Please note:

This website was set up to get parcels to Australian Soldiers/Sailors/Airmen/Airwomen deployed overseas.

You are welcome to cut and paste information and use it to support sending parcels to our service members serving overseas, however, when you do cut and paste please link back to Ocean Sky & Khaki to acknowledge OSK, and so that people can find the blog themselves.

If there are questions one of us will answer if you comment on a post at the blog.

*************

Monday, December 4, 2017

Christmas Mail 2017

XMAS CARE PACKAGES FREE TO AUSTRALIAN TROOPS
Care packages can be sent free of charge to the Middle East, so long as they strictly comply with Australia Post guidelines.

Packages can be sent to either male or female personnel and must be posted by 8 DECEMBER 2017.

In order to qualify for free postage, care packages can weigh no more than 2kg (cubic weight limit) and should be packaged within a “BX2” sized box, which are available from Australia Post for approximately two dollars.

You will also be required to fill out some Customs forms and it is suggested that you use a liberal amount of packing tape to ensure that all of the contents arrive at their destination.

Address Details
To send a care package to an Australian soldier, sailor, airman or airwoman in the Middle East.

Address the package to the following.
(If you wish to send a specific package to a female, change the first line to ‘An Australian Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Airwoman – Female’)

An Australian Soldier
Christmas Mail
Middle East Operations
AFPO 60
Australian Defence Force
SYDNEY NSW 2890

What can be included in Care Packages?
Be creative with donations while being mindful of Australia Post’s guidelines for the free delivery of care packages. Some suggestions are listed below, as are the general restrictions.

Suggestions of what you might like to include:
Toiletries
o Deodorant (non aerosol)
o Shaving cream (non aerosol)
o Small bottle of talcum powder
o Disposable razors
o Shower Gel
o Lip Balm

Food
o Instant Noodles
o Biscuits
o Lollies
o Small tinned consumables
o Non-perishable foods

Other ideas
o Magazines – from Vogue to Men’s Health
o Puzzle books
o DVDs
o Socks
o Letters of support
o Stamped, self addressed envelopes – this way soldiers can thank you for the donation

What not to include
• Pornographic material
• Alcoholic beverages
• Clothing (except socks)
• Pork products
• Cigarettes
• Chocolate (if sending to warm climates)

We know the recipients are most appreciative of the packages and these people are very deserving of our support.


Lifted from DOD site.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

2015 Christmas Mail Now Open - Click link

Sorry, I'm a bit time poor at the moment!

Here's the link.

Monday, November 3, 2014

2014 Christmas Mail - closing date 8 December 2014.

From the Department of Defence website:

People who still wish to send general care parcels to deployed personnel this Christmas can do so through the Australian Forces Post Office box address below, which will be open from Monday 3 November to Monday 8 December 2014.
An Australian Defence Member
AFPO 60
Australian Defence Force NSW 2890
In order to ensure an equitable distribution of parcels it is requested that all donations be gender-neutral, and be addressed to 'An Australian Defence Member', not to a specific job title, trade or unit member.

Unfortunately Defence cannot accept care packages for Military Working Dogs or Explosive Detection Dogs due to strict care requirements relating to both their diet and their training programs.

To ensure that all items are able to be delivered to our deployed forces, donors are asked to ensure that packages are of non-perishable goods. Previous experience has shown that items that are not robustly packaged can break open during transit, which can lead to infestation and spoilage. Defence cannot send perished or infested items overseas.

All items must be submitted to an Australia Post outlet by 8 December 2014, and meet the requirements and restrictions detailed below.

Please ensure that parcels do not contain alcohol, pornography or culturally offensive/inappropriate written material.

Please note that general care parcels received by Defence after this date and those that exceed our ability to distribute will be donated to Australian charities such as the Salvation Army.

Please visit the website for more information: http://www.defence.gov.au/events/christmas/support.asphttp://www.defence.gov.au/events/christmas/support.asp

What not to send:

No religious material.

No porn, naked or immodestly clothed people.

No chocolate, but I've sent Tim Tams.

No toys or food for the dogs, it interferes with their training.

No cigarettes.

No alcohol.

No liquids, they can break or leak and destroy others' Christmas mail.

Nothing home baked, it will be thrown out.

No clothing.

Things to send:

Lollies from Australia (minties, individually wrapped lollies, chupa chups, lolly pops)

Coffee/tea/chocolate - I send sachets of coffee which you just add water to (Nescafe and Moccona make them and Aldi have their own brand).

Other food items I've sent are: crisps, Mac & Cheese, cuppa soups, tins of flavoured tuna (Aldi have some with crackers which are not expensive and taste pretty good), tins of chicken, smoked oysters, other tinned fish (snack size tins).

Remember, it's going to be winter in the middle east in December, and it gets cold!!

No clothing, but a sand scarf in an appropriate camouflage colour (think the desert colours - sand!), would probably be appreciated. Must be made of 100% cotton, usually interlock (t-shirt material), and camoflage colours must be kept in mind. Instructions on how to make a sand scarf can be found here. PLEASE NOTE: you do not need to email the person at the end of the instructions. Just put the sand scarf in your parcel!

Envelopes and small writing pads, biros, it's sometimes difficult to get writing materials.
A self addressed envelope will enable the recipient, if s/he has time, to write to you. Don't expect to receive a reply, feel good that you made someone happy at Christmas to get a parcel. Enclose a note from yourself if you can, like a penpal would, or a postcard from where you live.

BX or B2 sized boxes (the Post Office should be able to help), and remember to keep the parcel under 2kg, or you will have to pay full postage to Sydney.

Good luck, and thank you so much for thinking of our deployed military members.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Current Deployments OCT14

We are currently waiting information regarding current deployments of Australia's armed forces personnel.

Please standby.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014