Grati-Tuesday

Hi all.

Well I am back in Sydney and have hit the ground running to catch up on a bunch of things that are happening.  We are doing some special things for an awesome bunch of people but I can't say too much here as I don't want to give the game away but hopefully I will be able to share in coming weeks.  Suffice to say that I have to do a whole lot of preparation today so that a whole bunch of parcels can go in the mail tomorrow afternoon to quilters all over Australia who want to be part of it.  If you are a quilter and do not know what I am talking about please don't email me this time.  I am flat out. If you want to be part of these special projects you need to be on the mailing list.  Let me know if you want me to add you.  

More lovely thank you messages to enjoy tonight plus some great photos. 

This quilt made by Jenny and Gale,  has arrived in the Sinai and has been warmly received. 

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Dear Joan and Robin,

Thank you very much for the beautiful blue laundry bag. I like the colours and it certainly lifts what is currently a fairly bare an un-homely room as I have only arrived a few weeks ago. 

I hope that you get plenty of thanks from all of the service men and women who receive one of your bags. It is a great encouragement to know that people like you care and are thinking of us over here in Afghanistan, and the laundry bags are a great practical daily reminder of this.

thank you and all the best, 

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Hi Joan,

Thank you so much for the lovely laundry bags that were received in our Headquarters today. They will go to new members as they arrive in Afghanistan. It is great to know that there are people back at home in Australia thinking of us, and the bags go a long way towards brightening up our rooms.

Best wishes to you and your family.

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Hello Robin,

I would just like to say thank you for the lovely Hero Quilt I received today.  Love the WCE (West Coast Eagles) logo and yes they haven't had the best year.  It is so great to have something that reminds me of home.

It will add some much needed colour to my otherwise boring room.  It is a definite moral boost within the unit as each member shows of there quilt.

Thanks again

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Hi Jan-Maree,

It took a little while, but I finally received my quilt in the mail from my wife back home so that I could take a picture of it to send to you, as I promised.  Before I went home on leave back in April I sent the quilt home expecting it to arrive before me so that I could get my family to take the photo for you; however, (as I should have expected) 'Murphy' had other ideas and conspired against my plan.  The parcel arrived 7 days after I returned to Afghanistan!  Net result, the quilt is now well traveled and has seen Afghanistan twice. :)

I would like to personally thank you for the quilt and laundry bag that you made me, but also, for all of the hard work you do in coordinating the returns from ALL of the Aussie Hero contributors across Australia, no small task.  The personal time you invest and hard effort does make a personal difference to each of the recipients - From seeing their proud faces I can assure you of that!

The following two photos were taken by the chaplain and sent to me.  :-) 

This is the first quilt made by Merida - if you want to read more about Merida and how she fits in to Aussie Heroes and why she is so special you can check it out here! 

The chaplain's sister, Hilary, and her quilt group made this one.

And this quilt was made by Keryn for one of our South Sudan recipients - just received the photo this week.  :-)

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Hi Carolyn,

Just contacting you to let you know I have received the wonderful quilt you made. I must express my most sincere thanks! I really appreciate your thoughtful consideration, and effort. It really does make a big difference to the morale of our group to know our work is appreciated back home.

Again, many thanks and kind regards

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Dear Jill S,

I just wanted to thank you so much for the quilt that you made!  I have attached a photo for you of the quilt on my bed here.   I have almost finished the seven month deployment now and I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated coming back to my room and seeing your quilt after all the very long days.  It always put a smile on my face and made me think about all the nice things in the world. Your generosity and your time is so greatly appreciated.

Thank you very much.

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Dear Sue P

I am the guy who you made an Aussie Hero Quilt for?!  I am writing to thank you very much for a magnificent quilt.  Your support means a great deal when on deployments such as this in the middle east.  I have sent you a package as well as a token of my appreciation which should arrive shortly.  I hope you are enjoying your retirement!  I have included a couple of photos that a mate of mine took of me in front of the aircraft that I maintain over here.  I am hoping to get some more to send to you in time.  Thanks again Sue.

Best wishes

(waiting for permission to share the photos.)

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Hi Jennifer,

Thank you very much for the quilt and the laundry bag that you made for me. I don’t know how you find the time with all of the grandkids, but I really appreciate it. I have been here in the Sinai for eight months and it is very nice to know that people at home are thinking about us. Your kindness is very much appreciated.

That is all from me for tonight.  

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