Grati-Tuesday 20 September 16

More great messages this week. I guess it means that the guys and girls like what we are doing... just as well seeing as we like doing it don't we?

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Good evening Jan-Maree,

My Canberra Raiders Aussie Hero Quilt has arrived to the Middle East safe and sound (please see attached photo).

I am over the moon, it is absolutely perfect, I couldn't have asked for a better quilt! I really appreciate the time, effort and workmanship that has been put in and I look forward to using my quilt for years to come.

Thank you very much,

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Dear Ms. Prue,

Thankyou so so much for the laundry bag!😊😊😊

I've been meaning to thankyou for a while now, I just haven't had the time in doing so. It brought me great joy when I received the package ( I got it exactly on my birthday too, how did you know ?!?)

😊😊😊 

Thankyou again for your thoughts and offcourse the lovely laundry bag , it means a lot! 😊😊😊 

Take care and sincere regards, 

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Dear Joan

I am writing a short note to thank you both for the lovely washing bag that you  made and sent to me. I feel honoured and humbled that someone would take the time to think about me.

I really appreciate the work you do and I know that my soldiers feel the same. I am sure you will receive several other thank you letters like this from them.

I have enclosed a picture as requested to show you that the bag is in use for the intended purpose. 

I would like to thank you once again for the beautiful gift and I hope you both spend many more years making Digger feel appreciated so far away from home.

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I have recently received a laundry bag and quilt from you.

I want to say thank you so much, I absolutely love it.

I love what you all do at Aussie Hero Quilts. It puts a smile on all our faces when we receive them.

I have sent Jan-Maree a photo of me holding up my quilt. I believe she is going to publish it.

A little bit about me. I'm married and my husband is also in the ADF. We have two boys who are 8 and 13 years old. I have been in the ADF for 18 years and this is my 5th deployment.

Once again thank you for your effort, seeing my laundry bag and quilt made my day.

Kind regards

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Joy, Hope this finds you in good health, thank you so much for the wonderful quilt and laundry bag; it was way beyond my expectations. When asked by our Padre if we would like to receive an Aussie Hero quilt, it put my name forward half expecting not to receive one but when it arrived in the post it was such a wonderful surprise, it is something I will cherish for ever. You are doing a superb job and it is great to know that people appreciate our efforts in the job we do and consider us as Heroes. Well I had better get back to work; I will send a photo to you of us all on our return to Australia. Also thank you so much for the socks and the Tim Tams (they went to well with my mess mates over a cup of coffee), this was very generous of you. 

Bye for now and again Thank You

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Hi Carla,

Thank you very much for the quilt, I think you have done a great job and it will be a memento I can take home with me following my deployment which reminds me of the fond memories I have gained over the last several months. I am currently 1 week (countdown is on!!) away from the end of my deployment and am really looking forward to returning to my home to see my girlfriend and dog again.

I think what you are doing for Aussie Heroes Quilts is absolutely wonderful and can tell you that it means a great deal to us over here when we receive a package full of kind words and gifts.  Once again, thank you so much for your kind act. Your story has inspired me and I will cherish the quilt and take it home with fond memories.

All the best.

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Lynn

Firstly thanks so much for my quilt it is amazing and my father would be very jealous. The work you guys do is just amazing and very selfless, you are champions. So throughout my entire service the most amazing thing I have ever received in the mail was your Quilt. I can not thank you enough, just know that you have made me very humbled and extremely proud of my quilt.

Thanks again so very much .....

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Hello Lisa, 

Can I start off by saying how extremely impressed I am with not only the quilt but the fact you had gone out and found a signed picture of Jimmy Barnes himself. I was blown away ... Absolutely blown away. I love Jimmy so much and I love the picture and the quilt. Can’t wait to hang it up in my room and throw the quilt on my bed. So EXCITED. Sorry it’s taken so long to reply I was waiting for the perfect time to write a letter but no time like the present. 1 more week and I’m on my way home. This trip has been amazing and the friendship made will last a lifetime. Now I have my beautiful quilt forever as well. Something that I will cherish and pass on to my family (if and when that happens). Thank you so very much. You are absolutely amazing and love the morale you have spread throughout all defence members ... I see it on a regular occasion

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Dear Robyn,

I received a quilt yesterday, that you had made for me. It was a very generous gift, and the effort that has gone into it was amazing. You have done a great job on it.

Thank you and your family for it, it will something that will be treasured for along time. I plan on handing it down to my children, when the time is right, but for now it will taken pride and place with me for the remainder of my deployment. I have been an Essendon supporter from the moment I was born (so I've been told by my dad, who a mad Essendon supporter) My son, who is two, is starting to follow Essendon as well. Please pass on my thanks to your brother in-law Geoff, sister Bev and any of the other Aussie Hero Quilt and Laundry bags members.

Again thanks and best wishes

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Hello Diann,

Well I really don’t know what to say but thankyou from the bottom of my heart. This is the most amazing gift I have received. The quality and craftsmanship is amazing, I just love it.

It chokes me up to think that there are still so many people like you and AHQ that support us on operations.

