Grati-Tuesday 14 April

G'day all.   Well a big week here in Headquarters Aussie Heroes. 

Tonight I am giving a presentation to the Lions Club of Hornsby and then tomorrow I am flying to Melbourne with Caroline, Evelyn and Robin to attend the Australian Quilt Convention. All the details you need are in last night's post.  Over the next few days you will need to bear with me if I am a bit slow answering emails and so on. I will be at the show as well as trying to keep Aussie Heroes running.

If you email me about issues that are not urgent I may ask you to come back to me again after the show. I will thank you in advance for your patience.

And now for today's lovely messages and photos.

First up I had the privilege of presenting this fellow with his quilt and laundry bag at my home on Saturday night. He did not find out about us till a little after he deployed for a four month stint however he was so flat out with work whilst deployed that it was a month before he came home before he submitted his request.  Hence the need for him to receive his quilt after returning.

Let's just say, he did not mind waiting.....

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Good Afternoon,

I received my quilt cover last week and really do appreciate the time and effort you put in.

It is much appreciated. 

Thank you very much.

.....

Dear Pennie,

I was somewhat surprised when your package arrived in the mail, I never applied or requested one (Not sure how it all works?)  Not being a 'Blanket' kind of person and all that, I have admired some of the other blankets that the other guys in the team had received though.

I must say it was quite the morale boost and I think it's brilliant.... The Navy ensign and Cadusa made me smile. I would like to thank you for your effort and care... It shows in the quality of the blanket. It is something I shall hold on to and treasure, a very bright thing in a challenging and sometimes frustrating place. 

I would like to say thank you for your work with Soldier On. It is a very worth cause and people like yourself, by your time and efforts, make the lives of our wounded service men and women so much better.

Again, thank you for both the blanket and laundry bag, both are greatly appreciated.

Kindest regards,

.....

Dear Joan and Robin,

I'm writing to say thank you so much for my gorgeous puppy laundry bag!  I have recently returned home, and have taken a photo with my golden retriever Lucy to show you.  I absolutely love it!  Also, Lucy's best friend just so happens to be a chocolate Labrador named Indie! Both of them are on the bag!

It definitely brightened my day opening up the package! You are so clever, I wish I was this creative! I also love the mini bag which you made as well (perfect for some pegs!).

My husband is happy to see me at home; he is in the ADF as well and has been away a lot this year. 

Thank you both so much again, I really do appreciate your support.

All the very best,

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Dear Jan-Maree,

I am writing to say thank you so much for my beautiful quilt! I am in love with it and can't wait to make it a feature in my house! I have recently returned back home after a deployment to the Middle East, and have included a photo below of the quilt and I the day I got home (had to get a quick photo before getting out of uniform!).

My laundry bag was very personalised thank you! 

Thank you so much for your support and commitment to those who serve, nI know I definitely appreciate it greatly!

(All my friends are very jealous of me beautiful quilt!!)

Thank you again,

.....

Good Afternoon Jan,

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, I have been away for a little while.

I can confirm that I have received both the Quilt and Laundry Bag. My gratitude and appreciation for both and the effort and skill associated with their makers is beyond words.

I will be contacting both ladies with a personal message to express my gratitude appropriately. I don't think an email is quite enough.

I thank you for all the work you do in co-ordinating the quilts, I think that I can safely say (on behalf of all recipients) that the service you provide is deeply appreciated by us all.

Once again, thank you so much.

....

Jackie

I just wanted to send you a small letter to say thank you so much for my laundry bag.I can see so much thought and effort went into making it and I love my laundry bag

I have deployed a few times and this  gift is one of the most special things I have received.

Thankyou again! 

.....

Hi Jill,
I just received my package from you. First thing I must say is a big thank you. It's great to know that there are still people like you that care about others and are willing to take the time to make something for us. The timing of the parcel couldn't have been better as on my last flight I ran out of ink in my 4clicker pen and one amazingly shows up in the mail, and twisties..... It's so nice to be able to taste things from back home.

Many Thanks
....

Thank you so much for this wonderful organisation. I received a quilt and laundry bag while I was deployed last year and they mean the world to me.What a wonderful you people do for our deployed personnel. Forever grateful! x

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For Karen M

Greetings from Kabul

I was pleasantly surprised to receive you package yesterday. Opening the box finding your beautiful and well made quilt as more than pleasant. Your experiment into the dark art of masculine quilt making is a resounding success, although I can not describe myself as the manliest of men. It is unusual for me to be the first to receive something (being the bottom of the alphabet) and my colleagues are awaiting their quilts in eager anticipation.

I don’t think you can go wrong with black as a background and geometric shapes especially stars (as a nod at the flag) were well thought out. As for the needlework I can’t fault it. In fact there is a tradition among the Afghan rug makers not to correct mistakes or include deliberate ones as only Allah is perfect. I’ve heard that even their machines are programmed to include random errors. So you can say you were being culturally sensitive. 

That said, I think perfection can be quite uninteresting and appear mass produced.

Thank you for the snacks, they arrived in good order. I must say that I am a bit of a traditionalist when it comes to Tim-Tams so was a little nonplussed by the new peanut butter variety but I think they will grow on me. Tim Tams have become a bit of a hit among our Nato brethren (US, Czech, Slovak, Norwegian, Danish, Hungarian, Turk, Albanian.).

It is snowing in Kabul at the moment which is a new experience for me. The surrounding mountains are quite picturesque in the snow (when the air clears). It has been one of the most comfortable deployments I have been on. I’ve not had a proper room like this before and the hospital is purpose built. There have been a few incidents since we arrived in January but that may change as it warms up. We are pretty safe here behind the wire though.

When I get back, the quilt will be put to good use covering the drab futon in the spare room.

Thank you again for the gift.

.....

Hi Jan-Maree,

please pass on my sincere thanks to Lynn and Belinda for my wonderful quilt. I am so delighted with it - the details are beautiful.

I particularly like the patches of the ladies on their bikes and mopeds. It's how I'd really like to be dressed and ride my bike, not in sports gear and helmet!

Belinda's quilting detail is also amazing, the sea horses are gorgeous. And Belinda, thank you for the Tim Tams. I am secretary on a board and our next meeting is this coming Friday. The guys will really enjoy those with their cuppas.

I have attached a few photos to show you the before and after look in my room. It's the first thing that draws my eye when I walk into my room. My orderly room team and I also had our photo taken with the Anzac Quilt and we feel very privileged to be part of it's history.

Keep up the wonderful work, it is really appreciated by all of us.

.....

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

Jan-Maree  xx