Two months ago the students started asking for donations for postage stamps, which the Sisters of St Joseph bundle up and sell off to stamp collectors around the world, with all funds raised assisting the less fortunate in East Timor access better health and education.

Last year, with the help of students from Assumption School In 2017, the Sisters of St Joseph raised over $4000 through this activity.

The students are still collecting stamps, and are asking anyone in the community, from individuals to business houses, to save their stamps and drop them off to Assumption School, or call the school, which will arrange for them to be collected.

Sr Jean Cain, a Josephite nun who co-ordinates the packaging and sale of the stamps, said they are collected into 2.5kg packages, which equates to 2500 stamps, which are then sold at auction.

The sale of the stamps goes directly to Mary MacKillop Internationale and then to the mission of sisters working in East Timor.

Sr Jean sends a consignment every couple of months, and is hoping to have enough stamps to send to auction by the end of the year.

She said it was wonderful to see the students support the work of the Josephites in helping the vulnerable.

Assumption School principal Sue Guilfoyle said she was delighted to see how the community had embraced the students’ call for help.

“It’s really lovely how doing something like collecting stamps can make such a big difference,” she said.

“The community support has been amazing.

“Norma Johnstone called us up and said she had a stamp collection she wanted to donate. 

“She’s in her 84^th year and collected stamps her whole life and wanted to know they would go somewhere which would make a difference.”

Sr Jean said donating the stamps did much more than just raise money for the poor.

“The goodwill that goes with it is very powerful. The message it sends to these people is ‘someone cares’,” she said.

Stamp donations can be made at the Assumption School, or contact the school to organise collection.