It took just one letter from a girl in the land down under for Hannah to embark on a journey to an inseparable sisterhood.
Written by Quinzel Salcedo | Photos courtesy of Hannah Ayala and Helen Shaw
Under the blistering Singapore sun, the streets of Somerset were bustling with activity. Businessmen were out for their breaks, the elderly were having their mid-day strolls and youngsters mingled among their friend groups — all of them immersed in the city landscape.
In the middle of the vibrant atmosphere, a tall Australian woman and a petite Filipino lady embraced each other in tears. It was their first time meeting in person since they first wrote to each other.
“I didn’t see it coming, I wasn't sure what to expect,” said Hannah Ayala, 48, when asked of her first thoughts exchanging snail mail with Helen Shaw, 47.
Over 30 years later, their pen friendship evolved into something special. “She has become almost half of my life and just being with her really makes me complete,” said Hannah.
A picture they took in 2018 in Singapore.
This is the story of how they found each other despite being miles apart. How they became sisters, not by blood, but by heart.
The Beginning
It all started in 1989. 15-year-old Hannah was starting her first year of high school when one of her childhood friends in the Philippines migrated to Australia. When said childhood friend started school there, Helen became her first friend.
“She went back to the Philippines for holiday and she promised to get me a pen friend,” said Helen, recalling the time Hannah’s childhood friend brought them together. “She came back with Hannah’s address so I wrote a letter.”
That exchange became the first of many. Oftentimes, Helen had to make her own envelopes as her thick, colourful sticker-covered letters could not fit into regular ones. However, as they grew up, life got busier and the teenage girls turned young ladies had bigger priorities and their lives became less and less involved with each other.
The Separation
In 2004, Hannah migrated to Singapore to raise a family. Helen too, had moved out of her parents’ home to pursue a career in Sydney. This cut the line of communication between Hannah and Helen for years.
Their years of letter writing since young seemed to soon become distant happy memories, but fate proved to have other plans for them.
The Reunion
Helen had visited her parents and rediscovered the letters and gifts from Hannah in her childhood home. In an attempt to reconnect, Helen wrote to the only address she knew of Hannah.
Hannah received a call from her hometown. Her parents received mail addressed to her in oddly familiar handwriting and off the bat, Hannah knew it could only be one person.
In 2014, plans were made to meet each other for the first time in Singapore. The plans materialised into the day they met at Somerset, when they ran to each other and held each other like long lost sisters. This time, Helen brought presents for Hannah’s two children while Hannah had cards made by her children for Helen.
The Present
It has been 33 years since Hannah and Helen first connected. They remain based in Singapore and Australia respectively, and their love and care for each other run deeper than ever. Their once merely curious pen friendship has turned into a sisterly bond.
Hannah, pouring her heart out, said, “She is a big part of my life, and always will be.”
““If I ever have one friend left, it would be her.””