the patients of The Alfred Hospital's Burns Unit after the Black Saturday bushfires of February 2009.

Physical Description

Single sheet of A4 lined paper with printed message and hand-written signature. attached to the letter is a 'jellyfish' made of two pieces of paper plate, knitting wool in two shades of blue and red ribbon.

Significance

This card of one of many that were received by The Alfred hospital in the days following the bushfires of February 2009. People around the world responded to the crisis with donations of money and material aid but they also wanted to express personal messages of hope and support directly to the people involved. The Burns Unit, as one of the major hospital services receiving victims of the bushfires, was swamped with cards, letters and gifts not only for the patients but also for the staff of the Unit. This collection illustrates the power of the media in conveying the effects of the fires, but more importantly it demonstrates people's need to connect directly with the victims and their carers, regardless of whether they even knew their names.

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