Hunter Ulbl celebrated his 9th birthday in the midst of the COVID-19 regulations and, with the help of the community, it was a birthday he won’t soon forget.
Hunter’s mum Jasmin Ulbl took to social media on Sunday asking the community to help celebrate her son’s 9th birthday after his birthday party had to be cancelled because of current Coronavirus isolation rules.
Hunter was supposed to spend his 9th birthday with friends enjoying a party at Bundy Bowl and Leisure.
“My son Hunter turns 9 tomorrow, 30th of March; this year would have been his first party with friends,” Jasmin wrote.
“I thought I could make it special if any cars driving up past … near Hungry Jacks Millbank could honk their horn anytime of the day to show him people are thinking of his birthday!
“There will be balloons on the fence.”
Hunter receives birthday wishes from the community
The Facebook post had a great response with other parents reaching out to wish Hunter a happy birthday.
Some remarked that the idea was brilliant as their children were also celebrating birthdays around the same time.
With at least 20 balloons tied to the Millbank home’s fence, Jasmin eagerly waited in hope that her message would be answered.
“I saw on a news program that a lady did it for her kids in New South Wales, so I thought why not here,” Jasmin said.
“Everything is so quiet around town and gloomy, (so we had) at least 20 balloons and it brightened up the whole street for one day.”
Jasmin said although Hunter didn’t fully understand the situation, he was comforted knowing people were tooting their car horns to help make his 9th birthday special.
“The response was great,” Jasmin said.
“We got six honks and over 25 well wishes!
“He was happy but did not really understand the situation.
Jasmin said some of the comments she received were to assure Hunter that it was a once in a lifetime experience to remember during this Coronavirus pandemic.
“He told me the other day that he felt loved by strangers who took the time to wish him a happy birthday,” she said.
“I had a lady drop around in the afternoon who brought around lunch for the four of us from one of the local takeaways – shredded beef, chicken, gravy and chips.
“We also played our own party games like balloon volley ball, water-bombing Dad and the dogs; and we enjoyed having 93.1 loud on the radio.”
Jasmin hopes other families in the same situation will read Hunter’s story and see the community’s kindness that helped him celebrate his 9th birthday, one he will never forget.
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