Grati-Tuesday 16 Aug 16

Some great message from far and wide this week starting with a quick note from Margaret ........

Marg R visited Darwin recently and managed to catch up with one of her recipients at the RAAF base.  Margaret said he was wonderfully accommodating in showing us a little of what he does and answering any questions we had.  We also met two other quilt and laundry bag recipients and all said how much the morale was boosted when a parcel arrives courtesy Aussie Heroes. 

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Good Evening (or Morning!) Janet,

I wanted to write you and say thanks for making the fantastic quilt you made up for me (and lucky number 7!);  I feel very privileged and love the colour and those frogs too!

You will be pleased to learn that the quilt is currently on display in our pay office for everyone to see; everyone enjoys seeing the different creations and of course every single one of us visits the pay office, so your quilt is being seen by many many people.

 As you can imagine over here in the Middle East it is pretty hot (and very humid, to our surprise!) but the air conditioning makes it quite cold inside, so a quilt adds that little bit of extra comfort and livens up our quite beige lives here!

 I am deployed over here for about 10 months, so having a splash of colour in my room also helps to make it more like home.

> Anyway, thanks again for your hard work quilting up little pieces of home for us all - it’s really appreciated by everyone.

Take care

 sincere regards

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Dear Alison

Thank you so much for the laundry bag.  I had forgotten about putting in the paper work for one of those so it was a wonderful surprise when it arrived in the mail last Friday.

What was even better was that it was a Capitals bag; I had a grin on my face from ear to ear for the whole day.  Thank you very much for the letter and all the effort you put into the bag as well as all the games you put onto the flash drive.  That was a fantastic bonus I would never have expected. 

Even though you're a Pens fan and they knocked out the Caps in the 2nd round of the playoffs, I have to say that you're a selfless and wonderful person for taking the time to do this for not only me but for the rest of the ADF.  When we receive the bags and quilts it's a real special gift for us.

Considering that it regularly gets to over 50 degrees Celsius over here, I had no need for a quilt but I truly value the laundry bag.  I would have felt guilty if you'd put in all the extra work to make a Caps quilt, plus the moral struggle you would have had given your inclination for the Penguins :)

I brought my jersey over with me so I could watch them win the Stanley Cup whilst wearing it.  Sadly that didn't happen but this is the next best thing.

I have 8 weeks to go before I get to go home to Adelaide and have been here for 5 months already now and I can safely say receiving your package was right up there with one of my favourite moments of the deployment.

Thank you so much!!

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G'day Clarissa,

Thank you very much for the custom sewn laundry bag, which arrived today. When collecting laundry, the local laundry attendants only have limited English language skills. So, when collecting laundry there can be delays in finding your laundry, due to 99% of the soldiers here all using the same issued laundry bag. Luckily, those days are now over for me, as custom colorful laundry bag distinguishes itself from 99% of all the other standard military issued laundry bags. The Tim Tams are also a valued commodity over here. What a lovely taste of home. Much appreciated.

Hearing a bit about your life, and lifestyle with the chooks and Aussie bush out the back was a nice reminder of home. Where I am at the moment it is very desolate, with very few signs of life. Not even greenery from plants, but I'm enjoying some great experiences. Outside of the city, the locals still ride around on camels and donkeys. I had a trek on a donkey and have found they are very strong, sure footed and reliable animals. At one stage there were two of us on the donkey to save our legs. Don't worry the donkey was pretty big and we didn't work him too hard. In the end, I got lost and took the donkey out to a village, and there had to pay for a guy to drive me back to where I was staying. He slapped the donkey which ran off, knowing his way home. Embarrassing when the donkey is better at navigation than you are.   

Thanks for your support and send my regards onto the 'old digger', your father-law, very remarkable at 93, hopefully that's me at that age.

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Dear Chris,

Thank you so much for the lovely quilt and the hand written letter.

The colours of the quilt now brighten my room and make me smile every time I see it.

I would have written back sooner, but I have been doing a little travel for work.

Whilst this may sound fun/exciting, it is actually quite arduous, particularly in the current heat.

I am in the Army.  It’s now been about 16 years since I enlisted, which when I think about it is crazy, as most days it doesn’t feel that long.  Then again, on some days I feel every one of those years.  

Well I should probably go and do some work, although I do like to use avoidance as a strategy.  Thank you again for taking the time to make the quilt and write a letter, it is greatly appreciated.  I love bright colours and it breaks up the beige and white within the environment over here.

