Grati-Tuesday 24 November

Hi All, 
Time for another week's worth of thank you messages.   Just before that though, I have a couple of very busy days coming up tomorrow and Thursday. I will get to emails in the evenings but please excuse me if my answers are short. I will have lots of catching up to do. Tomorrow we will be packing about thirty quilts. Will try to remember to take some pics for you.

and now on to the thank you messages....

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This first quilt is rather special given that it is signed by several Aussie Music legends, Jimmy Barnes and Diesel to name but two of them.... Kudos to Sandy, our signature hound for chasing them down and big thanks to the guys for being kind enough to sign the patches.  I might also add that Jimmy Barnes was too busy for Sandy to catch up with at the Big Red Bash when she tried so can you believe it.... Diesel took some patches back home with him, got Jimmy to sign them there and then went to the effort of posting them back to Sandy for us! Now that is the spirit. If you think that is as great as I do please leave a comment on the Facebook page or the blog and I will make sure he sees them. 

Enjoy. 
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Hi Jan-Maree,

The quilt has arrived and once again you and your team have managed to surpass yourselves.

As you are no doubt aware my quilt has signatures from a handful of Aussie music icons which is utterly amazing. The time and effort someone has provided to collect these is outstanding, not to mention the contribution from the artists themselves.

You and your team have created a one-of-a-kind quilt that will forever remind me of my time and service in this campaign, and I can't thank you enough.

Keep up the fantastic work.

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Hi Su!

I just received the most amazing quilt by an incredibly talented seamstress!

I first have to say how grateful I am that people just like you go out of your way to add a little extra excitement into our lives when ADF members are deployed. A few of these quilts have made it to us over here and I have to say I think your's tops the lot!

My dog would love this blanket to add to his kennel but I think it's a little too good for him and will be kept well looked after for years to come. Hopefully his dream of skydiving can stay in an embroidered form for the time being. (All be his dismay).

You can really tell you had fun making this quilt and I can tell you are an amazing woman with a flair the unusual who put her heart into making it.  It is greatly appreciated from me, and the guys I work with, when someone goes to these lengths to make something so special.

All the best, and thank you should much for putting the time in to make an awesome quilt!

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Hi Lynn,

I am writing to thank you for my beautiful quilt which arrived this week. The craftsmanship,  teamwork, and imagination that has gone into it simple amazes me; I wish you could have seen my face when I opened the parcel.  Thank you so much, I am truly humbled by your group's support to deployed service men and women. The quilts and laundry bags really do make a difference.

I hear you have made over 400 quilts since you have been sewing for AHQs, I would not class that as 'sewing a few'. Thank you for all the time and effort you must spend sewing for deployed defence members. My quilt was beyond my expectations, as I am sure the other hundreds of quilts would have been for the service men and women who received them. 

I really enjoyed reading your letter. I think it is a lovely touch to send one with the quilt and I will keep it so the history of the quilt is not lost as it is passed down the family chain in many years to come.

I think the flora and fauna of Australia is so unique and not appreciated enough. I suppose, as a foreigner, I can compare it to home which, whilst I think the UK countryside is beautiful, is missing a few kangaroos, rainbow lorikeets and Jacaranda trees! 

The quilt will certainly stay with me and my family for a long time and will be a wonderful reminder of my time with the ADF and the generosity of the Australian public. 

Thank you, once again, for your support. It really is appreciated.

Best wishes

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Dear Jean,

I received the laundry bag couple of days ago and it looks great. Thank you very much, it put a smile on my face. I am 29 yrs old and I have been in army for 2 years. This is my first deployment and I am very happy and excited to be here.  We all really appreciate the things Aussie heroes does. It really motivates us and give us an extra push to do our job well.

On behalf of all my mates, I just want to say thank you.

Regards.

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Good Morning Jean,

I was just wanting to touch base with you to say thank you for the laundry bag that your crafted for me.

The bag is more then I could have hoped for. I really love the image of the German Shepherd, which reminds me of my gorgeous girl Bella. Bella is a young long haired pup, who is only 6 months old and a whopping 25kg. She is going to be a big girl that's for sure. But despite her size, she is such a delight and a very gentile and placid girl. She is excellent with my wife and our two boys. 

I would like to thank you for all your dedication and time that you spend on creating such amazing items. Your Laundry Bag, certainly brings a touch of home to this place. I showed my wife the laundry bag and she is in love with it also.   

Thank you for addition of the Reindeer Christmas decoration, it will be hanging up in my room. I hope that you have an enjoyable Christmas and get to spend this festive season with your family and grandchild.

All the best, and once again thank you.

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Good Morning Jean,

I thought I would take some time to personally say thank you for the laundry bag and for the work that you put in for everything you create for deployed soldiers, it is much appreciated and does really have an impact on those that receive them.

I myself am a father of two little rugrats and the laundry bag you have created will be find its way to my son for his room once I return home. They are a handful and keep me busy when I am not away or at work, but I would not have it any other way.

I hope you are well and enjoy your weekend.

Kind Regards

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Good afternoon Jean, how are you?

I'm just writing to let you know that I have received the beautiful laundry bag. Funny enough, it arrived on my birthday which was a great surprise!  Its looks fantastic and I look forward to taking it to sea with me on future deployments.   Thank you so much. I know a lot of time and care go into making them and we all appreciate the hard work that goes into them.   I hope you continue to make more laundry bags for my fellow officers, soldiers, sailors and airmen/women, because receiving them certainly brightens your day and its a good memento to take home.

Thank you once again.

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Jean,

I wanted to take the time to say thank you for the laundry bag. As you can appreciate, laundry is extremely important for us soldiers over here. I appreciated reading about your wonderful life in XXXXX, it reminds me why I joined in the first place and makes my time here even more meaningful. 

Once again, thank you very much for the detailed and thoughtful laundry bag. I really appreciate the effort and time taken.

regards

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Hi Kay - just a quick note to say thanks a heap for the laundry bag, it is lovely workmanship and I appreciate your kind effort.

I got over to the Sinai, Egypt in early August this year and am due to be home Mid August next year. There are only 2 x Aussies who do 12 months, and all the rest do 6 months.

All is going well over here and we have a great team and are lucky enough to work within a multinational force, including members from USA, UK, Canada, France, Italy, Fiji, Columbia, Uruguay, Norway and NZ.

Well once again, thanks very much for the bag, it has been great to use to take my clothes to the laundry. All the best and I hope you are able to make some more laundry bags to make someone else's day like you did mine when it arrived. 

thanks heaps and hope you enjoy the warm weather coming up, the heat has finally passed here for the summer which is a welcome reprieve.

cheers

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G'Day Clare,

Thank you so much for the quilt. It looks great. I love it.

Thank you for all the love and support. It really means a lot to us.

Regards. 

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Hi Caroline,

I am currently serving in a UN Mission in South Sudan and yesterday I received your laundry bag. I simply cannot thank you enough for the effort and thought you put into this bag for us working overseas. South Sudan is certainly a very poor country with very little here for anyone, so a gesture like this for us is very special. I will treasure this bag for many years to come.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for thinking and making an effort for us Aussies serving overseas J

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G’day Val,

Thank you very much for the quilt.  I can see you put a lot of hard work into it and I love it. It will be something that I can keep forever to remind me of my time overseas.  It will also keep me warm during the winter over here, it’s starting to get cold already.  Snow is slowly appearing on the mountains.

I am 21 years old and I am from Brisbane, I have been in the Australian Army for 4 years as a Military Police Woman.  I am currently deployed to XXXX as an International Military Police Woman where I work as part of NATO.  

Thank you for the treats as well, we normally share them with the Danish guys in the office, they like them so much they are trying to figure out a way to import them into Denmark.

This is my first deployment and I’m really enjoying it as I have had the chance to meet people from all over the world and make some great friends.

I am four months into my six and a half month tour and am starting to miss all my friends and family at home, so getting your package really brightened up my week.   It’s nice to know that there are Aussies out there that are thinking about us.

Aussie Hero Quilts is a fantastic organisation.  Everyone gets really excited over here about getting their quilts.

It is pretty cool that your Mum also used to knit socks for the Soldiers, it is great to hear that you keep the tradition in your family to help out, and that you enjoy it.

Thank you for the support, it really means a lot.

Kind regards,

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UNCLASSIFIED

Good morning Kitty! 

I just wanted to say a big THANKYOU for the rainbow quilt you made me! Its beautiful!! Its exactly what I wanted, something colourful to brighten up my room. I really do appreciate all the hard work you put into it. I'm sorry for the late reply. I actually received the quilt about a month and half ago and I've been meaning to thankyou for a while now but I've been so busy! 

 I can't wait to get home for holidays, its actually starting to get really cold here! haha  After having 50 plus days for so long its quite a big change. We are getting into the low to high teens. I can't stand it, coming from Brissie I love that hot humid weather haha

I hope you have some lovely holidays this xmas, and a wonderful christmas, thankyou so much for all you do!

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Hi Deborah C

My husband is currently serving overseas...& he just received a quilt made by you! He thinks it's wonderful (especially because it has the "Adelaide Crows" on it)...& I think you're amazing for doing such a beautiful thing! It has made my day! He's taken photos to show me & our children...you are very talented.

Anyway, just wanted to know that your precious gift has blessed our entire family. Thank you! 

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Sophie,

I find myself in the extremely privileged position to be thanking you for the beautiful laundry bag that you made for me. Words can't explain what it is like to receive, or even to watch your friends receive a quilt or bag from Aussie Hero Quilts. The look on people's faces when they open up their parcels and see what someone has taken the time to make for them, honestly, I can not find the words to explain it. Sophie, you are a wonderful lady who has given up her time to make me a beautiful laundry bag and I will forever be in your debt. Thank you. I truly appreciate it more than you will ever know. 

Anyways, I better get back to work. Thank you again, Sophie.

