Grati-Tuesday 5 March 19

G'day all.

I hope you are all having a good week.  Just a reminder that in six days I will be handing over the reigns to Aussie Heroes to Gail whilst I go into hospital for my double knee replacement.   Please do what you can to help her out.  She will have the laptop but there is now way I can hand her my corporate knowledge so please make sure you give her all the info she needs to answer your questions and please be patient with her. She has taken on a huge job.  It will actually be a team effort with Sandy, Shelley, Gail and Clarissa, all stepping up to do things slightly differently til I can regain the reigns again sometime in April.  

The only thing you all need to do differently is to remember to make sure you give Gail all the info she needs when asking questions etc. 

For now though... enjoy these great messages.  Don't they just warm your heart!

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How are you Rita?

I was pleased to receive an amazing quilt you made for me in the mail and I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you. I am currently serving on OPERATION ACCORDION in the Middle East North Africa Region as an ammunition supplier. The organisation I work within, Force Support Element, is a diverse, dynamic and dependable organisation that delivers theatre logistics support to Australian deployed forces.

I grew up in Adelaide and joined the Army in 2010. I have been posted to Queensland throughout my eight year career. I joined as Infantry and end up as Ammunition Supplier. I can’t really say why I joined Army, it just happened and I stuck to it. I have a son who is almost two years old. It’s very impressive being able to raise three kids like you did and I can imagine it’s a lot of hard work. You are doing a great job by supporting deployed troops by making quilts. I definitely had big smile on my face when I received my quilt and thank you very much for putting all this effort in to it.

During deployment it’s challenging to be away from family and friends, I sincerely thank you for your contribution to supporting deployed Australian Forces. I very much appreciate the effort, time and thought you put into this gift. It is very humbling to know that people are thinking of us during these long periods away from our loved ones.

Regards,

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Good Morning Janis,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for making such a beautiful Quilt that holds such meaning to me.

You have captured a story of my deployment, a memory I will never forget but will hopefully one day pass down. It is absolutely too beautiful to use so now I will have to find somewhere to place it on show. And thank you for the snacks, so very kind of you. What a great idea with the small blue pouch, whenever I have a crappy day I pull that pouch out for a reminder.

I can tell you take great pride in your work, it really shows.

I am a 39 year old woman. I joined the navy at the age of 30. They say everything happens for a reason and I am a fond believer. I originally applied to the RAAF in 1998; unfortunately they discriminated against asthmatics so I just went on my merry way to become a Personal trainer and gym instructor. It wasn’t until years later one of my clients who was in the navy brought it up in conversation. She asked why I didn’t apply now? To be honest I hadn’t thought of it until she planted that thought, so I did, and here I am going into my 10^th year. 

I am originally from Melbourne Vic so when I saw you are from Bendigo it really hit home. There is no place like home. I have lived in Syd, Nowra and now Canberra. I have one brother just turned 25, a dog (border collie - the one you patched) and a cat which are currently holidaying with mum in Melbourne. Poor old mum has 2 dogs and a cat of her own so you can imagine the full house. They are all very spoilt by Nan and Pop, haha.

  

Thank you for sharing your story, sounds like you have a beautiful big family. The sunsets are very pretty here I’ll try to take a photo to send.

I guess I should get some work done, again I cannot thank you enough!!

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Good Afternoon Sandy,

I am a vehicle mechanic and currently deployed on OP OKRA in Iraq. I just received a quilt today that was made by you and your group of wonderful ladies.

This quilt is absolutely amazing and is so much better than any thought I had in my head I cannot thank you enough. It is awesome to receive something so great whilst over here and something that I will have for the rest of my life to remember this experience.

Thank you so much to yourself, Jeanette, Lynne and Kay.

I have currently been deployed for close to 4 months so should hopefully be home within the next few months.

Once again thank you so much for making this quilt for me it is wonderful.

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Hi Jan-Maree,

I have received my quilt in our last delivery of mail. I very much appreciate it and thank the quilters (Kerry B and Alison C).

It is something that I will always have to remember my time here and can give to my 2 year old son when I get home.

Again, thank you and all the quilters for everything you do to support the defence community whilst deployed.

