Grati-Tuesday 13 Dec 16

More great thank you messages to read this week. Hope you enjoy them.

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Hi Katie, first of all, nice to receive your letter and a big THANK YOU....!!!!!.... to you and Lisa for the wonderful laundry bag, sweets, Tim Tams and the Aussie Hero Quilt...my first reaction when opening the boxes were OMG..!!!!! .(sorry Chaplain). 

The quilt and laundry bag are now my favourite possessions here and I have shown everyone what a wonderful job you have done and the kind thoughts you have sent my way. I secretly think there are a few jealous people here wishing they had my quilt. so I'll have to keep an eye on it. 

Yes I'm an avid Melbourne Storm supporter too, love the hat, I will make sure it gets a good run over here. 

Its coincidental receiving the quilt as I have now started re-watching all the James Bond movies in my spare time. 

I miss my wife and three children, immensely.

I have enjoyed being here every day, experiencing new things and meeting some great people across our Defence Force. I think the hardest time will be Christmas Day when I'm here  because my family is used to being together during this special time of the year. So I'll keep myself busy, enjoying the company of my colleagues here, enjoy Christmas day lunch, read a book and perhaps watch a few movies (including Bond re-runs), with my quilt close by of course.!!!! 

The weather has changed here greatly since I first arrived. At first it was uncomfortably hot and sweaty. Now its more like a Brisbane spring - nice, cool mornings, some fog, and beautiful clear days. 

I'm sure the quilt making keeps you fairly busy though for most of the year. To see the look on our troops faces here when they receive their quilt sometimes is priceless, as was mine. 

I hope this letter finds you and your daughter well and you have a memorable and enjoyable Christmas with family and friends. Thanks again to you and Lisa, I really appreciate your time and kind thoughts.   

Take care, and keep smiling too. Proud to serve my country. 

I have included a photo of myself.

Kind Regards,

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G'Day Joy,

I would like to give you huge hug and thank you so very much for the lovely quilt that you sent me with such promptness.

I appreciate the love and support you guys extend to all deployed personnel around the world. It's the little things that make it worthwhile.

My wife and I are expecting a bub in early 2017 and so I'll be definitely using the quilt you sent me to keep the baby warm.

If ever you are coming via XXXXX do contact me and we will be more than happy to accommodate you at our home or at the very least have a cuppa with us.

All the best and keep up the good work!

All our love from the Middle East,

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Dear Maree J,

Thank you so much for the lovely quilt, I only hope that you didn’t have to go to too much trouble to find out about (the mighty) Sunderland AFC!

The quilt now has pride of place in my room, and my son has already told me that he is going to steal it from me on my return to Australia.

I thought I may put in a little about myself, as I am not a typical Australian (but I am a very proud Australian).

I was born and raised in Sunderland in the north-east of England.

As I was growing up, the best prospects for a young lad were the coal mines, followed by the North Sea fishing fleet, followed by the Army. As the government shut down most of the mines while I was still a young teenager, and I didn’t fancy spending my time cold and wet,  I joined the British Army.  Little did I know!

After quite a few years of being cold and wet, I got chatting to a very friendly Aussie officer in Afghanistan in 2002.  He told me that the Aussie Army was open to recruiting experienced soldiers, so I applied and made the switch.  I haven’t looked back since, and I’ve enjoyed every day.

The only real legacy of my pommie roots is my inexplicable love for the Premier League’s perennial underachievers, which I’ve passed on to my son.   I think it helps that Sunderland’s colours are the same as my son’s soccer team, the Wodonga Diamonds.

Thank you once again for the quilt, it will be treasured long after I return to Australia.

Thank you also for the Tim Tams, and for your inspirational letter.

I wish you all the very best in your continued endeavours, and good health, long life and happiness in all that you do.

With kind regards,

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Hi Joan,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag.  It turned out amazing.  Everyone at work seems to be jealous of it.  I am actually scared of using it because I might ruin it.  Once again thank you so much.  Everyone here appreciates Aussie Hero Quilts and Laundry Bags and all the work you do.

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Hi Bridget,

Today I received my stunning quilt that you have made. Saying thank you really doesn't seem enough. I love the bright colours and beach theme. It will take pride of place on my bed each night.

My family all love the beach so the quilt is perfect.

Anyway thank you once again for all your time and effort and please know that it is really appreciated and we all love receiving the quilts from Aussie Quilt Hero's 

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Hi Janet,

Apologies this has take so long for me to reply.

Thank you so much for the quilt, it is beautiful and I know my daughters will love it.

I have been deployed for 12 months working with the United Nations. 12 months is a long time away, but I know the girls will be able to use this blanket form many years and will be able to trigger many conversations about my time away and what I did whilst I was away.

Thank you for all that you do to support us, it is definitely appreciated.

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Good afternoon Ellen,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for the quilt you so kindly made me.

I am currently serving on deployment.  I am very much looking forward to coming home. I have been serving for 21 years. 

I to have 3 children who I miss dearly.  I can't wait to see them. 

Receiving your quilt today has made my day, it is just wonderful to know that you spent your own time dedicating it to someone you didn't know.  It has made me feel wonderful.  I hope to pay it forward and make someone else's day bright thanks to you.

Take care and feel free to keep in touch.

Warm regards,

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Hi Joan & Robin,

                   I do apologise for the lateness in my reply as I had received a laundry bag which was sewn by you and have been meaning to email you. Thank you for the hard work that you have done in sewing the laundry bag which I think is great. The embroidered initials add that extra touch.

