REUNITING families will be one of the benefits of South Australia’s borders opening next week.
Among the many who have been counting down the days until next Tuesday, when border restrictions are expected to be relaxed, are Bill and Helen Davis, of Millicent.
They haven’t seen their daughter, Chloe, for almost a year.
“We’re really looking forward to seeing her,” said Bill.
“She’s only 30kms beyond the border bubble but this has made her so close, but yet so far.
“We’ve only seen her twice since the pandemic began and the last time was Christmas last year.”
Chloe Davis, 32, is a primary school teacher in Horsham.
“As soon as we are able, we’ll be hitching up the caravan and heading across to see Chloe and spend some time with her, and then she’ll come back and spend Christmas with us too.”
Mum, Helen, said they had been in regular contact by phone and email.
“We’re lucky we’ve got these things to keep in contact but it’s not the same as being with her,” said Helen.
“We’ve missed her a lot; it will be so nice to see her.”
Helen said being kept apart from her daughter had been hard and she expressed sympathy for people who had experienced other difficulties because of Covid-19 border closures.
“I’m sad for those people who have had family members sick or dying and they can’t come home to say farewell or for funerals,” she said.
“Or those who have had new additions to their families and they haven’t been able to visit the newborns; some of them will be well past babies before their grandparents see them.”
