Would you like to be partnered up with other Hatters from around Australia to receive lovely personalised handwritten letters like we all used to do before computers took over?  If so, join in our penpals project!

Signups now closed for the October-November penpal exchange!

 For more information, click on the sections below:

Key Information:
  • To sign up you must fill out the google form linked above to register your details so they can be passed on – we will not accept registrations any other way.
  • You may sign up for either 1 singular penpal or up to 5 penpals
  • You will be randomly partnered with Hatters from anywhere in Australia.  (You will be emailed their name and address to post the letter/s to.)
  • You may choose if this will be a once-only letter, or you’d like an ongoing partnership.
    • If you opt for once-only, you will be expected to send 1 handwritten letter to your penpal/s within 14 days of receiving their address.
    • If you opt for ongoing, you will be expected to continue to send 1 handwritten letter to your penpal/s each month until you email the organiser to drop out of the exchange.
    • These options are to manage expectations, as some Hatters may only want to do one for the novelty, some may be looking for more ongoing friendships.
  • Letters must be handwritten and posted via “snail mail” at your own expense.
  • No glitter! or confetti – (at least in the first letter) I know most of us love to sparkle, but not everyone appreciates a glitterbomb in the mail, and some facilities don’t like the mess. So please be respectful and save the glitter for other projects unless you know that your penpal is a fellow glitterlover.
  • Do not send gifts, cards or any additional extras – letters only.
  • You and your penpals may share whatever personal information you wish to between yourselves, including phone numbers if you would like to call.  Please however be mindful of sharing personal information with people you don’t know.
Suggestions
  • Make your letters nice!  Send something you would like to receive. Using pretty paper would be a lovely touch, neat handwriting is important (our eyes aren’t what they used to be!), and writing a letter that is at least one A4 page long is recommended.
  • Letters only – While gifts and little extras might seem nice, they can make the recipient feel guilty if they did not include them in their letter to you, and it can put undue burden on your penpal to reciprocate with extras. We don’t want to make people uncomfortable, so please stick to a letter only.
  • Please keep letters light and cheery!
    • DO let your penpal know about yourself, talk about your daily life, interesting/exciting things you have done or plan to do. 
    • DON’T cover sensitive topics such as religion, politics, health concerns and anything else that might be a “downer” to your penpal.
Need ideas to write about?

If you are stuck thinking of what you could write about, here’s some suggestions:

  • Tell your penpal about yourself:
    • Where you live
    • What things you do in your life, do you work?
    • Hobbies and Interests
    • How you met your partner
    • About your kids/grandkids/pets
    • Where you grew up
    • Fun things you’ve done in your life
    • Plans you have for the future
  • Tell them about your Hatting:
    • What your chapter is like
    • What sorts of activities you do
    • What fun things your chapter has done in the past
    • Plans to attend conventions or large gatherings in the future
  • Share a favourite recipe
  • Share ideas for craft projects
  • Write a poem
Further Terms & Conditions
  • HANDWRITTEN letters only – Letters printed from the computer do not count. Please ensure your handwriting is legible for your penpal to read!
  • No glitter, food items, cards, trinkets, gifts or other such items – this exchange is for letters written on paper only!  – Although you may include a photo of yourself or your chapter in your letter. (While you may think it is nice to send a gift to your penpal, please do not put them in the position where they may feel embarrassed not to have sent one to you.  We also wish to avoid any issues with food intolerances and such.)
  • Birthday cards (and only a card!) sent to your Ongoing penpal on their birthday is an acceptable exclusion to the above.
  • For those without internet access – Queens/Carers may sign up chapter members (with their permission!) who cannot fill out the forms themselves, but in doing so the Queen/Carer is responsible for ensuring that the member follows the rules, the Queen/Carer remains the email point of contact and must contact the organiser if the member wishes to stop the penpal project.
  • Collection of Personal Information – By signing up to the penpal project and filling out the google form, you consent to your details being stored in the system and given out to your randomly assigned penpals so that you can participate in this letter exchange.
  • Privacy – By signing up to this penpal project you agree that you will use the contact details of your partner ONLY for the purpose of sending them a letter as part of this project, and will not use the details for any other purpose.
  • Cancelling your Penpal Exchange – If you wish to leave the penpal exchange, you must email aussiehatting@gmail.com and ask to be taken off the list, and your penpals will be notified that you have stopped being penpals – this is so that your poor penpal isn’t left sending mail to you one-sided, and so that the organiser knows you’ve quit.  (but be aware that any Hatter who already has your information will continue to have it).
  • Abandoned Penpals – Hatters who find their penpal does not reciprocate with letters or is overly late with their letters may complain to the organiser (aussiehatting@gmail.com) to have that partnership cancelled and a new penpal found.
  • Complaints – Hatters who have had a complaint about failure to send letters may be prohibited from participating in further exchanges – this is to ensure that no Hatter is left forlornly waiting by the mailbox for their letters – this is supposed to be a positive experience for all!
  • For extra privacy – Chapter Queens may choose to act as the postal point for members of their chapter, whereby members can all give the same address (recommended to be a PO box/Parcel Locker) when they sign up, and the Queen collects the letters (unopened!) and distributes them to her members. Chapters doing this are responsible for ensuring that the letters are distributed to members in a timely fashion so that they can respond to their penpals without extended delay.
  • Liability – The organiser (Queen Amaranthine/Obsi – webmistress of this website) will take every care to partner Hatters up with each other and to keep each Hatter’s contact information private as much as possible, but is not responsible for the content of the exchanged letters, the cost of posting them, or any incidents/harm that may come from people participating in this penpal letter exchange program. By the nature of administering a letter swap, your name and address details must be collected (via google form) stored (in a private google spreadsheet) and shared to another person/s to facilitate partnering you up with a penpal/s.