Grati-Tuesday 29 September

G'day folks.  So, has anyone been to see the Centenary Quilt yet?  Don't forget to send in your photos if you go. 

My husband went to Canberra on the weekend to catch up with his parents who were up from Melbourne.  Whilst there they made time to visit the Centenary Quilt 

(no truth they were under threat! LOL) 

Talk about a small world, while they were there they bumped into Chris.  

Joan, is one of our long standing laundry bag makers and Chris, her son, is one of our recipients from HMAS ANZAC, the first ship we looked after.   Chris was in Canberra on the weekend and sent in this photo of himself with the quilt.  He is justifiably proud that his mother contributed a square to the quilt and so took the opportunity to check it out.  Thanks for the photo Chris.

This message was posted on Facebook for us yesterday so thought I would share it again here for the non-Facebookers....

A big Thankyou to all at Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags) XXXXX took great delight at showing us his quilt on board HMAS Newcastle 06 yesterday Sunday 27-09-15. You guys do a great job supporting our Aussie Hero's many Thanks

Sandy received the following thank you for the two quilts that she and her group decorated for the Jacinda Baker Ward in the hospital in Iraq.  The quilt tops came from the North of the Yarra Quilt Group and Sandy and her team added to them.
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On behalf of the New Zealand Medical Team I would like to thank you and your team for the quilts provided for the Jacinda Baker Ward.

Jacinda was a young medic killed on operations in Afghanistan. The Kiwi ward has been designed as both a functional space and as a memory of her sacrifice.

Most of us knew or worked with Jacinda and it has been a special and very meaningful experience to build and dedicate the ward to her. We have tried to give the ward a kiwi flavour both as a reminder to us of our homes and families, but also to give some home comfort to the ANZACs, Americans and others who are admitted to the ward. The addition of the quilts with their distinctive ‘kiwi-ness’ gives the ward the final touch.

We are very proud to serve in the NZDF on operations and very proud to be able to honour Jacinda in this way. Thank you for your wonderful contribution. You have brought a smile to our faces and I am sure to the faces of everybody admitted to the ward.

Thank you once again,

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Dear Caroline and Sue,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag. I absolutely love it, you did a

fantastic job! I was so excited when I received it in the mail, it made my

week. Sorry it took so long to email you though.

I love the german shepherd on it, it looks like my 2 year old German

Shepherd. He's name is Ralph and he is a gorgeous little boy and I miss him

everyday. He brings so much joy to my life and I can't wait to see him. My

fiancé sends me a picture of him every week which always puts a smile on my

face.

I hope all is well with you and your family and again I would just like to

thank you for all your hard work and support. It really means the world to

us.

 .....

Hello Anne 

Thank you very much for the quilt it arrived during a recent port visit. The care and effort you have put into this kind gift is not lost on me and I thank you for taking the time out of your day to dedicate yourself to such a worthy cause. I have deployed five times now and regularly leave Australia for work, it was a wonderful gift to receive and it is much appreciated. 

I also enjoyed your letter and hearing of your and Chris’s travels.

Great to hear that there is a diving and ocean connection, I got into diving at an early age and when I joined the Navy it became my job, I am a Clearance Diver by trade, though like any profession as you move up the ranks you do less of the hands on and more of the supervision and managing. That said I am still current and I have been diving during this deployment, though not as often as I would like. 

I am married to a lovely lady  and we live in Sydney, we have a beautiful (all dads say that) daughter named who will be two years old in about 14 days. This is the first time I have deployed leaving behind a child and it makes the task all that more difficult.

When I return to Australia, I will only have to wait a month and we should be welcoming a baby boy to join us. In time, I believe the quilt you so kindly sent me will spend some time on the end of his bed and I can tell him all about its history. 

I am looking forward to the day my children are old enough that I can take some leave (6 months) and 4WD around Aus with them.

I thank you again for your kind gift, it means a lot and I look forward to showing my family  upon my return to Australia.

I wish you, Chris and your family all the best.

Regards 

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Good Afternoon,

                  I am writing to you from the Middle East Region to thank you for the amazing quilt I received in the mail today.

I am, as I'm sure all soldiers are here, very grateful for the support we receive from back home. It is very comforting knowing that there are people
like yourselves willing to go out of your way to improve our conditions and morale.

Forever grateful,
.....

Hello Jean and thank you so much for what you have done, this laundry bag was better than I could have asked for!. It is so good I didn't want to use it for dirty clothes so I have begun using it as my pillow cover.
What you have done will never be forgotten and it means a lot to me that you do this, the design, colour, everything was amazing and it really does mean a lot. I wish you, your husband and your fur baby the best.
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Dear Luisa,

I just wanted to drop you a quick line to thank you for the quilt that recently arrived!

It was certainly much appreciated, and it is nice to know that people back in Australia are thinking of us – it definitely helps make it feel like the job we are doing is worthwhile.

I particularly like the dark colour scheme of the quilt, and I will make sure that I have enough room in my baggage so I can take it home and use it there too!

I grew up in South West Victoria and my parents still live there. They have told me just how cold this past winter was – it was almost the exact opposite over here for summer! The weather was so hot it actually wasn’t funny. One day the temp topped out at 63 degrees! I can certainly understand your decision to only visit your son in Abu Dhabi in February.

Don’t worry though – we have much needed aircon in our accommodation, but they don’t really cool the rooms until late at night. However, I often wake up now around 2 or 3am and pull the quilt up around me, as it is easier than getting up to change the temp!

