Grati-Wednesday 6th May 2026

 

Happy Wednesday Friends!

There are, as always, some awesome letters which definitely pull at the heart strings.

I love hearing how special the letters included with the quilts and laundry bags mean so much to the recipients!!!

Grab a cuppa or cool drink, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude

***

Good afternoon Anna C,

I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to make that quilt for me. When they advertised the service, they said make anything you want... Just a little background on the request, I have a couple of little ones running around and one of their favourite books is Diary of a Wombat. Combining that with my personal interest in history (and favourite superhero being Thor), Viking wombats were born.

Really like the design. I am a big fan of the Odin and wombat having a pint, misses favourite was the sleeping wombat. Will be a keepsake for years to come. Currently, my oldest has stolen it and it is now his main blanket on his bed. 

Your quilts all look amazing! Your work is truly one of a kind. 

Hope this upcoming year is a good one for you. 

Well wishes to you and yours,

***

Hi Hilary T,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag and, just as importantly, for the letter that came with it. It really meant a lot to sit down and read your story—there’s something special about hearing from someone who truly understands the military life and everything that comes with it.

I’m writing this from the Middle East during a fairly uncertain time, and small gestures like yours carry a lot of weight out here. It’s a reminder that we’re not forgotten and that there are people back home thinking of us.

Your connection to the RAAF really came through as well, with your husband’s service and your son’s career. It’s a small world in that sense, and it makes receiving something like this feel even more personal. Knowing the time and care you’ve put into supporting people like us doesn’t go unnoticed—it genuinely lifts morale out here.

The laundry bag is already getting plenty of use, but it’s the note that I’ll hold onto. It’s a reminder of the support behind us, even from afar.

Thanks again for what you do with Aussie Hero Quilts—it makes a real difference.

All the best to you and your family.

***

Hi Emma-Lee P,

 

I’m just writing to let you know I received my quilt and I absolutely love it!! For someone new to quilting, you have done an amazing job. I really liked the Barramundi.

 

After reading your letter, it sounds like you are somewhat a hero yourself.  

 

Although I now call Darwin home and have done so for a very long time. I grew up in FNQ, so I know how beautiful the Far North is and can imagine your little farm on the Atherton Tablelands would be a great place to live.

 

I also received the laundry bag and Lollies, thank you.

 

The quilt will be a great keepsake for my time here in Germany and I really appreciate you taking the time to make it.

 

Regards,

***

Hi Clarissa L!

Thankyou so much for my laundry bag! Its perfect! I love the teacups and the peacocks :)

You have such a big heart. The letter you write to serving members is so moving. I love how you write about your personal life, it makes it so much more personal. Thank you for sharing.  You sure seem busy with all your extra curricular activities - love this. Keeps your mind active - so important. You seem immensely proud of your three children. So beautiful.

I live in Bundaberg with my husband. We have two fur babies, labradoodles - Cosmo and Elaine, we are fans of the US Sitcom Seinfeld lol. My husband is ex serving and I still remain in the active reserves. We both transitioned in 2021, a decision we have not looked back on. I am still very active in the reserve workforce, which is how this deployment came about. I’ve always wanted to serve for the UN, its a dream come true, but it came with a lot of hard work to get here!

Thanks again Clarissa. Your efforts (and the AHQ team) really do put smiles on our faces. Thankyou for your service   

Regards,

***

The following was received in a hand written thank you card from the recipient.....

Hi Ellen N,

May you know you gifts will always be a proud treasure in our family.

Warme Regards, 

along with the following letter. Here is an exert of the letter.....

Hi Ellen N,

It's a pleasure to take time out and share a few words with you. Both my husband and myself are still in awe with these beautiful creations, you all do amazing work!

Wonderful to read you're enjoying retirement filling your days with the things you love.

It's awesome you've had the opportunity to travel gathering an abundance of terrific memories from your extensive adventures. Australia certainly has a diverse range of beauty, prior to meeting my husband, he travelled Australia in his Holden Premier on his long service leave. Our aim is to travel together across Oz, SA alone has so much beauty, it may take us a while lol.

I retired fully in 2016 returning to the Riverland, my family still live here. We now do volunteer work mainly for our local community.

