Coronavirus: Mother’s thank-you letter a boost for morale on Christmas Island
Sydney mother Li Ping Gu has been moved to tears by the response to a letter of thanks she wrote from Christmas Island.
Sydney mother Li Ping Gu has been moved to tears by the response to a letter of thanks she wrote to Australia from quarantine on Christmas Island.
Ms Gu, 58, begins her heartfelt letter, “This is P24, my evacuation ID number”.
She has two worried adult children at home on the Australian mainland, and assures them she is fine and her thoughts are with the medics and military looking after her and 277 others evacuated from Wuhan province.
“At the coronavirus quarantine centre on Christmas Island, I have learnt about the great Aussie spirit — caring, and giving everyday,” Ms Gu wrote in the letter she wanted other Australians to see.
“I am grateful that all the doctors, nurses, soldiers on Christmas Island had sacrificed their families, their own safety, in supporting us.
“Everyday I am greeted with their lovely smile through their eyes (we can hardly see each other’s face with masks on).”
Ms Gu’s letter was a welcome boost to the medical team locked in the centre with the evacuees.
Dan Holmes, head of the Australian Medical Assistance Team in the centre, shared it with his colleagues and told The Australian on Thursday: “Everyone here really wants to do a good job. Stuff like this can seem a small thing but it’s really important for morale.”
Commanding officer of the Defence contingent on the island, Lieutenant Colonel Phil Baldoni, shared the letter with his troops, thanking them for their continued hard work.
The correspondence was the talk of the centre after some early media reports that facilities and conditions were not acceptable.
But Ms Gu’s letter makes it clear that staff are going out of their way to make the 14-day quarantine period less difficult. They supplied familiar snacks, such as green tea cake.
“They never say ‘No’ to our requests, they just ask for some amount of time to get supplies in here,” Ms Gu wrote.
Subscribers to The Australian responded so warmly to Ms Gu’s letter when it was published online on Wednesday that she was overcome with emotion.
“I have read all those comments. They made me cry,” she told The Australian on Thursday. “I am an early childhood educator.
“Children learn caring, sharing at school; I have learnt it in here.”
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