"After almost six months in the Middleton Prison I know they will never take away my faith in people and my hope. The faith that I have in people is stronger now than it has ever been in good people."

These are the words of Jack Aston, written in a letter from prison to his former employers Gold Bus Ballarat.

Mr Aston was sentenced to five years and three months jail, with a minimum of two-and-a-half years, on December 17.

The Ballarat 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.

Since, Mr Aston and his family have been subject to an emotional show of community support for their campaign to #FREEJACK and improve the Montague Street Bridge.

His story has resonated with people around Victoria; the family has received a flood of letters, messages and petition signatures to support his appeal effort in the sixth months since his conviction.

Wife Wendy Aston said it was those letters, kind words, visits and signatures that has kept Mr Aston on track in prison and provided his family at home with the strength to continue living every day without their loved husband and dad.

READ THE FULL LETTER BELOW

Mr Aston expressed his immense gratitude to the generosity of Gold Bus company director Donald McKenzie and his friends from the company in a letter from Middleton Prison this week.

"The generosity of you and your team at Gold Bus has been amazing," he wrote.

"Gold Bus feels like a community to me, you all have the biggest hearts that I have known of. It feels like you remember what used to be good."

"Hopefully soon I am free and I can stand together with the Gold Bus community and thank you all for your good deeds.

"Good deeds is all I will have to repay you all with and I will try my best to do. I will never forget. Until then my faith in good people and the hope of good things to come will keep me strong."

READ MORE: Community writes letters to Jack Aston in jail

Gold Bus Ballarat has supported the Aston family since the accident, covering all court costs and regularly visiting Jack in prison, while supporting Mrs Aston at home.

The team that calls itself Gold Bus Buddies has run working bees to collect wood for the family home.

Mrs Aston said the entire community continued to support her family through the challenging period as they wait for a date and prepare for an appeal of his sentence.

"Everyone is still doing so much for us. There are so many people who still say to me they think of Jack every day," she said.

"It just blows me away. Every day there is something from someone that keeps us going, whether it is asking how me and Jack are going, receiving a letter, seeing a message, or popping by for a coffee.

"I don't know how we would have done it without it."

READ MORE: Wendy Aston, the wife of Gold Bus driver Jack Aston speaks out after jail sentence

Mrs Aston said she had been told by solicitors the appeal date was expected to be announced in the coming days, with a prediction it will be set for early October.

"It is a relief to have something to work towards but at the same time it just brings everything back," she said.

"Knowing it is going to be early October has tossed our heads again, knowing we have to go through everything. We still don't know what is going to happen - it is the unknown that is scary."

READ MORE: Jack Aston's appeal push continues, this is how you can help

Jack is still receiving letters in jail, many from people he has never met.

Each day Wendy writes down who has passed on good wishes and thoughts to share the messages with Jack during their daily phone call.

Anyone can write a letter to Mr Aston and drop it off at the Hummffray Street General Store or mail it to 283 Humffray Street North, Ballarat East.

More than 10,000 people have signed a petition to #FreeJack online and on paper and more than 580 people have joined a Justice For Jack Facebook group.

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