Families ready and raring to reunite

FROM Friday evening, metropolitan and regional Victorian residents who’ve been kept apart by COVID-19 restrictions will be able to reunite.

While families and friends get back together with those they know well, and have dearly missed, others will be meeting new little loved ones for the first time ever.

Ballarat East’s Helen and Wayne Cooper are part of this group.

For just over three months they’ve been separated from their daughter, son-in-law, and two granddaughters – aged nine-and-half and six-and-a-half – who are based in Melbourne’s west.

During this time, the young family’s also been preparing to grow. As recently as last week, The Coopers were excitedly awaiting the arrival of their third grandchild, and at 5pm on Saturday they got some news.

“It was a double surprise phone call, because the baby arrived, and it’s a little boy; our first grandson,” Mrs Cooper said.

“After Friday, we’ll be able to visit Melbourne, and it’s really good timing, because it will give Georgie a chance to recover, get home, settle in, and then we will be able to go down early next week and meet the baby.”

The Coopers have only seen their daughter twice since March due to lockdowns. They also haven’t seen their son since June, when he made a big move to the Northern Territory.

“I only just called into see my brother on the weekend, who I haven’t been able to see since May, and he lives in Ballarat.

“It’s been really difficult this year to be apart from everyone, and not to be able to help Georgie, especially with the girls home-schooling and the baby coming.

“I’m just chafing at the bit to get down to Melbourne, and have a nice shop too, now that I know I’m buying for a boy,” Mrs Cooper laughed.