Grati-Tuesday 21 October

Some great pics and just as great messages tonight.  

Enjoy!

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I did get my quilt. Thank you very much. I waited to get back to you as we were sorting out some photos of us with our quilts.    Enclosed is a photo of our group. 

Again, from me thank you and on behalf of the rest of the guys here, a big thank you too. It's a very positive impact that your quilts have over here. It's fantastic to know that the community supports us and goes to such an effort to show it. 

Dear Cindy, 

I am writing to thank you for the Aussie Hero Quilt and laundry bag you made and sent to me. 
I appreciate the time and effort you put in to make it.   I really like it, and am sure it will come pretty handy when winter comes. 
I must say I was excited to see the package and it definitely lifted my morale and certainly glad to see there are still people like yourself who care about the troops deployed on operations. 

Thank you again for the gift

And Cath received more photos!

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Dear Michele and Chris,

 I just want to write and say thank you for the package and the gifts.

 I am from XXXXX, married and have 2 young sons.

 This time I am away from home for 5 months and miss them a lot,

therefore any support from home, and especially the Australian public, is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again, You are true Australians.

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Dear Donna P

First of all let me say thank you. The quilt and laundry bag are amazing, I honestly couldn't have imagined anything better. I appreciate the time and effort that you have put into making them. I cannot thank you enough. Receiving gifts from home really means a lot, and they definitely brighten up the day. However receiving a gift from a stranger back home, with the amount of care and detail that was put into it, well words can't describe how grateful I am. So once again I must thank you. Also it couldn't have come at a better time. It's actually starting to get pretty cold over here, so this quilt is going to go a long way towards making life here more comfortable. Once again thanks a lot for your hard work. 

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Good Evening Cath

Firstly a huge thank you for you thoughtful blanket design! I absolutely love it!

I am scared to use it on board though in case I spill anything on it -  I don't want to put it through the washing machines on the ship.   They have a tendency to turn things a greyish colour!   It is away for safe keeping until I get home at Christmas time then it will take pride of place on my sofa. 

The time and effort you have put into this blanket is greatly appreciated - I think it is a great idea and allows work to feel a little more "homely" for us all!   There are amazing blankets and laundry bags all around the ship. 

Seeing everyone's face when they opened their parcels was probably better than opening presents on Christmas day!

I am certainly looking forward to home and am on the countdown! 

Thank you so much for everything you do and the smiles you put onto serving troops faces

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Good Morning Gale and Jenny,

        I would like to take the time to thank you very much for the beautiful quilt and laundry bag (which is almost too nice to put my dirty laundry in) I received, it has take its pride of place on my rack (bed) right next to the photos of my wife and children. It is a wonderful thought knowing that there are  people other than our families and friends that care about our safety and welfare. The packet of Tim Tams was one of the best items I have received and the other guys I live with really enjoyed a taste of home as well, its the small things we miss the most. So once again thank you for the wonderful gifts and it is an honour to serve my country knowing that there are people such as yourselves who give their time to make things for others they don't even know.
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Dear Janice,

Sorry its taken me a couple of weeks to get back to you, its been busy over here.

Thank you very much for taking the time and effort to make such an amazing quilt. I couldn't have imagined it looking any better.

Once again thank you for your effort. you guys do a fantastic job to make our days here brighter with your quilts and laundry bags.

Kind Regards,

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Cath,

It takes a special person to send a gift to someone unknown and I believe you are just that, special.

I received your parcel, the laundry bag is just perfect, I'm already using it, and I loveTim-Tams and Columbines. Columbines just happen to be my favourites!! I shared the Tim-Tams around with my mess mates today and I tell you they didn't last long. I told them it was a gift from you and they all said to send their thanks when I emailed you.

We have had a busy time up here and have a busy time yet to come before we are back in Australia. Just knowing that people like yourself and your family appreciate what we do and are supportive of us makes the job a lot more fulfilling and keeps up our motivation.

So far we have had one big drug bust, 5 tons worth approximately $280 million dollars, which has been reported in the media; we are hoping to get a few more. The weather up here is very good and the crew of HMAS Toowoomba is fit and healthy; we a raring to make a big difference while we are up here.

I wish all the best to yourself and your family. 
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Hi Irene,

I'd like to say thankyou very much for my laundry bag! It is more than I could've hoped for!
I received a very nice quilt also which I loved.
All of you are so nice for sewing and quilting for us. It's something I have to remember this deployment by for years to come.

Thankyou so much and an extra thankyou for the box of goodies you included with it.

Keep up the awesome work

Kind regards

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Dear Pam,

Thank-you so much for the beautiful laundry bag. I've been missing home a lot and your parcel arrived and made my day.
I really do thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you do with Aussie Hero Quilts. It is so nice to have something made just for me.