Kind regards,

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Hi Lynn and Arthur,

I'm writing to thank you for the beautiful quilt you sent me. It has all my favourite things! It is such a lovely thing to receive something that's made with such care just for you. My mum also quilts and I have a quilt that she made me for my 18th that I still cherish. I know the quilt you have made me will stay in my very exclusive collection.

Thank you again and hope you continue enjoying the quilt making. We certainly appreciate it.

Kind regards,

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Hi Jean,

I am writing this quick email to say thank you for the laundry bag I have recently received!  The bag has been expertly finished - and has been very useful for me here at Camp Baird, Minhad Air Base. I love the colours that you included in the design!  I have a fur baby myself waiting at home,  I can't wait to see her again!

I hope you and your family are well!

All the best

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Hi Bridget,

I am writing a quick email to say thank you for the laundry bag I have just received, it's been expertly made and is great for morale for myself as well as the other guys I am deployed with.

I particularly like the personalised letters, and of course the corgi that was included!  Also the lollie bag that was inside was an excellent touch! I have already used it on several occasions, it's been super handy in a big base like this with shared laundries.

I hope your family is well, and thanks again!

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Dear Janeene ,

Thank you very much for the surprise package that you have kindly sent.

The laundry bag will certainly come in handy and what a great job you have done.  The Tim Tams have also been well received and shared with the other boys here.

We are currently deployed on Operation “Mazurka” located in the Sinai desert on the border between Israel and Egypt. The mission is split between two main camps and your package has found us here at the North Camp location.

We are here on a Monitoring and Observer mission and are here for 6 months. It is very hot here at the moment in the 40’s and some days it has crept into the low 50’s. We are all looking forward for the weather to cool down and would enjoy seeing some rain.

Thank you for being involved in the Aussie Hero program and supporting Australian troops. 5762 quilts and 8912 bags is a massive effort and indeed a huge achievement!

I am also from Melbourne. I do miss this time of year at home being able to light the fire, but that will have to wait for next year.

Thank you again for the wonderful laundry bag, the Tim Tams and supporting us while we are overseas.

  

Kind Regards

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Clarrisa, 

I recieved the laundry bag you sent me and am delighted with it. I would like to thank you for the effort you put into the bag and your kind words. The guys in the mess also though your works were very cool. The long times away can be difficult but your contribution has brought some cheer to myself and I would like to thank you again.

Regards

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Good evening Joy,

I hope this finds you well.

I am writing to thank you for your very kind gift of the Quilt. I was extremely happy and moved to receive it and suffice to say, my cabin mates could see how happy I was to have a Swannies themed quilt and the colours also remind me of the 805 SQN checkmate colours ( my father used to fly Skyhawk jets with them).

It is very comforting to me to know that we are thought of as the time away from home and loved ones is not easy to deal with sometimes.

I hope that you are well and I look forward to keeping in touch with you.

Once again, I cannot tell you how much this quilt means to me, and the comfort that I have someone who has taken the time and dedication to finish it.

I look forward to getting home and showing my quilt off in my home ( I think I will frame it on display )

Warmest regards

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Good evening,

I am writing to thankyou for your kind care package, I cannot describe the emotions I felt receiving it but suffice to say - I really was very moved by your gift!

I drew great strength from your quilt and the kind words in your letter.

It came at just the right time as we are moving into another phase of our deployment.

I will treasure your quilt and I intend to place it on my wall as a special memory when I get home to Australia.

Thankyou again and I look forward to staying in contact with you.

Warm regards

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This recipient had to wait patiently for her quilt as her original one was returned to sender just before my house was destroyed.... it was on my dining table, waiting to be re-addresses.  Janis who made the first one also made the second one and it was sent to the recipient at home.

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Hi Janis,

Your beautiful work of art arrived this week, thank you so much for taking the time to make me another one. It was well worth the wait. I love the material and colours you chose. Your interpretation of my request was closer then you knew, the coloured squares remind me of my postings to Cocos Keeling Islands where the ladies of the mothers group taught me to surf, aboriginal art in the Northern Territory and the colourful flowers in Malaysia.

I'm very happy to be home with my husband and children, it's nice to be surrounded by family again. We've spent a lot of time swapping stories and photos since I've returned. But then you know how busy families can be, congratulations on becoming a grandmother for the third time.    

Thank you again for your special gift.

Kind Regards,

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That's all for this week. 

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

Jan-Maree xxx