Monday's Messages of thanks....

Hi all,
I had a few other ideas for a post tonight but I have been way too busy with today's request list.  Approximately 200 requests on the list and lots of emails to be answered. 

So instead of what I had planned here are some of the messages of thanks that have come in over the last few weeks. 

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Hi Graeme and Cheri,

I would like to thank you so much for the wonderful laundry bag that I received in the mail yesterday! I have attached a photo of me holding it for you, apologies for the quality of it as I had my 11 year old son take it!

I am absolutely amazed at the work that AHQ does and all the quilts and laundry bags that are made (I have liked the AHQ Facebook page so that was how I know about AHQ before the boss told me he was arranging quilts/laundry bags for the current RCB rotation that is here in Malaysia).

I have been posted to Malaysia for the last two years and am in the process of moving back to Australia. I have enjoyed my time living and working overseas and the time here as gone way too fast. I am deal with all administrative matters to ensure that the four RCB rotations that rotate through here on a three month basis do so seamlessly.

Thank you for the card and the coffee! 

Thanks again for your time in making the laundry bag as I am certain they are appreciated by all the serving members who receive them.

Kind Regards,

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Good afternoon Dianne, Heather and Dot,

Guess what I got from you lovely ladies?

My LAUNDRY BAG !!!!

Thank you so much for the laundry bag. I love that my name is on it so there is no mistaking my laundry in camp. You have indeed added some colour to my life. The bag brings back great childhood memories of the library and the school classroom. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Thank you once again :)

Good Afternoon Jan-Maree, Norma, Nancy and quilters :) I have just received my beautiful quilt in time for Christmas. It is wonderful exactly what I had hoped for. The colours are perfect pastel pink and floral patterns. Not only will it be my quilt on my bed it will make a great throw on my lounge, a feature of my home.The other three girls who I share a room with on deployment also have quilts. We are very grateful for the hard work and great generosity from you and your team.

Thank you very much. :)

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Dear Julie-Ann,

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude to you (and those of the Aussie Hero Quilts members) for making both the financial and physical effort of hand crafting, packaging and sending me the extremely thoughtful and humbling parcel of the QLD themed laundry bag and treats.  I was thrilled to receive this personal parcel, and I am deeply appreciative of your support. This kind action once again reminds me that there are still members of our nation whom are willing to do that little bit more for those around them. It's this dedication, patriotism and commitment to our nation's serving members, that makes being a serving member away from my family and friends at this time of year just that little bit easier to manage. Your gift and effort is one of those selfless actions that will not go unnoticed or un rewarded in some way, shape or form. So THANK YOU.  

I have been a serving member of the ADF in one capacity (Army Reserves and Australian Regular Army) or another since 1991, I have been a dedicated and committed member of Royal Australian Corps of Military Police since 2006, and have been fortunate enough to serve the ADF on a number of Operational Deployments. The effort and support you have shown in making my personalised laundry bag will be displayed daily with great pride and respect.

Julie-Ann and all members of Aussie Hero Quilts team, I thank you for your generosity and support. Whilst deployed here, I will take every opportunity to give something back to others as you have done for me, both as a Soldier and as a proud recipient of a wonderful and original AUSSIE HERO Laundry bag. 

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G'day Jane.

Thanks for the quilt.  I know you said it's a bit of a departure from what you normally do but I love it! My two favorite colours in one rug what more could I ask for 😄 The rug has held up well.  I followed your instructions when I washed it. Thanks for that bit of info.

I appreciate the time and effort you have taken with making the rug between working and helping your girls get into university, I'm 28 and I remember how much effort it was to stay focused during my studies, and how much I appreciate my mum's help to keep me going.

I work as an aircraft technician on the FA-18 Hornets, I can say that myself and all the other gents here really appreciate the rugs and laundry bags that get sent over by your group. So thank you very much.

Kindest regards,

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Hi Jean

I received my amazing bag a few weeks back and I have desperately been trying to find the time to type you a heart felt thank you. I absolutely love and adore it, and my colleagues are secretly jealous of my bright unique bag! It is sooooo me and I wanted to send you a picture of my appreciation. You may be able to tell by my office that we have been getting into the Christmas spirit! I am fortunate enough to be jet setting home today for my two weeks leave in time to spend Christmas with my two gorgeous children.  My husband is super excited to have me coming home even it is only for a short visit. We typically do 6mths away so it can be tough on everyone but we are fortunate to have a wonderful Au Pair from Scotland who is living with the family and helping out.

