Dear Mr and Mrs Smyth 1st April, 1965

Just a short note to thank you for your letter
I was really pleased to get it so soon.

I sincerely hope this note finds you all
in the best of health.

Henry is very well but I have the flu.
I’ve been in bed with it for a couple of days

I’m still trying to persuade Henry to come home.
When he received your letter it really upset him

to think that he’d neglected his parents like he has.
Henry is back in Hobart.

While he was apple-picking
he was offered a better and easier job in Hobart

at The Mercury, that is the name and place
where our daily newspaper is produced.

Tonight he started a part time job at a hotel as a barman,
so you see he is quite a busy man.

It is henry’s birthday tomorrow, (2nd)
and I just don’t know what to get him for this birthday.

At the moment, I’m knitting him a jumper for the winter
but I haven’t finished it as I don’t get a lot of time to knit.

Anyway, he has asked me to thank you for the birthday card,
I’m sure it won’t take much to get him to write home note.

It is supposed to be autumn here now
but there isn’t anything around that even looks like autumn.

You know the seasons have changed all over the world,
I do hate the cold days and nights and rains and snow that come with winter.

I wrote to Elizabeth — I know how it feels to get a letter.
Anyway, I forgot to tell her I’d leave her some stamps.

I have French and American pen-friends
so I can get her quite a few stamps as well as Australian ones.

Yes, after about 22nd of April the tourist season at The Imperial Hotel finishes
which means I’ll be out of work until I get another job.

So you can see it would not be much use addressing our mail there.
The best idea is to address it to my home, where mum will forward it on to us.

I’m sorry if I got you confused before. The address is

Miss Kerry ———,
L——— L———,
Huon,
Tasmania.

Anyway, bye for now.

You must write again.