Anyway, I am glad that you enjoy making these quilts, and you can rest assured that everyone who receives one is grateful.

Once again, thank you so much for your thoughtful gift!

Kind Regards,
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Hello Debbie
I'm writing back to say thank you so much for what you have done. People say its the little things that make a difference but to me this quilt is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. I loved reading your letter and learning about your family, the quilt itself is better than I could have asked for. The colour, pictures and the way its put together just beautiful. 

I wanted you to know that what you have done is very appreciated and I hope the best for you and your family in the future.
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Dear Jill,

Thank you so much for the quilt. I absolutely love it, you did a fantastic job! I was so excited when I received it in the mail, it made my week. Sorry it took so long to email you though.

I hope all is well with you and your family and again I would just like to thank you for all your hard work and support. It really means the world to us.
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Hi Jean

I hope you are well!

Thanks so much for your amazing Laundry bag. You have done an amazing job,
incorporating the ANZAC theme was a great idea, it looks to good to be used as a laundry bag!!

I am blown away by Aussie hero quilts and laundry bags, the work that everyone puts in to delivering all the deployed members such quality items is phenomenal.
We are very lucky to have people such as yourself continually giving your time to put a big smile on our faces while we are away!

These items make such a big difference to many of the deployed members!

Thanks again for the amazing laundry bag and letter I will send you some pictures once I return home

Keep up the amazing job you all do!

Cheers
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Dear Pennie

Thank you so much for the amazing quilt - it was so much better than I could have imagined! It was so perfect - there reminding me of home, and remains perfect now reminding me of my time over there.I had a great time - met some amazing people who will remain life long friends and saw amazing places with some interesting medicine thrown in.
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Dear Jan-Maree and Jas

What can I say, apart from a genuine, heart felt, thank you for my recent presents. Upon opening the quilt I was immediately surprised at the Unit emblem and my two favorite drinks (still working out whether beer or Pepsi gets the top position…). The personal touches really made the difference and anyone who knows me would instantaneously recognize the quilt as mine. 

It goes without saying Jan-Maree, that you and your team of Marie W, Carole, Emily, Jess and your husband David deserve a huge thank you for all the support and sacrifice you provide to Aussie Hero Quilts. I certainly feel honored to have a quilt and laundry bag so personalized and look forward to showing my son upon my return to Australia.

In huge gratitude,

P.S. I am happily increasing my weight with the sweats, especially during brief episodes of normality during Australia matches in the Rugby World Cup. 

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Dear Robyn,

Firstly thanks very much for the quilt that you made. It is quite simply amazing and I can tell that you put a lot of time, effort and thought into it. I am a big fan of Game of Thrones and I love that you put the symbols of the main houses onto the quilt. I like pretty much everything about it but I also like the little helicopters (ours is bigger). My role in the navy is as an ATA which is an aircraft maintainer, and I work on Seahawks (which are similar to Blackhawks, but more specialised for ships).

The courthouse on the card reminds me of XXXX which is where my Aunt and Uncle live. Funnily enough I think that my aunt quilts for Aussie heroes as well.

The deployment is going well for HMAS Melbourne so far and I have been to a few different countries since leaving Australia.  We stopped in Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Bahrain spending a few days at each to have some R&R. I have enjoyed these ports and I have experienced much variety of culture and some very chaotic traffic, particularly during the Colombo (Sri Lanka) visit.

Once again, thanks so much for the quilt and lovely letter that you sent, you are a hero too. The biscuits and lollies were appreciated very much as well, and promptly consumed.

Regards,
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Dear Lynn

I arrived home from work earlier this week to find the Aussie Hero quilt that you had made waiting for me.  I'm guessing when you receive the requests and not knowing the person, it would be difficult to be sure what the person is looking for.  The quilt you have made is perfect and I couldn't have wished for anything more.

I enjoyed reading your letter and the story of how you came to sew for Aussie Hero Quilts.  It is comforting to know that people at home are aware of what the Australian Defence Force does and are appreciative of our efforts.  I know that friends that I was deployed with all appreciated the quilts that they received and they brought a little boost to morale when away from home and loved ones for an extended period.

I can't thank you enough for the time that you have devoted to making the quilt.  Jan-Maree tells me that you have made quite a few, so thank you for all your efforts and the time that you devote to putting them together.

Thank you for taking the time to make my quilt.  Best wishes to you and your family.
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Dear Lyn K

I just wanted to say thankyou so much for the beautiful laundry bag and quilt. I absolutely love them! The weather here is pretty warm at the moment (averaging about 45˚) but our tents get pretty cold at night so the quilt is a welcomed addition to my bed. It also gives my room a much more homely feel.

Thankyou for all the time and effort that you put into making the laundry bags and quilts. I can definitely speak for everyone when I say that we all really appreciate it.

Take care!

PS Thankyou for the Tim Tams too. Im pretty sure they made everyone in the office’s day 
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Dear Lyn,

I have received your beautiful quilt this morning and thought I would take the opportunity to say thank you. It is always good to receive mail when over here, but receiving your quilt has been particularly nice. It is currently sat on my bed, and has added a certainly homeliness to what is otherwise a rather drab room, so thank you.

Although I am now in the Australian Army, I am a Brit by birth and spent 8 years in the British Army before marrying and emigrating to Australia in 2004 - I have been in the Army ever since. This is my sixth deployment, so am getting used to being away from home.

Again, thank you so much for the care and consideration in sending me the quilt. It genuinely does mean a lot, and I will continue to use it whilst I am here and when I get back home.

Yours fondly,

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