Dear Bruce and Phil and the Nightline crew

I am Pat from Oak Park and have been an avid listener and caller to Nightline for many years. You will find two photographs attached, one of myself and my wife Ailsa taken for our 50th Wedding anniversary. We met at Bandyanna and are now nearing our 60th anniversary.

The second photograph is of an alter we would like to track down and the following is a brief précis of the story behind it.

Father Tom Awburn, Parish Priest of Wodonga and Army Chaplain of 1 B.O.D. Bandyanna. After completion of the re-erection of Hut 100 x 25 that became the venue of mass on Sundays, which was previously celebrated  at the picture theatre near the Blazing Stump Hotel.

In the camp was a quota of Italians from the Prisoner of War camp on the NSW side of the Hume Weir. In the carpenters shop the tradesman, John Martin, with the aid of a prisoner of war craftsman named Sepi and two italian painters of oils on canvas, crafted this magnificent altar for Father Awburn.

After fruitless inquiries we are endeavouring to locate the altars present whereabouts. Possibly it could still be in the North east of Victoria.

I hope you find this interesting and I will call Nightline and have a chat about the Altar and perhaps some of your listeners will be able to help us in our search.

Kind regards

Pat from Oak Park