Sometimes just a few words can make a world of difference.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
For Jack Aston, it's the wonder of how much community support there is behind him.
The family of the jailed Gold Bus driver is encouraging members of the Ballarat community to show their support by writing letters to Jack in jail.
Jack was sentenced to five years and three months with a minimum of two-and-a-half years jail in December.
The Gold Bus driver crashed into a low clearance bridge on Montague Street in South Melbourne in February 2016 and was found guilty of six counts of negligently causing serious injury.
His lawyers have lodged an appeal against the sentence and the family is waiting for its acceptance and a court date.
Jack's wife Wendy and daughter Meg decided to begin the community letter writing campaign as a way to channel the flood of support Jack and his family have received since the sentence.
In the past weeks dozens of people, many Jack does not even know, have dropped off letters, photos and drawings to the humble blue 'Justice 4 Jack' box on the counter of Humffray Street General Store in Ballarat East.
Hope to see you home soon again where you belong mate.
- A letter to Jack
Wendy said she had taken plenty of letters to Jack at Middleton Prison in Castlemaine so far and he had pinned them up on the wall of his cell.
"He reads the letters and says 'oh my god I don’t even know these people'. He asks 'who is this?' and I say 'I don’t know it could be anybody'. It is just people expressing how they feel. It helps."
Wendy's sister Debbie, owner of the Hummffray Street General Store, said most customers coming into the shop sign the petition and ask for a piece of paper to write a letter.
"They just can’t understand. They ask me has he done something wrong in the past? I say' no, he has no record, nothing'. And they say to me 'I can’t understand why he got jail'. We don’t understand that either. They say 'give me the pen and they sign'," Debbie said.
One letter said "hope to see you home soon again where you belong mate".
More than 10,000 people have signed a petition to #FreeJack online and on paper and more than 400 people have joined a Justice For Jack Facebook group.
Reports of a camper van becoming wedged under the notorious Montague Street bridge on Monday has increased the anger of supporters.
"It’s not just about Jack, it is about the whole system," Debbie said.
"The sentence is one issue. That bridge is another. If Jack was the only person who hit it you would say okay. This is about justice, about that bridge and about getting Jack back home where he belongs.
"Jail is not for everyone. There is no way Jack is going to come out a better man than he went in. It is going to wear him down."
Anyone can write a letter to Jack and drop it off at the Hummffray Street General Store or mail it to 283 Humffray Street North, Ballarat East.
Rochelle Kirkham
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
Rochelle covers court and has a particular interest in social issues including homelessness, food security and family violence.