Once again Ellen, thank you, very much for the Laundry Bag. It has made me feel very special

***

Cheers Catherine D

Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in.  Wednesdays would be so totally boring without them!

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Request List 5 May 26

 Hi all

Jan-Maree here. Today I received a lovely note regarding the letters we include with our random laundry bags. Some people don’t feel comfortable including notes in their bags because they don’t know who they are writing to. I hope the following gives some encouragement to write to them just like you would if you are sending off a personalised quilt or bag. Also, it is even more important that we make this group feel cared for as they deployed at very short notice and their return date is uncertain.

“In regards to the notes included, for us, it was the first outside communication we have received outside of us calling back home. People loved reading who created their amazing bag, what the design meant to them and why they have gotten involved in creating them, as it made the laundry bags even more meaningful.”

Laundry bags by Cheryl F 

PRIORITIES

Huge thank you for the wonderful response to the priority requests last week.

Requests number 1 -3 are on deployment.

4-13 are the last requests for the three ships that have been on the request list for some time. They must be wondering where their quilts are as other members or the ship have received theirs. So would really like to get their quilts on the way to them. We would like to get these requests done and sent off to their recipients.

As always, the requests are listed in priority order. There are many new and interesting requests that have come on this week.

Please let me know if you can help.

POST BY DATE

The post by date for all Requests on this list is 9 June 26 please, or earlier if you can manage this.  If you cannot make that date, please let me know. Do reach out if you have any timing issues and we’ll resolve one way or the other. In fact, if you are going to be late posting it please let me know BEFORE you post it. Also, if this time frame is too tight for you, there are options, just email me to discuss, thank you.    

Request Information

When selecting a request, remember, you do not have to include everything they have asked for. Footy quilts do not need to have the logo or even the team’s name. Using the team colours is all that is required. Simple is perfectly acceptable. A number of these requests have given you favourite colours as well as footy teams or other hobbies and interests. It is fine to make a quilt using their favourite colours but please include at least one of their interests. It is fine to keep it simple. 

If there is more than one request on this list that you would be happy to do, I suggest that you send me a list of requests and tell me how many you want to be allocated…. i.e. one of the following please….  There are always a few requests that everyone wants to do (and I can never pick them) so if the first one you ask for is taken then I can allocate another from your list if I have a list. 

Any queries you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact via the AHQ email as per usual with any queries and we will assist you from there. We may not know the answer, but it will be our pleasure to research and get back to you.   

A reminder, when you are ready to post the quilt or laundry bag you’ve created, please use the name given you in any correspondence with the admin team. This helps the volunteer admin team keep a track of what’s been sent etc. 

CPL Wanda Quilt

TG 3456 

AFPO XX 

ADF 

Sydney NSW 2890

Also, please use the Aussie Heroes PO Box address on your parcel in the event the parcel is Returned to Sender - the PO Box is a safe place in the event of any mishaps with postage. 

Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags) 

PO Box 248,

Cherrybrook, NSW 2126 

Don’t forget to take a photo of your completed quilt or laundry bag to email to AHQ with the name of the recipient and we can include in the Weekly Dispatches blog and add to the tally of quilts and laundry bags sent off to the troops. I personally love viewing the photos of those projects dispatched – so inspiring. 

If you are using an AHQ supplied prepaid satchel, please kindly use the AHQ address for the return address– also for your own packaging – if a parcel is Returned to Sender, it is likely we can expedite its journey to the recipient from Sydney.

Please also please hold on to the Tracking number (the pink sticker that you should remove before posting – we’ve experienced mail delays lately (haven’t we all?) and having the Tracking number is very reassuring to keep an eye on the parcel’s progress in arriving at its destination. 

Don’t forget, if you look at today’s Request List and need help choosing, please feel free to get in touch to discuss, we will be ready to reply and offer guidance by email. Our goal is to help you find a request that you will be comfortable with doing. If you need a crest etc we may be able to post embroideries / printed fabric images or email some of these to you. 

Helpful info may be gleaned here  http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com/2019/07/information-post-for-those-that-sew-for.html  I look forward to seeing the photos of completed quilts and LBs when they are ready to post off. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE copy the ENTIRE line if you wish to nominate for a quilt or laundry bag.  

