Grati-Tuesday 23 Febuary ...

Do you ever get tired of reading the thank you messages? I know I don't.  It is so nice to know that what we do is appreciated!  

Enjoy!

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Hello Kaylee,

Firstly I am sorry that this e-mail has taken so long to be sent to you.

Mid last year I received a quilt from you while I was deployed on OP Manitou.

The quilt is absolutely beautiful and I can’t even express how much it means to me.

I would like you to know that I love it so much and it has now taken the pride place on my bed at home.

I received this quilt at a point in the deployment that I needed it the most, to know someone like you thinks and cares for us out there on the seas.

The week I received your quilt I found out that my Dad had a heart attack back home in Australia and it was comforting to receive something as personal as your quilt is to me to remember why I am out there.

Kind Regards,

I wrote to this young lady to ask if I could share this part of her email because it was so personal. This was her response in part.......

I am more than happy for you to share my e-mail. I am so proud of what yourself and the quilters do for all of us away from home and I believe that your work deserves to be acknowledged and how receiving your quilts means so much and that all of your work is appreciated more than most of us can express.

I think your work is truly amazing and I have heard nothing but positive feedback from everyone.

The smiles on the girls faces as they unwrapped their quilts to see what they got, is nothing you can explain

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Dear Jan-Maree,

                                 I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire crew of HMAS Shepparton, to thank you for the wonderful gifts of the laundry bags.  They are so bright and vivid that they make a great addition to the ship.  Thank you for taking the time and effort to produce, I am certain that we will make good use of them.  

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Afternoon Rachel,

                                Thank you for the thoughtful gift and goodies. It is always appreciated. Everyone here have started to receive their quilts or laundry bag with goodies. Even the roughnecks of the SQN were touched.

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  Hi AHQ!

Just writing to let you guys know I have received an amazing quilt and laundry bag from you guys and I couldn't be more chuffed with the result. I'd like to thank Sandra A for the laundry bag, it is getting lots of use and the design is perfect (wouldn't expect less from a fellow South Australian ;) ). I'd also like that thank Diana McI for the amazing quilt, It is perfect and really reflects how much care and effort she has put into it. We really do appreciate all the support that comes from home, especially from aussie hero quilts.

Thanks again,

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Good Morning Diann,

Thank you so much for the quilt it is awesome, I love it.

When I opened the letter and saw the postcards from the Sunshine Coast I had a little giggle to myself. I grew up on the Sunshine Coast. A little closer to the beach than you are now.

Thank you for the treats, they are more than welcomed. I have been hitting the gym hard to try and stay fit, but a blow out every now and again is just what the doctor orders I think.

Thank you again for the quilt, it will be an awesome reminder of my time here and a reminder to me that there are people out there that take the time to appreciate the effort that each and everyone of us over here is putting in to make our country a better, safer place.

Regards

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'Hi Liz B

Thank you so much for taking the time to create the quilt for me, the design of it is fantastic, better than what I could of hoped for.  It is good to hear that it was made by a fellow Demons supporter and sounds like your family room is quite the sight.  Say Hi to your husband and stepson and thank them for their support and especially thank you for all that you've done it really means a lot for all of us here.  I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas and happy new year.  Kind regards, 

ps thanks for the extras and the quilt's great for the cold nights.'

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To Pam and Ray

I would like to thank you Pam for that wonderful quilt you made me.  It lays proudly on my bed and every morning when I make my bed I think of all you women who spend hours upon hours making them. The work you do in making them for us cannot be described in words or gratitude. 

To Ray, you have a wonderful wife who has put a smile on ones face but also as you are the financial provider for her hobby, I thank you.

I am glad to see you had a truly family Christmas and for myself and others, even though we were not with our families, we were with our 'family' and celebrated it together.

Once again, thanks for the quilt, I do like it and am proud to own it

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Hello Fran,

I am pleased to let you know that I received the quilt in good condition and am extremely happy with it. Thank your husband for his guidance. The colours are spot on and the design is perfect. 

Thank you for sharing a little insight in to your life. It really provides some context to the generosity of this very special gift. 

Again I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for all that you and the other Quilters do towards supporting our deployed troops it is truly humbling.

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 Hey Denise 

Thankyou so much for the quilt you made me and the colouring book . I love the quilt so much. We only just got the mail the other day. 

It came at a good time as it was my birthday in Feb, which I was at sea for, then all the mail  came and I got your quilt which made me so happy. 

My sister sent me a Harry Potter colouring book and my friend sent me a Harry potter diadry and pen. It was funny that it all came the same day 

Your job sounds very exciting but you never get the recognition you deserve , I feel your job is just as important as any one in defence and you guys do an awesome  job. 