The XXXX on the back is just what I wanted just so my brother inlaw who is a shark fan also wont steal it hahaha..

I am a Flight Sergeant in the RAAF with 22 years service, I have served on operations twice here in the Middle east and supported East Timor all those years ago.  I am a NSW country boy from good stock.

It sounds like you like in a slice of paradise with all the farms around you.  I cannot wait to get home and see grass and clear blue skies. The heat is slowly cooling down . We have temps around 65 degrees, yes 65 degrees, that’s with humidity also.. Very oppressive.. but you just have get on with the task ahead. Air Con is a godsend. The temps are near 47 so I will need a jumper soon hahahahah.

We are the luckiest people in the world to have such a beautiful place and like many of my brothers and sisters in arms will fight for it even if that means making the ultimate sacrifice.

Once again Diann thank you you're amazing and you  knocked my socks off 😊

Warmest regards

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Dear Ruth,

Thank you very much for the time and effort that you have put into my Quilt. I am very happy with it and enjoy sleeping under it.

As you said, life over here is very beige, so some colour and detail is very welcome.

Thank you very much for the time and effort that you have put into my Quilt. I am very happy with it and enjoy sleeping under it.

As you said, life over here is very beige, so some colour and detail is very welcome.

I thank you again for your work and time. It does make a real difference to us when we are deployed. Moral lifts when a AHQ arrives.

Thank you,

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Hey Michelle!

I wanted to touch base with you and thankyou so much for my laundry bag that arrived. My favourite colour and what girl does not love opening a tiffany's box?! I like to imagine opening one every time I do my laundry now, escapism is key here in the heat! Keeps you sane when you do not have your loved ones around to lean on.

I wanted to let you know that the work you do is beyond appreciated, that the excitement and joy the laundry bags (and quilts if you decide to make them) bring every time the mail comes in, is something you have to see to believe. The morale of the whole camp is certainly lifted, and everyone enjoys sharing the story about their bag, including, most importantly what ever we know about who made it!

I will always cherish my laundry bag, and remember all the opportunities and experiences I have had abroad. I will also remember the generosity of those back home, because people like you are a God send. Do not ever think what you do is thankless or goes unnoticed.

I have attached a photo for you to enjoy. Thankyou again, words truly cannot express how much this means to me. I hope someone one day does the same for your partner should he be deployed.

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Dear Pennie,

Thank you very much for the laundry bag, It will come in very handy for this deployment and work in general. People won't be able to grab my washing by mistake anymore. I really appreciate your kind words and the effort you put into making my laundry bag, it means a lot that someone back home would do this for us. 

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Dear Sharon

  

Thank you very much for your amazing quilt, I must say it did warm my heart when I opened the package, I had a quiet chuckle to my self, and the adorable little sharks definitely brought a smile to my face. It was actually a very appropriate choice, as when I was little my most favourite fluffy toy was a big blue shark I named Sharky, which subsequently has been enjoyed yet again by my three nieces and two nephews when they stay at their grand parents house along with all my other toys I once enjoyed, so it was quite nostalgic. 

I have spent five months away from Australia now and I have definitely started to feel the disconnection from my home, family, our beautiful country and its beaches. So it was very touching to hear about your family and bring a sense of normality back to life. I read your daughter's letter first which I found very inspiring. She sounds like she’s achieving very well as she looks towards high school. 

Thanks again for your amazing quilt and all the work you put in making them for the guys over here. I intend to have it for years to come; possibly a future son I may have would appreciate the little adorable shark’s like I do. I wish you good luck towards your new job, hopefully you will still get enough spare time to wind down and enjoy the things you like to do. 

All the best wishes 

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Good morning,

I recently received the laundry bag and wanted to let you know my appreciation for devoting your time and effort to support  myself but also to the wider Aussie Heroes network who have supported a significant number of personnel currently deployed on OP OKRA.  It is evident in the quality of the laundry bag the amount of time and pride that you and your husband place into your work and I am already making good use of it so that my clothing does not get misplaced. I particularly enjoyed the comic book theme of Batman and will no doubt have my children trying to acquire it from me when I return back to home. 

It is great to have organisations like Aussie Heroes and people like yourselves who provide support to soldiers deployed overseas, particularly for the younger soldiers to be able to see that there are people outside of their immediate family who are thinking of them and want to assist in making their time away from home easier. Receiving something tangible like the laundry bag will continue to remind the soldiers of the support that exists at home and I have no doubt that many of them will keep utilising the laundry bag when they return to Australia.

Hope this email finds you well and provides a level of thanks to the support that you provide to Australian Soldiers deployed on operations.

Many Thanks

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Hey how are you, 

Thank you for the quilt it is the best you are very talented at making them.

it is the envy of my mate he loves hunting too and wants it. (he is not getting it)

Some of the animals i dream of hunting in America one day. If my wife will let me go.

You sound like a very busy women a nurse, step mum, a mother, and you make quilts we thank you for taking the time to make the quilts

you should be very proud to list these thing's that you do you are a great person. My son  will loves the quilt i think i will lose it when he see's it.

Thank you again you are very kind.

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Another great week.

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

Jan-Maree xx