Wednesday the 10th of June is Thank a First Responder Day. As Local MP for Bass, I want to really celebrate the people and services that look after us all. Throughout this week, our Bass community will be recognising the service of our local frontline personnel and the families who quietly support them behind the scenes. for many reasons, this is a cause that is very important to me.
This is an opportunity for all of us to do something plain but meaningful – and that’s to say a clear, direct “thank you” to the men and women who respond when emergencies occur, often under the most difficult and trying circumstances.
Our first responders carry a heavy burden on behalf of us all. That is why practical, visible acts of appreciation, such as a handwritten note carry real weight and make a genuine difference to the person receiving them.
How do I participate?
To ensure it is as straightforward as possible for people to participate, my office has worked with local small businesses across Launceston and the Tamar region. Thank a First Responder Day cards are now available at several local pharmacies. I want to publicly credit these businesses for their willingness to support the effort.
You can pick up a card, write a short message, and pop it in the nearby envelope for direct delivery to our local stations and units. These locations include:
Launceston – TerryWhite Chemmart Brisbane Street (opposite City Park)
Launceston – Pharmacy & Co. in Kings Meadows
Launceston – Hatton & Laws on Charles Street
Youngtown – Youngtown WholeLife Pharmacy and Healthfoods
Beaconsfield – West Tamar Pharmacy
Riverside – TerryWhite Chemmart (Woolworths Complex)
Mowbray – TerryWhite Chemmart
George Town – Your Pharmacy
Alternatively, you can nominate a first responder to give the card to personally.
A message of thanks does not need to be complex or overly long. A few sincere lines are enough to acknowledge the work that is too often unseen and performed at a high personal cost. We want to turn quiet gratitude into action to encourage the first responders who serve our community.
If you are unsure of where to start; a simple acknowledgment of professionalism, care, bravery or the thank you for an experience you had with a first responder will go a long way. I would like people to include a word of thanks to the families of our responders, who share in the sacrifices of these amazing people.
I encourage everyone who is able to take a brief moment this week to visit one of these pharmacies, involve your children or your workplace, and help ensure our first responders know their service is fully recognized and respected.