Thank you for the wonderful angels and sweets. I'm taking my angels back with me to show the kids. I will tell them a lovely lady made them especially for us!

Thank you once again I am truly blessed to have such wonderful people like yourself thinking about us over here. Thank you for all you do!

Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year.

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Hi Carmel,

I was one of the lucky troops to relieve a laundry bag from yourself. It was a great surprise to receive as I had no idea it was coming. I absolutely love it and can not thank you enough for making it for me, it has exactly everything I am interested in. I won't be home for Christmas unfortunately but it's not long until I will be reunited with my family in the new year. 

Thank you again for your amazing bag, it means a lot to us in times like these. It is a great feeling knowing that people other than our families are thinking about us. I hope you have a lovely Christmas and a safe Happy New Year.

Kind Regards,

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Dear Joan and Robin

In July this year, I received an amazing gift from you, a laundry bag, ANZAC themed, with my initials monogrammed. All the more special, as I was deployed at the same time in the same general area as my Great Grandfather, 100 years apart.

I redeployed in late July and moved straight into wedding planning, marrying my beautiful fiancé on 24 Oct then promptly headed to the UK for two months (yes, the bag came with us :D). No excuse, I know, but I do apologise for my (extremely) tardy reply.

The bags really do brighten our living space, and are talked about at length as people make the trek to the laundry on base. I can't explain the morale boost when people receive these bags, the touch of home is amazing, especially considering the austere (tent) accommodation.

Thank you so very much for all you do for the ADF! No doubt, your son has let you know what a difference you make and I can attest the same!

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Dear Lynda and the MUC pilgrim patchworkers,

I am a sailor on HMAS Melbourne, currently patrolling as part of Operation Manitou. Recently, a care package came with my name in an unfamiliar handwriting. I opened it up and was surprised to see a box of goodies, including a handmade quilt with a card from you. 

I just wanted to thank you all for such a nice quilt, I love the nautical theme, and the colours are perfect- red white and blue- the colours of my team, The Western Bulldogs!

I'm glad to hear you enjoy making these quilts together, it definitely makes us feel good to receive such thoughtful gifts and notes from home.

 And yes, I may be biased, but I think HMAS Melbourne is the finest ship in the fleet! (I, too, am a Victorian)

Thanks again, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas,

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Hi Jan - Maree,

I recently received my " diver " quilt and was blown away by the quality of the finish.

Don't have any military stuff on show at home but that quilt will be draped prominently across my favourite couch upon return to Sydney.

 

Thanks for explaining the massive logistical effort that goes into each one, multiple people across states.

Tess included a letter with some detail about her involvement with Hero Quilts organisation and her background. 

Can you pass on my appreciation for her efforts plus Rachel and Helen W. 

Received a massive morale boost from the gift, a big pick me up knowing people outside of direct family know what we're doing and thinking about us.

Will talk of the quilt with references to all the positives of this deployment, Aussie Hero Quilts and how fantastic your crew are whenever people make comment about it on display. 

Will wrap it up there.

Thanks again.

Merry Xmas

Regards.

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Dear Dianne, Heather and Dot,

Thank you so much for the absolutely beautiful quilt and laundry bag you have made me. I can see that a lot of love and hard work went into making both gifts. As a keen Geelong supporter I will definitely be keeping them in the family and hopefully passing them down to my kids one day. 

Yes, as you may have alluded I am originally from Geelong. My parents and brother all still live in Geelong and I try to get back to see them whenever I get a chance. 

We are all crazy cats fans so they are also in love with the quilt, as I showed them a picture of it. I also appreciate the part on the quilt that has a little bit of space left to add another premiership for the future! I personally can't wait to see Patrick Dangerfield running around for the Cats next year. It should be an exciting season. 

Once again, thank you for your amazing quilt and laundry bag. Yourselves and all the other lovely people at Aussie Hero Quilts do an outstanding job and it really helps all the ADF members on deployment outside Australia to cope and feel appreciated for serving our beautiful country. 

