WHEN Luke and Dylan Roberts contacted The Guardian with this message to their family, more than a few hearts melted around the office.
When you’re sharing presents with friends and family on December 25, spare a thought for these two brothers from the Swan Hill region, who will be far from home during this year’s festive season, serving in military operations in Afghanstan.
Each is on his first deployment and will be spending his first Christmas away from his family and friends, after being deployed to the Middle East late last month.
Luke was deployed on October 23, and 21-year-old Dylan followed close behind on October 30.
“So far it’s been good, we both are doing different jobs so we haven’t been catching up as much as we would like,” Luke said.
“And it’s starting to get cold as well.”
“It’s the first time we have both been away for Christmas so it will be a little bit lonely, but we will get together and have a Christmas lunch.”
Luke said although he and Dylan weren’t with their families, they were lucky to be able to call or Skype home most days.
“We both want to say merry Christmas to… our grandparents, also to the Harrop and Ewart families and the Hawthorne family — we miss you all and we will see you soon.”
“Most of all Tenneal and the kids and Jordan and the kids.”
Luke is a father to five children ranging from 10 years old to 8 months with wife Tenneal, a Swan Hill local who is now based in Adelaide.
Dylan’s fiance Jordan lives in Brisbane with their two children, four-year-old Marli and two-year-old Cohen.
Parents Robin and Robyn Roberts said the boys were deeply missed by them, sisters Kadie and Tori, and the boys’ respective families.
“I don’t like it very much at all, this will be the first Christmas that we don’t see the boys at some time over the holiday period,” Ms Roberts said.
While this holiday period will be difficult without them, Ms Roberts finds some comfort in the fact that the boys are stationed near each other, despite the fact that Luke, 28, is an artillery officer in the army and Dylan is working in the Air Force.
“They are very close in proximity so they can see each other which is a bit comforting — it’s just nice to know that they’re close by if they need each other,” she said.
Ms Roberts said she was very proud of her sons for serving their country.
“It’s a wonderful thing — I don’t like that they’ve gone away but this is what they’ve trained for and they’ve worked really hard to be able to do what they’re doing.”
And no matter how they celebrate Christmas, it can be assured that the boys will each receive a care package from their family, Ms Roberts said.
Care packages and letters weighing less than 2kg are free of charge through Australia Post to soldiers deployed overseas, and can be sent to ‘An Australian Defence Member’, AFPO 60, ADF NSW 2890.
Parcels should be sent to the Australian Forces Post Office (AFPO) by December 7 to ensure the troops receive them by Christmas.
Last Christmas about 10 tonnes of care packages were distributed to personnel deployed overseas.
