It's not every day the leader of a country gives you a personal shout out on social media, but that is exactly what happened to Longford's Bob Thomas this week.
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On Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison made a Facebook post thanking the Longford Men's Shed member for his gift - a handcrafted bowl.
"I was recently gifted this beautiful bowl," the post read.
"Accompanying the bowl was a beautiful letter from Bob explaining some of the history of the tree, along with the symbolism of his choices while making the bowl, representing the challenges Australia and the world have been facing through the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I look forward to being able to visit the Longford Men's Shed some time in the future when conditions permit."
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Mr Thomas crafted the bowl out of a 100-year-old Mulberry tree, which once stood in the grounds of the historic Franklin House, as a thank you to Mr Morrison during the early days of the pandemic.
He said he was not expecting a reply when he sent the bowl off, along with some key rings made by the men's shed, in May.
"To think that someone in such a high, busy position in running the country can find the time ... makes me very humble," Mr Thomas said.
"I never expected anything in return, other than an acknowledgement that it was received. Though it is appreciated."
Tasmanian Liberal senator Claire Chandler hand-delivered a letter from the Prime Minister, and a photo of him holding the bowl, to Mr Thomas on Monday.
Mr Thomas has been wood turning for many years but said he did not tell anybody he was sending it, except his wife who caught him.
"My wife only knew the day that I put it in the box to take it to the post office. She said 'what are you doing?' I said 'I'm sending this to the Prime Minister'. She said 'you're what!?'," he joked.
"It's probably been the highlight of my life, other than being married, getting married and having children."
In his letter, accompanying the bowl, Mr Thomas explained the symbolism of it relating to the pandemic at the time.
"I related its shape and colours to the crisis we are in, the swirls of the grain being the uncertainty of direction, the colours ... representing the people and our environment," he said.
"The cracks and blemishes are our many weaknesses and flaws. The steps on the outside are representative of the stages we are going through to combat COVID-19 and the inside, the smooth gentle curves, for the future as we overcome and move on."
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Isobel Cootes
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
Sports reporter at The Canberra Times. A Novocastrian with a passion for football (or soccer as they call it in the capital) via The Examiner and The Port Lincoln Times.
