Grati-Tuesday 30 Jan 18

On the weekend in Canberra I had the absolute pleasure of presenting two quilts.  

This quilt was for this recipient who was kind enough to invite my husband and I to meet his family.  He did not actually get time to submit a request but was delighted when I offered him a quilt.  It meant that he could not receive his quilt whilst deployed which lead to me presenting it to him.  I made the quilt and it was quilted by Keryn. 

To be honest, I do feel a bit guilty at times, when I have the pleasure of presenting quilts made by someone else, even though it is not practical for all the quilters to be there when the occasion presents itself but on this occasion, it was really lovely to present one that I had made. I do get a lot of pleasure making these quilts, as do all our quilters. 

Some of you who have attended our dinners might recognise the fellow on the right here. He is one of our wonderful Chaplains and he is holding up the quilt that I made for him in 2012... yep, a while ago.   His wife is holding up the ANZAC themed laundry bag that the chaplain was absolutely chuffed to win in the auctions at the dinner last year.   

The quilt recipient this time is their son and to say that he (and his father) were chuffed with the quilt is an understatement. Well done Bridget.  You nailed it. 

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This letter is a bit special.  We presented 10 laundry bags to the British Invictus team and 10 quilts and laundry bags to the Aussie Invictus team who raced in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race.. this letter is from one of the British competitors. 
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Dear Jan-Maree and Robyn Wo,

Thank you both for the wonderful laundry bag I received from you, the enclosed letters from AHQ and MPQ (Maitland Patchwork and Quilters) were lovely.

I was one of the UK Invictus team racing the Sydney-Hobart yacht race as an injured UK armed forces veteran. We had a brilliant time competing against our fellow Aussie Invictus team.

Its the little things that make a lasting difference, and this show of warmness and generosity with your work was very touching. Both myself and the rest of the UK crew are very appreciative.

In the UK we have a similar group called Q4IS (quilts for injured soldiers) and I was fortunate to have received one in 2016 before I was medically discharged in Jul 17. Q4IS, like AHQ is much loved and I thank you once again for your generosity in sharing your gift with a bunch of foreign vets sailing the Aussie seas.

Kind regards

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G'day Ellen,

Thank you so much for the quilt and laundry bag. I can honestly say it was a fantastic moment when I opened the parcel and saw what you had made.

Your generosity, and that of those around you, is truly moving. I love 'your take' on Australian landscapes and wildlife and the embroidered words throughout are very clever.

I can relate to your desire to travel Australia. It is something I do as often as possible and as you say there is nothing better than finding a nice quiet spot beside a river where you can just relax and unwind.  

I'd also like to pass on my thanks, appreciation and respect to your family members who have served within the ADF and to you and all your family members who supported them whilst they were deployed.

In closing I'd just want to say again thank you for the gift and the thought behind it - it made what is a relatively bland place so much brighter when I opened it. 

Enjoy retirement and safe travels.

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G'day Sally

I have just received my Aussie hero laundry bag today! I absolutley love it! I will definately be using it. I have sent a christmas card to you, so hopefully that doesn't take too long for it to arrive. I would like to say a massive thank you sally for putting so much love and energy into the laundry bag you sent. I cannot believe you managed to capture all my favorite things into one masterpiece.

I would also like to say a huge thank you to Jan-Maree, your volunteer work has been amazing! I appreciate all you do for all of us deployed service men and women.

I hope you both have had great holidays.

Kind Regards,

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Good afternoon Ruth,

Just thought I would send a quick email to inform you my laundry bag arrived this morning.

Thank you so much, it looks amazing and really brightened my day! I can't believe you managed to source some Gold Coast Titans material!

I see you are in SA, I am from SA as well!

What you guys do really helps us over here and lifts our spirits at a time we really start missing home. I have a few months left here and your laundry bag came at a perfect time!

Thank you once again.

Have an amazing day.

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Sue N,

Apologies for the tardy response; however, I wanted to ensure that I got this email to you prior to my departure.

Thank you very much for the work that you and the team of Aussie Heroes do. I brings a huge smile to the faces of our Airmen and women every time they receive one of your quilts or laundry bags.

It can be difficult for members, especially those on their first deployment, to adapt to the operational tempo, living conditions and not to mention the food and being away from family and friends. The service you provide, gives them that something extra to remind them of home and make time away that touch more comfortable.

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Dear Sue,

Thank you so much for my lovely laundry bag!

I always get comments on how wonderful it is, at the communal laundry.

It's nice to be able to use something that has come from home, and even better to be able to show it off!

I loved your comments about having 2 spoilt cats, because I have spoilt bunnies.Sending you many warm wishes, a big thank you for all your time, effort and skill

Lots of love

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Till next time... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx