Monday 13 May 2013

Making my Monday

Well, I hope you all had a lovely weekend and spoilt your mums and Mums, I hope you were spoilt!   Now for a little more spoiling with some really special thank you messages.


Jan-Maree,
Thanks very much to you and Leanne M for the kind package I recently received. The quilt and laundry bag are fantastic and I really appreciate the effort and cost involved with sending these goods.  I was really impressed that someone actually took time out of their ANZAC Day Public Holiday to sit down, pack a box and write to me. This just shows that there are still lots of good Aussies out there willing to support those who have left their families for a period of time. 
Kind regards,


Elizabeth, (that is Liz to us)

Words will never allow me to truly express my appreciation for the amazing quilt and laundry bag that you have so graciously crafted and sent.
It is absolutely amazing, I really could not have asked for a better quality quilt or laundry bag. I seriously would have paid top dollar to have these made for me. The colours and prints are exactly what I had in my mind. You really have blown me away with what you've made. It truly has made my day, week even. I have already put the quilt on my bed and am lying on it as I write you this e-mail. It is just one more little step in making my little bed space a home.
Between Jan-Maree, yourself and all of the other AHQ members you really have made a large step into improving the lifestyle of a number of soldiers in a place where the smallest of things make the biggest of differences.

Thank you again so very very much.


Dear Angela and family (woof to Barney),
Thank you so very much for taking the time and effort to make me a laundry bag, I love it. I am extremely humbled by your generosity, I and other here appreciate your efforts and thoughts.
Truly thank you very much, it is a wonderful gift. 


Dear Claire,

First things is first, apologies for the email and not a written letter, but I was so excited I couldn't wait to write.
 WOW!! I love the quilt and laundry bag, they are better than I could have ever imagined, the material is second to none and now I know why Jan-Maree said the the man of the house wanted to pinch it. :-) 
You are so right about receiving mail over here, even though there are a lot of people and we can call or skype home pretty well as often as we want it can be a lonely place at times and packages and messages with little pieces of home (Tim Tams) make all the difference. :-)
I cannot thank you enough for the quilt and laundry bag they are perfect and thanks very much for the treats and letter and of course your support to all of us over here.

 Kindest regards,



Hello Debra! 
I just opened the quilt you made me today. It made me very happy :) Really great work and I loved the design. I have it on my sleeping rack on the ship and the doby bag on my locker. Thank you very much for your hard work and for supporting us. I am from Queensland  originally and I cant wait to get back and see family. 
Hope you are well and enjoying life Debra. 





This email refers to one of Liz's gorgeous quilts.

Hi Jan-Maree,

 I'd just like to let you know that I've received my quilt and clothes bag, thank you and your band of merry ladies very much.

To say that I'm extremely happy with what I've received would be an understatement.

The quilt is great, extremely professionally made and I love the colours and patterns that were picked.

The clothes bag is made from a cloth with loads of aussie flags on it and was great as well.

I especially liked the big red kangaroo (the same as we have on our planes) and the personalising of it with my initials on it.

I'm going to be hard pressed to keep this bag away from my daughter when I get home as she has the same initials.

It's made my room that lot brighter and less prison like (not that I'm in prison mind you).
A few other guys here have received quilts and clothes bags of late and all have nothing but thanks and praise for the ladies who make them.
This selfless gesture is truly appreciated by us who are away from home and family at this time.
Again, thank you and your staff for this, it's much appreciated.
Kind regards,

Oh if only I had STAFF!

This lovely fellow is one of our laundry bag distributors and he is a fine young man.  His family must be so proud of him.  He took over from another lovely bloke who was receiving the laundry bag boxes and took it upon himself to get in touch and send me a thank you letter.  Since then I have been directing laundry bag boxes his way and he never ceased to impress me with his courtesy and appreciation.  He is a credit to his unit, his service and his family.

Dear Stephanie
Just writing to say that I have received your lovely laundry bags and to say thank you for sending them over for the lads. They are very much appreciated by all the serving personnel here in the Ghan and give everyone something to look forward to as well as a memento for our time spent serving on this rotation. 
The work you and your fellow seamstresses makes our lives here a little more colourful and is the only item we own that isn't in army issue multi-cam. 
I receive a lot of stuff from western Australians and your state sisters are doing a great service. I spent six weeks in Perth last year so it was nice to get a card with the Cot on the front. I was there everyday for breakfast and on tanning and beach ops every chance I got too.
Thanks again Stephanie


And from the same lovely fellow to Sue

Hello Sue,

I'm writing to say that I received your lovely laundry bags and to thankyou for sending them to the deployed personnel here in the Ghan. Of all the people who send me things to distribute you must send the most by a lot. I can't imagine the time it must take to make such beautiful creations. I can't even sew a button onto a pair of pants(I've tried) so I'm glad that there are talented volunteers back home who have the skill and desire to contribute where they can. Your laundry bags were given to soldiers from the special operation engineer regiment where I serve in Sydney and to the girls who work in the support roles and live in our building. The work you contribute gives a little colour to otherwise dreary multi-cam existence and makes finding our laundry much easier in a sea of the plain white bags. Thanks again for your efforts and know that all here in the Ghan are comforted by the fact that devoted Australians such as yourself take the time to show their support for the difficult job that must be done by our servicemen and women. Take care Sue.