For example…. 

Marvel Theme. Ironman     M       LB      1 

This is really important to make sure that neither you nor I copy the wrong number which could lead to me giving you the wrong details for specific request.  If you find it hard to copy and paste, please copy the line out as above.  

Decoding The Columns 

The first column is the theme or preferences requested. 

The second column indicates the gender of the recipient. 

The third column is as follows. 

B=both quilt and laundry bag (feel free to nominate to JUST do the laundry bag if you wish) 

Q= just a quilt 

LB = just a laundry bag 

F= female 

M= male 

Please let the Admin crew know if you have any other questions....Just email friendsofahq@gmail.com  

Looking forward to seeing what you want to make this week. Happy stitching! 

Cheers, 

Jan-Maree

P.P.S.  Don't forget to check out AHQ on the Blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitte

This is our third 15th Anniversary Star Quilt. The theme is Western Bulldogs AFL theme, so this is what we need. There will be fourteen stars for this one as the fifteenth block will either have an applique of the Western Bulldogs logo or will have some Western Bulldogs Text. If anyone is interested in making this block, please let us know. The team colours are royal blue, dark red, and white.  For the stars what we need is a red centre, white points and royal blue for the rest of the star. We will send you an instruction sheet if need be.  Please let us know if you want to make one of the stars.	M	Q	0
Laundry bags for Submariners RAN crest Submariners dolphins The rest of the bag can be navy themed, nautical, submarines, Australian, a bit of USA. Add a patch for their initials Masculine or Gender neutral as most recipients are male (We can provide RAN badge & Submariners badge)		LB	1
Rising Sun Army themed in earth tones, INTERFLEXT LOGO Aussie flag Ukraine Flag Union Jack Ukraine trident cattle dogs/kelpies, QLD Reds Rugby Union team, Rising Sun, Outline of Australia, Rodeo/Outback theme (We can provide the Rising Sun, the Interflex Logo, the Union Jack and the trident)	M	B	2
Cartoon like pictures of Frozen and Shrek	M	Q	3
Surf's up the movie themed	M	Q	4
Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs football team	M	Q	5
Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons.	F	Q	6
Dragon Ball Z	M	Q	7
Ronnie Coleman (American former Bodybuilder) and body building in general  (images of Ronnie Coleman available)	M	Q	8
Cobra Kai (American Karate drama TV show The Karate Kid. You can find an image of the snake and images of the man from the movie on Google)	M	LB	9
King Dedede (is a duck looking character, looks easy to applique, from Nintendo's video game 'Kirby') Red, blue, yellow and white coloured theme	M	LB	10
Queensland Maroons themed	M	Q	11
Kookaburras and mines	M	Q	12
Navy themed, with ships and badges from HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06), HMAS Sydney 5 (DDG 42), HMAS Yarra 4 (MHC 87) (We can provide the ships badges)	M	Q	13
Miffy (rabbit cartoon) Navy White Ensign flag	M	B	14
Morobe Flag/Emblem - PNG Province (Morobe) Flag	M	B	15
Western Suburbs Magpies Themed Rugby League Team	M	B	16
Rising Sun with dates Army/Australian/Malaysian themed (We can provide the Rising Sun with dates)	M	B	17
Video games Monster Hunter (Mizutsune, it is a purple dragon) Purple	M	LB	18
Ocean colours. Great Barrier Reef, Personal cruising boating. CIS Comms logo. Navy White Ensign. (We can provide the CIS Comms badge logo)	M	Q	19
Blue and White colours MWGU logo Weather and ocean theme, Snowboarding, Groodle (2 images supplied), Sydney Roosters  (We can provide the MGWU logo and dog images)	M	Q	20