Regards,

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Dear Cath,

I am an Air Force Corporal. I wish to begin by thanking you very much for the lovely laundry bag and treats you sent to me. I arrived for my shift this afternoon and received your parcel including the fabulous laundry bag which you made for me. I never cease to be humbled by the love and support that we are constantly receiving from wonderful Australians such as yourself.

I have really enjoyed reading your letter, I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to get to know a bit about the lovely people who put in so much to support us while we are away from home on these deployments.

We are very lucky here with our deployment here at the moment, we have a great team and are in what is a very safe place. Especially when compared to the types of deployments your son did during his time in the Army. It is through the efforts and sacrifice of those that have gone before us that we can be here to do our job in relative safety and comfort.

I have been with the Air Force for 23 years as an Aircraft Technician. This is the first time I have been deployed. I am over here in a non-trade job so I am not here to fix aircraft. My home unit back in Australia at the moment is in Wagga, but I am looking forward to being posted back to Newcastle at the end of 2019 to be with my wife and son. My wife is a primary teacher, my son is 8 years old and just starting year 3.

It is a great idea getting your students making laundry bags and writing letters to our members serving overseas. It is important for our young Australians to gain awareness of what our military does and has been doing for many years to ensure their freedom and security. What you do, and have your students do in sending these laundry bags and letters to serving members who are deployed overseas, provides a real boost to each and every service person who receives one. It is truly something that you and your students should be very proud of and is very much appreciated.

I have really enjoyed reading you letter, (Hope is the most adorable dog). Thank you very much for everything that you have done and sent. I will get many years of use from my fabulous laundry bag, it will be a constant reminder of your generosity and support which you give to so many of our service personnel. I wish you all the best for 2019 and into the future.

Once again thank you very much. Yours Sincerely

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Hi Beverley,

Thank you very much for making the quilt and laundry bag, I have put the quilt straight on my bed and it definitely brings a bit more colour to the room that’s for sure.

I come from an Army family, my Dad was in the Army, my Grandfather served during WW2 along with his brothers and my Great grandfather served in WW1. My grandfather unfortunately passed away at 94 a couple of months ago but I was lucky enough to return to Australia for a week for the funeral.

Thank you again for the quilt and the laundry bag, Beverley, and all the best with your future travels and lawn bowls.

Regards,

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I shared this on Facebook but wanted the non-facebookers to enjoy this too....

Good morning ladies, I thought you'd like to see the pic my mum sent me that she captioned "sleeping hero" dad is doing well, one day at a time. Thank you so much for all your support, it has meant more than words to my entire family.

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Hi Pennie,

I just wanted to take an opportunity to thank you so much for taking the time to make my quilt and laundry bag, I love them! I’m a big Marvel fan, I love all the movies so the laundry bag is great and with my initials on there will be no mistaking that it’s mine.

When I unfolded and had a look at the quilt I was blown away! I was so grateful at the effort you went to in order to bring to life the suggestions that my partner gave you. I do love my motorcycle. It is a joy to be on the road riding it, and the Indian brand is something different to a lot of bikes on the road, which is one of the reasons why I chose to go with them. It is quite unique.

Thank you again for taking time out of your busy life to create these wonderful quilts and laundry bags. They really are very appreciated and all the guys over here rave about them and how good they are and the effort that goes into making them personalised and special. It is a big sacrifice for us to come over here. We are relatively safe from harm where we are, it is more the sacrifice of being away from our loved ones for so long and over a usually very celebrative and festive time of year that make it so hard for me at least.

My littlest boy is adding more words to his vocabulary every day and knows the Skype ring tone when my partner’s phone rings that it’s going to be me on the phone.

But our job aside, yours must also be very rewarding and challenging at times. I’ve always admired people who work in emergency services. I imagine you see all walks of life come into the emergency department of a large public hospital, so thank you for all that you do as well. I cannot begin to fathom how hard it must be at times. My little boy has been into hospital a few times for allergies and high fevers and the staff have always been so good with him and us.

Thankyou very much once again Pennie, I’m very grateful and appreciative for the time and effort you have put into the quilt and laundry bag. I hope your “fabric habit” never ceases. All of us here on operations appreciate it greatly.

Kindest regards

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Dear Kate,

Well hello from Taji, Iraq.