Thank-you from everyone here.
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G'day Rita,

I received your fantastic quilt last week and have been looking for an opportunity to e-mail and say thank you for producing such a work of art. I have to say just going into my room and seeing that quilt puts a smile on my face. It will be treasured as long as I am around and then passed on to one of my two daughters.

I am serving as an embedded officer in the US headquarters here in Kandahar.   I am on the right four rows back! The Tim Tams are going down very well with my US colleagues!  That was an added bonus to the quilt thanks and a nice touch.

Thanks again for working to produce such an outstanding and personal quilt, it means so much to me and your support means so much to us all out here in Afghanistan.

Regards to Bob and all the best to you Rita,

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G’Day Debbie,

I have received your laundry bag and letter not too long ago, I apologise for not being able to send this letter sooner, however work has been keeping me busy. I wish to deeply thank you for your efforts and kindness in making this wonderful laundry bag (I love the little mo’s). I really appreciate it and trust me it gets used every week. 

Anyways thank you again for your kindness.

Sincerely

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Dear Irene

Apologies for the late reply but i would like to pass on my sincerest thanks for the time and effort that you have put towards my quilt and laundry bag
I was a bit hesitant when  our chaplain asked who wanted quilts as I didn't know to much about it and was unsure how to describe  on my hobbies and interests.
Once the quilts started to arrived everyone on board started to get excited to see the different designs , and once I received the quilt that you made
I, as well as everyone on board, was impressed  by your design , and the amount of time and effort you had put towards it was evident
 I would like again to say thanks for the quilts and lollies they have been a big highlight of this deployment and made it a bit more enjoyable.

Thank you

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Hi Debbie,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag, I must say it also doubles for a decent pillow case. 
I really appreciate it.

Well thanks again for the laundry bag, I hope you and your family are safe and healthy.

Kind regards,
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Hi Jan-Maree and Wendy!

Yes it has arrived as has the laundry bag!

What a wonderful and beautiful quilt and laundry bag. Just fantastic and a real highlight for me in terms of the legacy of my deployment.

I really like the combination of the themes of the USA, basketball, Australia and Latvia; it really is very special. Please also pass on my thanks to Tamsin, Lynn and Lisa for the USA flag panel and for making the top and sewing the quilt and to everyone else involved in the making of the quilt and bag. :-)

I hope you are very proud of yourself for the great work you are doing for so many service people. It is very humbling for me. I can really relate to your sense of satisfaction and accomplishment with your work.  

Thanks again so very much and perhaps we will all meet face to face sometime as I'd love to say thanks in person.

Kind regards

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Hello Wendy,
Thankyou so much for the box of goodies and the laundry bag.
I LOVE IT...... I'm sure my liitle boy (who has just turned 5) will love it when I get home.

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Dear Kerrie and Gordon,

It was such a delight this morning to see the two packages on my little workstation! I was quite overwhelmed with both of your generosity and the love and care that you have put into bring some joy to a perfect stranger. 

Thankyou again - I will be tucking up under my quilt which will make a colourful change to my very plain and boring bed space! Whilst a short note - I hope that you both understand how greatful I and others who have received Aussie Hero Packages are. We spend alot of time away from our families and it's nice to think that we have the home grown support of others.

Kind Regards,

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Hi Debbie,

I apologise for the late reply. Thank you so much for the laundry bag, I must say it also doubles for a decent pillow case. I really appreciate it.

The days here are long, ranging from 10 - 12 hours a day. If something goes wrong it can easily blow out to 15 - 20 hours and more. During my spare time I will hit the gym, run laps around the base and obviously hit the gym again. Working out is the best downtime, it relieves the stress from the day and as soon as my head hits the pillow I am asleep. 

Well thanks again for the laundry bag, I hope you and your family are safe and healthy.
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Dear Norma and Nancy,

Just a quick note to pass on my gratitude and thanks for the amazing quilt and laundry bag you made for me over here in Afghanistan. My wife has dabbled in quilting so I really can appreciated the effort and time you have both spent creating this for me. It was a wonderful surprise to see the "Australiana" theme applied to the quilt and the thoughtfulness and effort gone into making the quilt is really appreciated. It really is a morale boost to receive such lovely gifts from supporters like yourselves back home.

Although I do miss my family, deployments certainly do make you appreciate what you have. I have pictures of my three kids on my desk and although I miss them terribly, I am grateful to God for enabling my wife and I to raise them up in a place like Australia.

Thank-you so much Norma and Nancy, your kind gift will always be a reminder of the good things - Australia, family and community spirit.

Cheers,

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Till next time................keep spreading the word and happy stitching.
Jan-Maree  xx