4WD, Sunrises, Beach, Blue and green.	M	Q	21
Rising Sun, RAAF and Navy badges,  Joint service themed. Hobbies are watching Formula 1, playing golf and Four-wheel Driving. (We can supply the Service badges)	M	Q	22
Rising Sun with details, Corp Badges for Artillery and Military Police, Army theme Brisbane Broncos, Queensland Maroons (We can provide the Rising Sun and badges)	M	Q	23
Navy badge Navy themed  Electronics Technician. Ships : HMAS Adelaide HMAS Torrens HMAS Darwin HMAS Tobruk HMAS Success Shore postings HMAS Cerberus (Training Division) Melbourne Recruiting Fleet Support Unit West Fleet Support Unit Garden Island RAAF Base Laverton Passionate Formula 1 fan Lifelong supporter of the Richmond Tigers AFL Football Club, both of which are important parts of who he is. (We can provide the Navy and ship badges)	M	Q	24
Interests are Bicycles, Aeroplanes Canoeing Orienteering. Likes bright greens.	M	Q	25
Essendon (AFL) Mighty Ducks Dachshund (sausage dogs).	M	Q	26
Rising Sun Royal Engineers badge. Army themed in colours of Corp blue & red. (We can supply the Rising Sun and RAE badge)	M	Q	27
RAAF badge with details Dogs- Jack Russell and other terriers Nature (We can provide the RAAF badge with details)	M	Q	28
Rising Sun Infantry & Supply Corp badge. Massive Star Wars fan Loves African Wild Dogs Favourite colours are blue and green (We can supply the Rising Sun and badges)	M	Q	29
RAAF badge Units: 35, 36, 37, 75 SQN List of Operations (We can provide the RAAF badge, SQN crests and emb list of Operations)	M	Q	30
RAAF badge (3 roles held whilst in service - Military Working Dog Handler, Ground Support Equipment Mechanic and Personnel Capability Officer). Loves Lego (mainly castles) Magic The Gathering card game and Viking heritage. Has a project car, 1989 BMW E30 convertible which has strong sentimental value. (Photo available of the car) Loves his beer too. (We can provide RAAF badge, images of car)	M	B	31
RAAF badge Loadmaster Brevet WOFF Rank (RAAF), C-17A C-27J HMAS Canberra. (We can provide the RAAF badge, Loadmaster Brevet, WOFF rank, Badge for HMAS Canberra & images of aircraft for applique)	M	Q	32
Rising Sun RAAC badge Army themed including tanks (We can provide the Rising sun and Corp badge)	M	Q	33
Navy badge Navy theme HMAS Onslow (submarine) Explosive Ordnance Electrical Engineering Officer HMAS Brisbane (DDG). Favourite rugby NRL team is Penrith Panthers. Enjoys woodwork by making furniture (We can provide the Navy badge and crest of sub and ship)	M	Q	34
Navy badge NRL Cronulla Sharks, Family picture (image available) French Bulldogs (images available) and beer. Blue colour theme (We can provide the Navy badge and images supplied)	M	Q	35
RAN badge HMAS Newcastle crest United Nations flag South Sudan Flag Deployment text details Love something that shows the desert, the sun and the sea Loves the original movie the Lion King and Simba (We can provide RAN badge, ships crest, United Nations flag, South Sudan flag, emb deployment details)	F	Q	36
Rising Sun Skippy badge Army theme that reflects infantry units 5 RAR, 2 RAR, 5/6 RVR and 6 RAR. (We can provide the Rising Sun, Skippy and unit badges)	M	Q	37
RAAF badge Planes, Avionics Technician who has worked on C-130 Hercules, closest to their heart P8 Poseidon F/A-18 Hornet. (We can provide the RAAF badge silhouettes of C130 and FA 18 Hornet)	M	Q	38
Rising Sun Australia Army themed Including poppies Representation of ANZAC Day, but focus on the Army (We can provide Rising Sun)	M	Q	39
