St Joseph’s OSHC students thanked for thoughtfulness and compassion

Children attending St Joseph’s Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) have been thanked by Catholic Early Learning and Care (CELC) Director Alison Forster for their compassion and thoughtfulness after they sent homemade gifts and get well messages to a young boy who was injured in a rock throwing incident while visiting Australia from Japan. 

The boy was visiting the Cairns region with his family when a group of four teenage boys, aged 15, 14 and 13 years, threw rocks from the window of the tourist train, one of which struck the young boy in the head, leaving him with a fractured skull. 

As a result of the injury, the boy and his family were unable to return home until he was cleared for travel. The teenagers involved in the incident were charged with endangering the safety of a person in a vehicle, with intent. 

Compassionate response from OSHC children 

On learning of the incident, and working in conjunction with OSHC supervisor Sandra Casey, 90 of the children attending the program created two of their signature Mercy Bears and a signed card in a gesture of get-well-goodwill.

The kind gifts were delivered to the young boy by Far North police officers, including a Cross-Cultural Senior Police Liaison Officer and detectives from Queensland Police Service’s (QPS) Cairns Child Protection and Investigation Unit. 

“This was a lovely project to oversee, and when the children discovered the young boy had a twin, they duplicated their efforts and made not one but two Mercy Bears, which were delivered along with the card,” Mrs Casey said.

Continuing to share joy 

The children are now working toward their next goal, known as An Act of Kindness, which involves making 80 Mercy Bears for Christmas which will be presented to QPS for use in their safe rooms. 

The ‘cuddly creations’ will be given to QPS at St Joseph’s end-of-year Christmas concert at Lennon Hall, St Augustine’s College, on Wednesday, 4 December 2024.  

This story has been widely shared locally. Access local coverage here. Image source; QPC