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.

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Friday, April 15, 2011

ANZAC Day Mailing information - 14 March - 15 April 2011 NOW CLOSED

UPDATE:
This mailing is now finished although you can still send parcels to the regular addresses!
Keep up the good work.
Kae

Sent to me from my local RSL Sub-Branch President:


Following requests from a number of community-based organisations and private citizens, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has established special mailing addresses for members of the public to send Anzac Day care packages to service men and women serving on operations overseas.

The ADF Joint Operations Command Director of General Support, Brigadier Dianne Gallasch, said she is moved by the desire among ordinary Australians to remember those currently serving overseas on the day the nation honours all who have made the ultimate sacrifice in present and past conflicts.

“To be serving on operations on Anzac Day is an experience no sailor, soldier, airman or airwoman forgets,” Brigadier Gallasch said.

“The significance of the challenges and sacrifices made by those who have gone before them is all the more poignant when they stop to commemorate Anzac Day on foreign soil. To know that complete strangers back home are thinking of them on this significant day and have sent a small care package is extremely heartening.”

Members of the public are able to send parcels through Australia Post, so long as they do not exceed a 2kg cubic weight limit. Items weighing up to 2kg and posted in a ‘BM’ size Australia Post carton can be posted without cost to the sender. Parcels exceeding this limit will incur full postal charges which must be paid by the sender.

The postal addresses are active from 14 March until 15 April 2011 and packages will be distributed throughout the appropriate operational areas. For postal security reasons, parcels must be posted in person with presentation of photograph identification and can be lodged at any Australia Post outlet, using the following addresses:

Middle East:
An Australian Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Airwoman
Anzac Day Mail
Middle East Operations
AFPO 60
Australian Defence Force NSW 2890
East Timor
An Australian Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Airwoman
Anzac Day Mail
East Timor Operations
AFPO 61
Australian Defence Force NSW 2890
Solomon Islands
An Australian Soldier/Sailor/Airman/Airwoman
Anzac Day Mail
Solomon Islands Operations
AFPO 62
Australian Defence Force NSW 2890
Brigadier Gallasch said deployed service men and women usually have access to essential personal items and those care package items most often appreciated include uniquely Australian treats such as lollies, as well as magazines, books and DVDs.

“Defence subsidises care packages to deployed personnel for Anzac Day and Christmas each year. For Christmas last year, some 10 tonnes of care packages were sent to deployed personnel by members of the public, boosting morale and providing a welcome treat,” Brigadier Gallasch said.

“On behalf of those members of the ADF who will receive care packages this Anzac Day, I would like to thank the public and community groups, particularly the RSL, for their thoughtfulness and kindness.”

Information on sending Anzac Day messages and care packages is available on the Defence website at http://www.defence.gov.au/anzacday/mail/index.htm.

An alternate option to individual members of the public sending care packages is to donate to the RSL Australian Forces Overseas Fund (AFOF). Twice a year the AFOF provides packages to Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police and AusAID personnel serving overseas. Further information regarding the AFOF is available on the RSL web site (http://www.rsl.org.au/).

Media contact:
Defence Media Operations 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664

Anzac Day care packages for ADF members serving overseas

10 comments:

Boy on a bike said...

“Defence subsidises care packages to deployed personnel for Anzac Day and Christmas each year. For Christmas last year, some 10 tonnes of care packages were sent to deployed personnel by members of the public, boosting morale and providing a welcome treat,” Brigadier Gallasch said.

10 tons of packages - at 2kg a package, that's 5,000 packages from the general public. Well done people! It makes me proud....

Anonymous said...

Hello. And greetings from Hervey Bay Queensland.

This is an awesome idea for a blog. I never knew you could do send the troops gifts.

Keep up the good work!

redtail said...

I'm sending off 4 packages.
I'm so excited, I love packing them up. My Dad Mum Aunty and Sister all give me money, so I get to put in a few extra things i usually wouldn't be able.......I've taken a video so I can show My dear Dad, he's in a old peoples home and thinks its a great idea, he remembers the Red Cross parcels he use to get in Korea :-)

kae said...

Hi Redtail
I have about 20 of my own and about 40 for the local RSL to pack.
I'm going to be busy for a few nights!

spot_the_dog said...

Liberal MP Ken Wyatt from Western Australia posted this on Twitter this morning:
"Good morning everyone. Sent my care packages to the troops yesterday for Anzac Day" and a picture of himself & his package: CLICK

Just FYI, I tweet a link to this blog every now and then, and a lot of people have remarked on what a great service you guys are providing here. Keep up the great work!

kae said...

Thanks, spot. Your promotion is much appreciated. The information is just there for people to see, and we like to get feedback on what things the soldiers like to get.

I'm a bit disappointed that links to the blog aren't provided so that people can see what types of things to send, and what not to send.

A school up in Toowoomba I think was featured on the news last night because they sent a stack of packages. Inside were chocolates etc. They might not travel very well!

The local rag where mum lives had some polly promoting himself by sending the parcels, all he provided was the addresses for the Anzac Day mailout, no indication that parcels can be sent year round and the addresses, or a link. Thing is that the link to the DOD press release really doesn't tell what sort of goodies are OK to send and are treasured.

/minor rant

kae said...

Hey, BoaB

“Defence subsidises care packages to deployed personnel for Anzac Day and Christmas each year...."

I hope they don't keep the ones sent outside those times/dates/events until the events come up - some stuff could be beyond its use-by date, or spoilt by heat!

spot_the_dog said...

That's exactly why I send the link to this blog around, especially just after I've seen the official @AustralianArmy account send out a link to the addresses on the DoD site.

Sandra Lee (@FitToPrint) is a supporter of your site too - hopefully between us we reach a lot of peeps :)

But still, it's a shame no mainstream sources are giving you any oxygen, because your tips on what to send are really useful, both in terms of sending our troops stuff they want and in terms of not sending anything that won't travel well or that won't be accepted.

If you ever want to see who on Twitter is promoting this site... Bookmark this

Cheers!

Boy on a bike said...

Guess we should put up a post on our blogs about this as well - deadline isn't far off.

kae said...

Hi Boy
The deadline is Friday!