Kindest regards,


Hi Jan Maree,
 Thanks for sending me the Aussie Hero Quilt with the 2 CDO REGT emblem and the laundry bag.   The 2nd Commando Regiment the badge has a very special place in my heart and it will remind me of the sacrifices made by my fellow commandos as I strive to serve them during my current tour. 

It is always uplifting to receive gifts or letters from people back in Australia and your story made me very proud to be an Aussie.  It is another reminder of home and that some people actually appreciate what we do out here and the fact we sacrifice time with our families and loved ones as we serve our country.   Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in Aussie Hero Quilts and let them know that the quilt now proudly lies on my bed.  A special thanks to you, Lynn, Stephanie and Michele for making such a special quilt.

Dear Tess,

I wanted to let you know that on my return from leave on Friday, I was delighted to receive a box full of laundry bags from you. They've already been distributed out to soldiers across our Task Group. On their behalf, please accept my thanks for your wonderful efforts to brighten up our lives here and provide something of practical use at the same time. We are very lucky to have so much fantastic support from people like you back in Australia, reminding us why we are happy to do the job we do. I would guess that at least 50% of our soldiers here have received either a handmade bag, a quilt or both from AHQ.

You might be aware that we are nearing the end of our deployment but I can assure you that laundry bags and quilts are being carefully packed in trunks and bags in readiness for return to Australia, where they will continue to be used for many years to come. Again, thank you so much for what you do - please be assured that your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Kind regards,


Hi Debbie!,
I am the proud recipient of the lovely quilt and laundry bag which you sent a few weeks ago. Apologies for not getting back to you earlier, but work has been quite busy lately.
I love the quilt and the bag!, thank you so much for all your hard work. I've got lots of compliments for it from some of the others here on base, and quietly I think they are a bit jealous!.
I've got a dachshund puppy at home too, so I'm sure he'll be able to smell your dogs on the quilt once I get home!.
Thanks for your letter too!, its always nice to read something from home and it reminds us all of what we are here to protect.
Thank you again for your efforts, it is much appreciated! 
Hope you are keeping well.
Kind Regards,


When I notify someone that their quilt is on its way I always ask them to let me know when they receive it.  This is my letter from the same fellow above who wrote to Debbie with a photo of his quilt.


Hi Jan-Maree, 
I just wanted to let you know that I have received my quilt and laundry bag from Debbie Morrison in QLD a few weeks ago. Sorry I haven't been able to let you know earlier but we have been very busy here lately!. 
They are both fantastic, and I've received lots of compliments from others around the base about them! 
I've attached a few pictures of the quilt and bag. Please pass on my thanks to Debbie for all her hard work!  I've also sent her an email. 
Thanks again




Hi Liz,
 Sorry for not getting to you sooner but I was away on a trip to some place hot.
 Thank you very much for the quilt and laundry bag, they're great.
I wasn't sure what to expect as I don't usually ask for things for free but I over the moon with what arrived.
Loved the quilt, it's doing a great job and I think I'm sleeping better with it on the bed and that's saying something for these beds.  I think I'll have a job keeping the laundry bag away from my little girl as her initials are XX also and I think she's a bit proud of dad.
Other guys here got quilts and laundry bags as well but I think mine was the best.
They really made our day and was a talking point for a few days as to who's was the best.
Again, thank you very much we all appreciate what happens at home.
 Cheers,

And finally, here is a comment that was left on the blog last night for the Why I sew for AHQ Post.  I think it is rather special and it comes from one of our South Sudan recipients.

Loved reading the blog! Jan-Maree, Angela, Carole: you are simply wonderful! I'm sure my sentiments apply also to the rest of the wider AHQ team out there. Your efforts and attention have provided me with much joy during my time away from home. The love, connection and support I've received from friends and family is vital to help sustain, but to then receive your warmth as well, was like the nation reaching out too. Thank you doesn't seem adequate, but... thank you! 

Yep!  Just made my Monday!

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

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