FROM Friday evening, metropolitan and regional Victorian residents who\u2019ve been kept apart by COVID-19 restrictions will be able to reunite.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Ballarat East\u2019s Helen and Wayne Cooper are part of this group.<\/p>\n
For just over three months they\u2019ve 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\u2019s west.<\/p>\n
During this time, the young family\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a double surprise phone call, because the baby arrived, and it\u2019s a little boy; our first grandson,\u201d Mrs Cooper said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter Friday, we\u2019ll be able to visit Melbourne, and it\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Coopers have only seen their daughter twice since March due to lockdowns. They also haven\u2019t seen their son since June, when he made a big move to the Northern Territory.<\/p>\n
\u201cI only just called into see my brother on the weekend, who I haven\u2019t been able to see since May, and he lives in Ballarat.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just chafing at the bit to get down to Melbourne, and have a nice shop too, now that I know I\u2019m buying for a boy,\u201d Mrs Cooper laughed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
FROM Friday evening, metropolitan and regional Victorian residents who\u2019ve 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\u2019s Helen and Wayne Cooper […]<\/p>\n