I absolutely cannot thank you enough for the very generous parcels that I received from you a couple of days ago. I was extremely overwhelmed and struggled to keep my voice from breaking when I was telling my family back home what you had sent to me.

The joy that you (and your fellow quilters from Hero Quilts) create when that box is opened cannot be underestimated. When I opened your parcel I was really taken aback. The quilt is more than I could have imagined and a work of art that is imbued with thoughtfulness, love, kindness, friendship, generosity and so much more. This is my third deployment to the Middle East but the first time that I have received a quilt and it is exceptional! It will truly become a part of my history, woven into the story of my military service. I am glad that my request sat unanswered for a couple of weeks and that you chose to create something so special for me, from one nurse to another.

I have been nursing for 25 years, most of that time has been spent between the operating theatre and ICU. Over the last few years I have delved into remote nursing and have been working in Primary Health Care and Emergency nursing in a variety of settings including North East Arnhem Land. I joined the Army in 2007 as a reservist and have been in and out of full time service over that time. Currently I am on full time and will probably stay for a few years. I have come to love my military service, to be honest it is probably the reason I am still nursing now and I have a keen interest in the care of our wounded, injured and ill service personnel. To this end I have been involved in a couple of great Art based programs at home that support this area.

Sounds like your family is a busy hub of life. It was lovely to hear about the usual family goings on... it brings a sense of reality to a place that can often be very surreal. And I loved seeing the pictures of your two dogs. Philly must have got a shock when Jaqui the Destructo-pup came along!

This year my sister (also a nurse who moved across to OHS) has made her first Hero quilt for another military member serving on this tour so that is a really nice connection.

Many, many thanks for your generous gifts, the edibles will be shared with the crew here at the medical centre and will bring a smile to many healthies working in Taji.

Kindest regards,

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Good Morning Jan-Maree,

I have recently joined HMAS Canberra as a member of Ship’s Company and upon arrival I was given the option to grab one of the Aussie Hero Quilts Laundry Bag. I just wanted to give you a quick thank you for providing this to those of us who serve. I read in your letter you mention you typically do this for those platforms travelling to the Middle East. We, while not deploying to the Middle East, have just commenced a six month deployment that will see us away from friends and family for the entire period. The thought and sentiment behind your gesture is most certainly not lost on the company of Canberra. The number of bags I see stacked around the passage ways filled with our laundry is awesome. They provide a talking point and an opportunity for us to form relationships with our shipmates when there is a point of envy on one member’s laundry bag. You would be surprised at how many big, tough, men I have seen talking to their buddies about a square of fabric on their bag, trying to convince one another who’s is cooler.

We are proud to serve and fortunate to have an opportunity to provide an active contribution to our mission, but we are human, we miss home and we miss our loved ones. It’s both humbling and comforting to know people are thinking of us while we carry out our duties and I’d like to thank both you and all those involved in the project. Please pass on our thanks to your volunteers, the efforts really do make a difference to us.

Kind Regards,.

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How are you Marilya,

I was pleased to receive an amazing laundry bag you made for me in the mail and I would like to take the opportunity to say thank you. I am currently serving on OPERATION ACCORDION in the Middle East North Africa Region as an ammunition supplier. The organisation I work within, Force Support Element, is a diverse, dynamic and dependable organisation that delivers theatre logistics support to Australian deployed forces.

I grew up in Adelaide and joined the Army in 2010. I have been posted to Queensland throughout my eight year career and that’s where I currently live. I joined as Infantry and end up as Ammunition Supplier. I have a son who is almost two years old and he runs around the house and makes a mess everywhere. He is going through a stage of taking toys out of one room and moving them all together somewhere else. Sometimes he brings all of them back too, but not very often. It’s very impressive being able to raise five kids like you did and I can imagine it’s a lot of hard work. Reason I got Maloo, is because it’s my favourite car and I’m already a proud owner of one. You’re doing great job by supporting deployed troops by making laundry bags, I definitely had a big smile on my face when I received my laundry bag and thank you very much for putting all this effort in to it.

During deployment it’s challenging to be away from family and friends, I sincerely thank you for your contribution to supporting deployed Australian Forces. I very much appreciate the effort, time and thought you put into this gift. It is very humbling to know that people are thinking of us during these long periods away from our loved ones.

Regards

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Have a great week all.

Till next time... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!

Jan-Maree xx