Oh what a week! So much to share from this week so I decided to do one post and to share all the photos and I still did not get as many photos as I should have!
IP25 at HMAS Watson
My week started with a trip to HMAS Watson on Wednesday. I had to leave home at 615am to arrive at HMAS Watson at 8am. The first job was to set up several quilts on quilt frames and then more were draped over a dining table and chairs. Of course I forget to take photos! I know the official photographer took some photos but I don't have any of those yet so we will have to make do with what we have.
Laundry Bags collected
On Friday, three members from HMAS Stalwart dropped in to collect 160 laundry bags. They are headed off to sea soon so you know those bags will soon be full of dirty washing.
The Poppy Ball on HMAS Canberra
Off to the Poppy Ball - a grand event to raise funds for RSL Lifecare. My date for the night was the lovely Cath Harvey who many of you know from our Annual Thank You Weekends. Cath is not only a recipient but is also a volunteer. Now that she is retired it makes it easier for us to get together a little more often. Initially my husband David and I were BOTH going along with Cath but as often happens, my husband scored a last minute work trip so he missed the Ball.
The venue for the Ball was the very special HMAS Canbera. This was not really an AHQ outing for me as I bought my own ticket, but you can bet that whenever there is a funciton with military folk Aussie Hero Quilts is bound to come up.
We were pretty lucky with the weather. There were a few drops of rain but not enough to worry anyone. Drinks and and the most beautiful cheese platters were served on the flight deck. I really can't believe I did not take any photos!
Don't you love Cath's anchor T shirt?
After drinks and nibblies we went inside for the rest of the evening. As it got darker the fairy lights hanging down glowed more and more. The crew did a wonderful job setting the mood.
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In the breaks between the formalities I got around to catch up with a few folk. At first I forgot to take photos but then I went back with Cath as the photographer and my catch cry became, "if there is no photo it did not happen".
I managed to catch up with the Vice Chief of Defence Force and his lovely wife, Alyce...
And the Chief of Navy and his gorgeous wife, Jodi.
It was lovely to meet the Premier of NSW, The Honourable Chris Minns, MP and he did not mind in the least having a photo taken, in fact he said he had a good selfie hand and I reckon he is right, I certainly don't!
I also caught up with the lovely Tamara, a friend I served with, an amazing lady with the biggest heart for service and the Vice President of the RSL Sub-Branch I belong to.
As many of you will remember, we sent off some random laundry bags to HMAS Canberra earlier in the year and they really appreciated the support.
The crew did a wonderful job looking after all the guets at the Ball. From helping people come on board (me included, those ramps can be brutal), to serving the drinks and meals and clearing the plates away. HMAS Canberra had had a fucntion of some sort every day last week and they were set to sail off for a short deployment this week, but everyone was really cheerful and welcoming.
Nigel, below, is one of the people I have been communicating with in the lead up to our Annual Dinner and in the lead up to the Ball and nothing was too much trouble. Such a lovely gentleman.
The Ball was not set to finish until 11pm but Cath and I decided that we would leave around 10pm. It seemed a good idea to try and miss the rush as there were 500 people at the ball and all of them would have to make their way back to the pass office and try and find a cab, uber or some other sort of transport. I was also conscious that I had another big day the next day.
The only problem was that Cath was really disappointed because we had to leave without desert... trust me, she was not happy! Eventually she cheered up (a little) when I promised her an icecream cone when she got home.
The Centenary Parade and Garden Party for the Royal Australian Corps of Signals
Philomena and I were invited to attend the Centenary Parade and Garden Party recognising the Royal Australian Corps of Signals
in the precence of
HRH the Princess Royal!
Princess Anne is the Colonel-in-Chief, Royal Australian Corps of Signals
and The Royal Patron of the Certa Cito Foundation.
I invited Philomena to join me as she and I had collaborated on the Centenary Quilt. We arrived around 11am and were shown to our seats for the parade. Once we knew where we were sitting we could have gone for a wander around but our seats were comfortable and thankfully were in the shade. Also more people eventually joined up so it was nice to sit and chat. The photo above shows part of the preparation for the actual parade.
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I had to share this picture. Let's just say that I dont think these socks are part of the normal Air Force uniform but I was not going to call out the fellow wearing them. I bet he did not even know I spotted them.
This is the first time that a member of the Royal Family has ever worn the uniform of the Australian Army, just something else making this a special event.
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I took my hat off to those on parade. Thank goodness it was not a heatwave, but it was hot enough to be standing out there in the sun for an hour or so, but they all did a great job.
After the parade it was time for the Garden Party at the Officers Mess. The first thing we saw when we walked into the Garden was a white marquee with the quilt hanging off it, you could not miss it.
The quilt features the Centenary Badge of the RASIGs, surrounded by photos in chronological order.
Of course Philomena and I had to havea a photo taken with it.
I was so delighted to catch up with the lovely James (above). For those of you who remember, ten years ago we created a quilt, called the Centenery of ANZAC Quilt. Lots of people contributed to the quilt and when it was completed it was sent to the Commander in the Middle East. He tasked James with the job of travelling with the quilt around the Middle East Area of Operations. The quilt had all sorts of adventures, you can check them out here.
In the middle of the travelling with the quilt, James received his own quilt, which gave new meaning to the task he had been given.
Philomena and I also caught up with Ben, Aide de Camp (ADC) to LTGEN Susan Coyle and also a very happy Aussie Hero Laundry Bag and Quilt recipient. Ben has even visited AHQ Head Quarters. I am betting his laundry bag gets a lot of use. The ADCs travel with their bosses A LOT>
Another old friend we caught up with was Michelle, yesterday the Deputy Parade Commander (if I have that right!)
I introduce Michelle to Philomena and low and behold, Michelle remembered that Philomena made her quilt. In 2022 we surprised Michelle (someone who REALLY DOES NOT LIKE SURPRISES) with a quilt. A mutual friend was brave enough to present it in person for us.
I do love a good surprise but perhaps it was just as well Michelle was in Darwin and far too far away from me to tell me off... :-D
LTGEN Susan Coyle is also a great friend of Aussie Hero Quilts and she had the privilege of escorting HRH around to talk to people. I believe Susan is the first female RASIGs officer to progress all the way to Lieutenant General.
The formalities over I was on my way out of the Officer's Mess when I bumped into one last friend.
This lovely lady is Kim, Regimental Sergeant Major of the Australian Regular Army. Kim told me she and the Chief of Army were so sorry to miss our Annual Dinner. Kim is a wonderful woman and I have known her for around 9 years now.
Warmest congratulations to the Royal Australian Corps of Signals for your Centenary but also for the wonderful event yesterday. Thank you very much for the invitation.
I wish I could have grabbed photos of a few more of the old friends and new friends from the last few days. My photography game has slipped as I am often too busy enjoying the moment.
Below you can check out the photos from the RASIGs quilt if you would like to.
The following are the photos included in the quilt. Personally, I am so pleased we could include the pidgeons. The story of pidgeons being used in WWI and WWII can be found here
and I encourage you to read it. 
Amazing to see the developments in technology through the year.
Til next time, keep spreading the word!
Happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx