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Hi Julie-Ann,

I would like to thank you for the wonderful present I received yesterday (21 Dec 15) - the quilt is amazing and it certainly reminded me of why I joined the Navy. I really appreciate the time and effort that went into making the quilt and it has now assumed pride of place on my bed. Thanks for the treats that were included - I have placed the decorations up in the cabin. 

A little bit about me, I joined the Navy in 2009, studying at ADFA before undergoing training as a Maritime Warfare Officer. I have been posted to HMAS Melbourne since October 2014.  This is the first operational deployment I have experienced and have enjoyed the opportunity and experience the deployment has provided. I have been getting a few letters from my mum, so suffice to say I think she is missing me at the moment. It will be a surreal experience spending Christmas away from home, but the crew of Melbourne are one big extended family and will celebrate the day together.

Melbourne has been deployed to the Middle East region since August 2015. So far, the ship has managed to sail 39,000 miles while patrolling for 116 days and seize 578 kg of Heroin from smugglers. Melbourne has a crew of over 200 men and women from all corners of Australia who are working hard to make a difference out here. We will be on patrol for Christmas and New Years and are very much looking forward to returning home. 

Thank you again for the great present - it has made my week! I hope you and your family are safe and that the new Grandchild has arrived safe and sound. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years! 

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Dear Lynda and MUC Pilgrim Patchworkers,

Thank you for the lovely laundry bag, it came in very handy since it’s a bit of a hike to the laundry on base.

It’s also nice that you and the patchworkers are thinking of the ADF Members who are deployed.

I’m lucky to be at home with my wife and daughters for Christmas (my girls are 2 years and 6 months).

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G’day Debbie,

        I am writing to say a big thank you for making my quilt. All the guys and girls on my ship get very excited when we see the Aussie Hero’s written on our packages. We gather around to see how the quilts have turned out and what theme they had chosen. I was no exception and am really stoked with the finished product. We all gathered on the flight deck of the ship a couple days ago to take a group photo with all our quilts, I was there but unfortunately my quilt was not. I had sent it home because my brother had a second baby while I have been away and I wanted to give it to them for a baby blanket.

         Also thank you for your letter that came with my quilt, it is so good to read about the people who make them and where they came from. It has taken me quite awhile to reply as the quilt arrived a few months ago when we were at Colombo, Sri Lanka. As I write this we are coming to the end of our longest patrol in the Middle East Region (MER) just less than 30 days long. It is by far the longest amount of time I have spent at sea but wasn’t too bad because we have a really good crew and everyone gets along.

       Since joining the Navy I have been lucky enough to travel to some wonderful places Hawaii, Samoa, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Guam just to name a few. This deployment has seen us stop in a few random places, places most people wouldn’t get to visit or even think about visiting.  This being my first deployment I had no idea what to expect, beside everyday being ground hog day it hasn’t been too bad. 

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Good Evening ladies, I hope this email finds you well.

I just want to take some time to thank you for the beautiful package you sent me, everything down to the vegemite and lip balm has not gone to waste! That lip balm was a godsend recently when I was in Kabul where the temperature got down to minus 7! For a QLD boy from the tropics that was brutal for me.

The print you found was perfect and I couldn't have described it better if I tried! I love my food but I'm actually very fit and 90% of the time eat healthy, but like all of us I do like the finer things in life and will never hold back on treating myself :)

This is my first deployment and I am very proud and privileged to serve my country and help my fellow soldiers anyway I can. I work in Psychology within the defence force and it was a huge change from my previous role as a Bombardier in artillery. I find my work very rewarding and fulfilling.

I am originally from tropical XXXX and since I enlisted I have been posted to Townsville, so it has been great being so close to my family. My partner is also in the Army and will be on the next FSE rotation, I have already told her about the fantastic work you ladies do for us. She is excited to put her request in once she gets here in Feb. I think I will leave her my blanket so there is a small reminder of me with her while we are apart again for another 6 months.

I hope you haven't minded learning a little about me and I just want to express my gratitude for the amazing and thoughtful work you ladies do for us troops. It gives us a little piece of Australia that will always be with us.

I wish you and your families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New year! All the best and feel free to write to me anytime!

Warmest Regards,

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