The girls I share with all love Harry Potter to and said your quilt is the best there seen 

Thank you so much .

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Hi Kay, 

wow - the quilt looks amazing, and it came just prior to my Christmas break. I put it straight on my bed and it certainly made a difference in keeping the warmth in! the first night I had it on I slept so well. It has been a lot colder over here than I thought it would get, particularly as it was so hot when I first arrived. The nights are still cold, but the days are starting to warm up again, and I am not really looking forward to the relentless heat returning - the only good thing about it getting hotter is that it means I am closer to getting home.

I had a really nice break at home for 2 weeks with the family.   The break went all too quickly unfortunately and it was very hard to leave my family again.

When I got back to my room my quilt looked great and it brightens up my room, and makes it a little less sad being away from my family.

Take care Kay, and once again thanks so much for the quilt. I can't wait to take it home and show my family.

cheers

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Hi Pennie,

First and foremost thank you so much for the laundry bag, I love it ! It really does help make finding my washing a WHOLE lot easier and it looks great hanging up on my locker with all that colour and my initials on it. It really does brighten up the area compared to the issued white mesh laundry bags (or as we call them "dobey" bags ). The effort and love that you've put into it really warms my heart, I cant thank you enough for giving me that special piece of home for me to take around HMAS Darwin's areas of operations far from our beautiful shores.  

I understand just how busy you must be as an emergency nurse at a major public hospital because before I joined the RAN I studied at Charles Sturt University for 4 years (Information Technology)  and one of my best friends I made during that time was studying to be a nurse. We both graduated 4 years ago but needless to say its almost impossible to get a hold of her for a catch up conversation on the phone! She's either working or sleeping. Its because of this I can't believe that you've sacrificed what precious little spare time you have to sew me this beautiful laundry bag.... I almost feel bad for putting my dirty washing in it !! 

I dare say my fiance is going to thank you for this laundry bag too! I now have no excuse for having my dirty washing being left on the floor in the bedroom or around the apartment so I'm sure the place will be a lot cleaner from now on thanks to your beautiful gift. haha.

Best wishes and very many thanks

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Hello Carol,

Firstly let me thank you so very much for the amazing quilt and wash bag that you sent me. It is so very much appreciated. Was super excited to also see the note and autograph from Petero and also his photo. As a massive Broncos fan and also a front rower in my younger days, really made my day. So again, thank you for the time and effort you put into the blankets and bags, I appreciate your efforts and am also sure that everyone that gets blankets and bags appreciates them. Pass on my appreciation to your friend Sandy for her efforts in getting the autograph, much appreciated.

I am a very passionate Brisbane Broncos supporter, and have been since their inception in 1988. Wally was a favourite of mine also, but my all time great Bronco is Shane Webcke. I also like a lot of sports, and will watch Australia play in any sport from Swimming to League to tennis. 

Once again, I really appreciate your efforts with the blanket, and will be using it for sure. Not sure I want to wash it, as don't want to lose the note and autograph. 

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Dear Carol

I wish to thank you so much for the wonderful quilt and laundry bag you made for me; they both arrived a couple of weeks ago. Sorry it has taken me so long to write to thank you.  I just love your interpretation of the Sinai and I will treasure it always, it will make a fantastic reminder of my time and experience over here. The laundry bag is lovely, getting well used. It too, will be a great reminder of my time here in the Sinai. The chocolate drinks went down a treat, thank you. 

Wishing you and your family all the very best.

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Beverley F,

I write this email to thank you dearly for the quilt and laundry bag that you made me. The guitar and soccer theme was perfect. I really appreciate the hard work you put in, not only for me but for all the service men and women Hero Quilts provide for. I will be returning to Australia in about 5 weeks which will be great. After two Christmas' in a row here, I hope to be home this year. But as I am sure you are aware, plans change and there is things we have to sacrifice; I wouldn't have it any other way!

Thanks again.

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Dear Marianne,

In all my time in the Navy I have never received anything like I have from Aussie Hero’s and before we left I would have to say regrettably that I didn’t know they existed. Guess I’ve been too busy with my own work to notice.

Your Laundry bag was the talk of the Petty Officers Mess and the 24 other guys and girls I share with were suitably impressed with your work even a little Jealous and so they should be. It was amazing the nautical theme and the silhouette of Melbourne was impressive and I can’t wait to show my Mother in-law as she is a bit of a crocheting and dressmaking fanatic and I’m pretty sure she will be suitably impressed as I am.

Thank you again for the awesome laundry bag and hope you have a fantastic year. 

Regards,

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

Jan-Maree  xx