Hobbies & Interests: DJR (Dick Johnson Racing) fan with the Green's Tuff era Bathurst Enthusiast - drives & camps there every year Mini LS 1275 - Hi Ho Silver - 1978 - this vehicle is getting restored Mini Mokes - another project for his retirement Motorbikes  Malvin Star dragstar - has restored a couple Loves Dr Who's Tardis Restored Honda CB 354 - motor bike Enjoys relaxing with a beer - lately it's been Single Fin by Gages Road (WA local beer) Enjoys a scotch and cola Zero Always has a 1.25ltr Cola Zero in his hands lol	M	Q	40
Rising Sun RAAF badge Over the 26 years served in the Army in RAAOC (Ordnance Corp) Also in the RAAF if the design could reflect this it would be appreciated. (We can provide the Rising Sun, RAAF badge and RAAOC badge)	F	Q	41
RAAF badge Aircraft these can be silhouettes C130H Hercules (36SQN) Seahawk Helicopter (816SQN) FA18 Hornet (2OCU) C130J Hercules (37SQN) Units 36SQN 816SQN (Navy) Australia’s Federation Guard 2OCU 37SQN HQ Air Mobility Group (We can provide the RAAF badge, unit badges Federation Guard badge and silhouettes of aircraft for applique)	M	Q	42
RAAF badge RAAF colours and theme (We can provide the RAAF badge)	M	Q	43
Rising Sun RAEME Navy badge Submariner Dolphins Brisbane Broncos Port Adelaide Football Club Cycling Surfing (We can provide the Rising Sun, RAEME badge, Navy badge and Dolphins badge)	M	Q	44
Rising Sun Skippy badge 1RAR RAAF badge Fishing Cronulla Sharks Cricket Beer (We can provide the Rising Sun, RAAF badge, Skippy badge)	M	Q	45
Rising Sun with member and grandfather’s details 1st Armoured Regiment hat badge Tank Soldier, Late Grandfather also Tank Soldiers. A cricket fanatic Volunteer firefighter with the CFA. Whatever design a wonderful volunteer comes up with would be amazing! (We can provide the Rising Sun with details, 1st Armoured Regiment badge & silhouette of tank for applique)	M	Q	46
Rising Sun Army theme Logistics (storeman) Loves green Motorcycles (sports bikes like Hondas) Golf Home-brew beer (We can provide the Rising Sun)	M	Q	47
Rising Sun RASIGS OP Slipper OP Bel Isi Bougainville I would love something family‑friendly that acknowledges the support my family has given me throughout my career. I have three children and three grandchildren (names supplied) and they have all played an important part in my journey. Currently posted to Washington DC (We can supply the Rising Sun, RASIGs badge, emb list of deployments and list of family names. These can be embroidered if requested)	F	Q	48
RAAF badge with service details 37SQN 1SQN (fighting first) Currently serving in 36SQN 2 children he adores. Loves our German Shepard Anything around these would be prefect. (We can provide the RAAF badge, SQN crests and family images)	M	Q	49
RAAF badge 'RAAF Roundel Symbol of a PC/Networks/Keyboard North Queensland Cowboys Australian Flag Initials or names of family (We can provide the RAAF badge & Roundel and family names/initials)	M	B	50
Navy badge with service details Navy theme with badges from ships- HMAS's Bunbury HMAS Ipswich HMAS Bathurst HMAS Armadale HMAS Glenelg HMAS Maryborough HMAS Sydney. (We can provide the Navy badge with service details and ship badges)	M	Q	51
Loves greens F1, Super Car racing Soccer	M	Q	52
Sailing Rugby union Sydney swans.	M	Q	53
Rising Sun RAAC (Cavalry) Army theme Loves heavy metal bands (Metallica, Slipknot, Linkin Park and Rammstein) Fast cars Watching TV’s & movies Reading History (We can provide the Rising Sun badge and RAAC badge)	M	Q	54
RAAF badge with details List of Operations: We can provide as an embroidered patch Blackhawk helicopter with some poppies and the words 'Lest We Forget" Australian War themes If possible, the older desert camo colour would be great Rifles - F88, MP7, Glocks. (We can provide: RAAF badge with details emb text of Operations. Text Lest We Forget, silhouette of Blackhawk, older desert camo, silhouettes of the 3 rifles)	M	Q	55
