As you know, the Festive Season is quickly closing on us and it is asked that you spare a thought for our soldiers serving our country in harm’s way in Afghanistan.

Perhaps you may wish to send a soldier a care package. The idea behind this is that some troops over in Afghanistan may not have family who are able to send them packages with things they may need or things that make their time over there just that tiny bit easier. There may also just be a soldier who is finding their time over there difficult and just needs a bit of cheering up. It’ll get given to whoever needs it most.

To send a care package to an Australian Soldier in Afghanistan, you need to purchase a “BM” size box (weighs 175g itself) from Australia Post, they cost $2. They’ll give you some customs forms which you will also need to fill out. The address you need to send the package to is below. Make sure you seal all the edges of the box with packing tape. If the box after being packed weighs less than 2kg, Australia Post will send it for Free.

An Australian Soldier

Op Slipper

AFPO 13

Australian Defence Force

SYDNEY NSW 2890

To give an example of what can be sent, a care package could be:

1 x Lynx Shower Gel Travel Size

1 x Pack of Schick Disposable Razors

1 x NON-AEROSOL Shaving Cream

1 x Lynx Roll On Deodorant

1 x Small Baby Powder (Talc)

1 x Chap Stick (SPF 30+)

3 x Bags of Allen’s Lollies (NOT CHOCOLATE)

1 x Beef Instant Noodles

1 x Pack of Scotch Finger Biscuits

2 x Canned Tuna (Pull Ring Style)

But don’t limit it to this let your imagination do the walking.

You may wish to also include a self addressed envelope and a letter, or include your email address as well just in case they want to contact you or have something specific they want you to get for them.

Things not to send:

Alcohol

No Clothing, Except socks

Aerosols

Cigarettes

Pork

chocolate (melts)

Magazines with naked people.

You can also send a female specific care package, including feminine deo, perfume sample sachets, girly mags. All you need to do is when addressing write ³An Australian Soldier – FEMALE².

For those of you that are animal lovers, you may wish to do the following: sending care packages to our Explosive Detection Dogs (EDD) with the following items included:

1 x box dog biscuits

1 x beef bone (not fresh)

3 x “greenies”

1x toy

1 x tennis ball

and don’t forget a couple of packets of lollies for the handler.

The dogs do a magnificent job under very trying conditions and to date, four have lost their lives serving their country.

The address is:

³An Australian EDD Handler”

Op Slipper

AFPO 13

Australian Defence Force

SYDNEY NSW 2890

This is a fantastic way to help out our serving soldiers, and show your support. What about getting the local kids at school involved and send some special packages from them there is still 4or5 weeks before they finish the year.

Every picture tells a story, and this good man was in the unfortunate position of having his phote taken with three reprobates – me, Bob Monaghan and Chris Wallace.

…. some time later…

Unbeknowns to R-Bob and me, the Colonel had asked Wally to attend an official function on behalf of the DG. We just assumed that, as was his wont, Wally had decided to slide off on the turps for the afternoon. A devilishly cunning plan was devised involving forging the Colonel’s signature on a note that said “Where were you yesterday afternoon? See me.” Much peurile hilarity and mirth.

So Wal comes in the next day, puzzled, to see the Colonel.

“You wanted to see me Sir?”
“No, not really”
“But you said so in the note, Sir.”
“What note?”
“This note, Sir”

PG Richards looked at for a while, and while the signature was a reasonable facsimile to the untrained eye, R-Bob having majored in forgery, the Colonel declared;

“That’s not my signature! Someone is having a lend of you! Hmm – I know the culprit – fetch Johhny Mac!”

Now Johnny Mac would never have been party to something as nefarious as this, but he managed to cop the blame.

Come to think of it, I do remember a time in the central highlands of Java where there were three of us in a taxi, with JM teaching the Bandung taxidriver how to sing the Toreador song from Carmen … but that’s another story.