Kindest regards,

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Hello Robyn,

I am the proud recipient of the most wonderful quilt (#5 off your production line) and laundry bag that currently resides in the Middle East. I was absolutely chuffed upon opening your package to see what you had made and was very touched by your lovely hand written card. I can only imagine the time and effort that you must have invested in quilting these items, and all for someone that you don't even know. In my books, that makes you a very special person.

Well, I suppose what I am trying to say is that your quilting masterpieces and heartfelt card actually did more then just resemble a nice gesture, it made me appreciate Australia and the people within it.

I wish you and your family all the very best for the future, have a great Christmas / New Year and enjoy every part of living in this great country of our.

Regards,

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Ladies,

I am writing to express my appreciation for your efforts. I have just returned to Australia House in Juba after a two week stint in a little town in Western Bahr El Ghazal State. I was pleasantly surprised to find two packages waiting for me from you excellent organization.

Both the laundry bag and quilt are beautiful, practical gifts. I was very tempted to package both up and send them home immediately, so that they did not suffer from wear and tear, but decided against it. As much as I would like to keep them in pristine condition, I feel that they should be ‘used’ as intended.

I have another four months over here in SS. In that time, I assure you your quilt and bag will get a good workout, but hopefully not too good. I will be taking them home with me as they will make great keepsakes for the kids. What a fantastic outcome.

Once again, thank you all for your efforts. I hope you feel a sense of satisfaction and pride every time you mail out one of your quilts/bags. I certainly feel proud receiving them.

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Dear Leah, 

        Thank you so very much for the Dragon Ball Z Quilt, Words can not describe how shocked and amazed i was with how the quilt turned out. I absolutely love it. It definitely made the high light reel from this deployment and something i will cherish. 

        Also thanks for the tim tams and coffee they are something that i miss (good coffee goes along way when we drink what i like to call prison blend 43) and the tim tams are a slice of home. I really appreciate the thought you put into the package and really restores the faith in humanity that there is still people willing to do something for others.

        Thank you very much, Kind regards 

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Hi Jean,

I just wanted to thank you for the laundry bag I recently received. I was the first to receive my bag much to the envy of my workmates. It will certainly make laundry day a more enjoyable experience. 

Thanks again for the lovely laundry bag. 

Best wishes to you and your family. 

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Hi Jan,

Thank you so much I received the quilt yesterday.

I will be responding to Rita C very soon as she has done a lovely job and I will not be able to express my gratitude enough.

To you and all the ladies I want to say a deep heart felt thanks to the awesome job you are doing for everyone.

Merry Xmas and I hope you, the ladies of Aussie Hero Quilts and all your families have a wonderful festive season.

Warm regards,

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NOTE- by way of explanation... this thank you is for a QLD Maroons Quilt...and Maree's NSW family heartily objected.  LOL

Dear Maree

In our last port visit I received the Quilt you put so much effort into.   Receiving a package from your family whilst on deployment is one thing, but to receive a package from a volunteer I have never met is an unreal feeling.

The Quilt is fantastic, and I am very much appreciative of your efforts.  It is better then I ever imagined.

May I say for a family that's not a big footy family, and a NSW household, you definitely nailed this Quilt. (

I apologise in advance for the flack you've copped, but you should be proud of your work and efforts, it's fantastic!  

The Patch on the Quilt signed by Petero Civoniceva is a perfect touch, please thank Sandra on my Behalf for all of her support.

A little about me, I'm 21 years old and joined the Navy to not only see the world, but do what I can to Support Australia's National Interests.  Been in the Navy has enabled me to see places I would never have gone as a civilian.

I would like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Once again thank you for everything you have done, you are an inspiration.

Kind regards

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Dear Timmy, 

Thankyou very much for the bag and all the effort that Mrs E, Glenda and yourself went to. I really like it and it hangs behind the door in my cabin.  Whilst older than you I'm still a kid at heart and really love my cartoons. When I was your age I used to read the comic books for X-Men, Batman and many others. So now that all the big screen movies are out I can enjoy it all over again. Also whilst you helped make my laundry bag, a nice lady from Queensland also made me a quilt with Batman pictures on it. So now both her work and yours are in my cabin and even go with the Captain America pillow I had my Mum make for me! The others onboard are really jealous.

I hope you and all your friends keep working hard for Mrs E and that you are looking forward to your summer holidays and Christmas. I heard that you've had a bit of a heat wave last week, but hope it doesn't get to hot to go outside and play.

Stay well

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Dear Coby and Emily,

        Thank you very much for the wonderful laundry bag, Words can't decribe how excited and amazed I was to receive it. It looks like you are very skilled and have a real talent using your hands. I hope you like being at school and are learning every thing you can. Whats your favourite subject? Mine used to be maths. Do you like sports? I do i like rugby league and i follow the Manly Sea Eagles and the Sydney Swans in the AFL. I hope you dont hold tht against me. 

        Hope you get this email soon and keep on learning nothing can replace a good education.

Thanks again all the way from the middle of the seas 

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

Jan-Maree  xx