Rising Sun, RASIGS badge on white and royal blue background Star Wars and Metroid prime (video game, Metroid is a robot) (We can provide Rising Sun, RASIGs badge)	M	Q	56
Rising Sun Army/ ANZAC theme Ammo Tech badge with number below (We can supply the Rising Sun & Ammo Tech badge)	M	Q	57
Rising Sun 3CER symbol SOER symbol EOD symbol Desert theme with some hills in the background. Served in Afghanistan (We can provide the Rising sun and symbols)	M	Q	58
RAN badge with service details RAN themed Main focus for quilt - family (partner & 2 boys) Premature birth ribbon somewhere on the quilt. (We can provide the Navy badge with service details and images supplied)	M	Q	59
Navy badge with service details Navy themed Ocean Poppies  CIS Rate badge patch HMAS Perth Crest with saying “157 I’m in Heaven” HMAS Cerberus (initial training)  HMAS Kanimbla,  HMAS Parramatta (overseas gulf deployment) HMAS Kuttabul,  HMAS Albatross (We can provide the Navy badge with details, CIS rate badge and ships badges)	F	Q	60
Light Blue with pink Lillys	F	LB	61
LA Clippers Logo (USA Basketball team) 4 WD an Emu Export Can	M	LB	62
Surfboard New Hope Star Wars Poster Fremantle Dockers Logo An emu export can	M	Q	63
Rising Sun Anchor Australian Flag Carlton Blues logo Cronulla Sharks logo  (We can provide the Rising Sun)	M	Q	64
Rising Sun Australian Flag Black Silver Fern Flag with New Zealand Big kiwi if possible or a kiwi themed with surname (We can provide the Rising Sun)	F	Q	65
RAAF badge  C-17 with Homer Simpson (We can provide RAAF badge, silhouette of C17 for applique)	M	Q	66
RAAF badge 36SQN badge 1SQN badge Australian Flag or Southern cross (We can provide the RAAF badge, 36SQN & 1SQN badges)	M	B	67
RAAF badge 36SQN badge C17 And Brisbane Broncos themed (We can provide the RAAF badge, 36SQN crest & silhouette C17 for applique)	M	B	68
RAAF badge 36SQN badge C17  (We can provide RAAF badge, 36SQN badge, silhouette C17 for applique)	M	LB	69
RAAF badge Blue 36SQN C17 (We can provide the RAAF badge, 36SQN crest, silhouette C17 for applique)	M	B	70
Rainbow and Blue themed Hobby of running	M	B	71
Cricket/travel	M	Q	72
Text "BEECH 1/26" on the Quilt and Laundry Bag. Pink/Blue/Green Colours Union Jack flag 36SQN Stallion Unicorn (We can provide the emb text, 36SQN badge, 36SQN stallion image, C17 silhouette for applique)	M	B	73
Text "BEECH 26" on the Quilt and Laundry Bag.  Explosions Mountains C17s 36SQN Stallion (We can provide 36SQN badge, the stallion image, emb text & C17 silhouette for applique)	M	B	74
Sunset theme and whale	M	LB	75
Tangled Themed	F	LB	76
Chicken/Cow/Dog or Native Flora/Fauna Orange, Burgundy, White:	F	LB	77
CSO Rate Badge, Toowoomba Crest Purple, Yellow, Green (We can provide the Crest and Rate Badge)	M	LB	78
Cracken/Octopus/Sea Monsters Blue, Grey, White	M	LB	79
Baby Yoda from Star Wars. Green, Black, Light Brown	M	LB	80
Rottweiler (dog) Paw print Chocolate Brown	F	LB	81
Wolves Red, Black	M	LB	82
Piglet from Winnie the Pooh Yellow, Pink, Blue	F	LB	83
Lama Light colours, yellow, light brown	M	LB	84
Farm with Fox, Kelpie Dog Straw colours	M	LB	85
Star Wars Red, Black	M	LB	86
Dinosaurs Blue Green	F	LB	87
Manly Sea Eagles Maroon, White	M	LB	88
Halo 3 ODST/Toowoomba Crest Yellow, Purple, Black (We can provide the Crest)	M	LB	89
Liverpool Football Club Red, Black	M	LB	90
Spice Girls/Girl Power. Pastel Pink, blue, yellow	M	LB	91
Brisbane Lions AFL Maroon, Blue, Yellow	M	LB	92
Star Wars Black, Green, Blue	M	LB	93
How to Train Your Dragon Black	M	LB	94
Ocean/Beach Blue, Green, Purple	F	LB	95
Bluey Characters Blue, Yellow	F	LB	96
Camping   Red, Blue	M	LB	97
F1 McLarin Car Racing Orange, Black, White	M	LB	98
Capybaras Tan, Green	M	LB	99
Spiderman & Toowoomba Crest Red, Blue, Black (We can provide the Crest)	M	LB	100