Regards,

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Good morning Sue,

This week I received in the mail the wonderful laundry bag that you made. It is great and will certainly get a lot of use. Thank you so much for making the time to sew it all together for me. Thanks also for the little goodies that accompanied the bag, the tim tams got some very envious eyes and my colleagues at work absolutely loved them. I am also giving the crossword book a good nudge to help with passing the time.

Working with the UN is fascinating and frustrating. I share an office with about 12 different nationalities. This makes it a very interesting work environment as you really have to be aware of the different cultures and work ethics/expectations. I also get a chance to interact with some of the local South Sudanese people. One of the things we  do regularly is interact with one of the local orphanages. This is the most rewarding experience, but also tinged with sadness as the country really is struggling and needs all the help it can get. It is difficult seeing the conditions that the majority of people live in, but the amazing thing is the big smiles and warm nature that most of them share. This is despite the hardships they face.

Once again, thanks very much for the laundry bag and other items. It is hard to describe how much these actions by people such as yourself mean to all of us when deployed. It gives a really great buzz of excitement and helps us to know that there are a lot of people back home who do think of us.

Regards,

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Hi Jean,

Today I received this beautiful laundry bag from you, and I just wanted to let you know how much it means to me. It feels like a piece of home and I love it. Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into making these laundry bags and quilts for our servicemen and women - you truly have a kind heart and know that we very much appreciate you. 

Thank you again for the laundry bag, it truly does mean more than you know. 

Take care and it was a pleasure to meet you.

Best wishes,

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Dear Pennie,

I hope this email finds you happy and well. 

Thank you so much for putting in so much effort and research - it is perfect and I absolutely love it, it is very much appreciated!!

Receiving your quilt and laundry bag with some extra goodies has absolutely made my day and brought a well needed smile to my face. You have no idea how much your hard work and gesture has meant to me. 

All the quilters do such an amazing job, I am so happy to have received a quilt. Know that is now on my bed, it will be very loved and looked after. 

Thank you again, 

I hope you are well and please keep quilting as you are amazing at it. You will be making so many people over here happy!

Much love and appreciation, 

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Dear Jan-Maree and friends, 

I just wanted to write a quick email to say thank you for all the amazing hard work, effort and talent you put into making quilts for us. You have no idea how much they mean to the soldiers here, the excitement as we open out packages and see the amazing creations that a stranger has made for us. It truly is a touching experience.

My quilt was made for me by Pennie, who is an emergency nurse. She put in so much effort researching for my quilt and creating an amazing gift. It meant the world to receive her quilt and brought a much needed smile to my face. 

I just want you all to know, you are amazing and thank you ☺️ 

Much Love, 

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Good Evening Jan-Maree and Lisa,

Just a quick email to say thank you very much for your wonderful efforts in organising and making the Aussie Hero Quilt for me.

I went home on the weekend and the Quilt and other wonderful items were waiting for me. 

I was truly overwhelmed with the detail, colours, patterns and quality of the quilt, it brings a smile to my face every time I see it. Your did an amazing and fantastic job with the quilt Lisa - you should be extremely proud of your efforts and if it was possible for me to give you a big hug right now I would.

I am happy for the attached photo to be placed on your webpage/facebook page etc as an example of the amount of thought and devotion that goes into each piece of 'artwork' produced by AHQ.

I wish you all the best for Christmas and New Year, hopefully you will have a wonderful time with family and friends.

Kindest Regards

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Hey, Jess,

Just writing to you in response to the amazing Halo themed quilt that I received today. I just want to say that I sincerely appreciate the effort and time that you have given up to create something that has really brightened up this trip for me. It was such a pleasant surprise and the hand-written note was also very sweet. First thing I did was post a photo of it all to my instagram account.

Thank you for the kind words. Being reminded of the good people we have back home makes this all worth it just to get back to you all. So, thank you again. 

I hope you're all staying safe. 

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Hello Steve Jenny and Family 

Just a quick letter to say a very big thank you for the absolutely fantastic Kombi Laundry bag. The design and workmanship certainly exceeded all my expectations as I was expecting, and would have been happy with Kombi printed material. My partner, 12 year old son, and I all absolutely love the laundry bag – it is soooooo cool!!! We will certainly use it when we go camping in our Cub Camper, which is usually 2-3 times a year. I requested Kombi design as I would love to own an old Kombi and use it to tow the Cub for short distance camping activities (3 hours or so drive).  I will hopefully buy a 60’s model Split Screen Kombi when I ‘retire’ in a couple of years☺

I know from when I was on recent deployment that all the personnel are extremely happy with the laundry bags and quilts that all the 'Quilters' produce, they are all true works of art.  It is  very clear everyone puts a lot of love and pride into their work and I believe there is mutual respect between the ADF personnel and the Aussie Hero Quilt Ladies as it is a way you all also provide a service to our military personnel .  The morale the supply of the quilts or laundry bags provides to the personnel certainly cannot be underestimated.

All the best to you and your family for the Christmas and I  hope you have a fantastic New Year. Thank you once again for the amazing Kombi Laundry bag, it will be a treasured item for some time.

Kind regards and warm wishes
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Dear Lorraine,

I’d like to thank you for the wonderful quilt you made for me.

I really appreciate your time and effort that you have put into making it for me.

It means a lot to me that you made this for me, and I know that everyone else over here really appreciates the quilts they too have received from special people just like yourself.

I wish you a very Happy Christmas and hope the New Year brings you and your family all the very best.

Thank you once again, 

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Thank you so much for making the laundry bag for me. I am guessing you must make several? I received one with blue, green, white and purple flowers which is perfect as it reminds me of the sheets at my grandma's house when I was a little girl. I can tell you it will get much use as I seem to endlessly be doing washing - uniforms, uniforms uniforms and the heat keeps the washing pile supplied! I am looking forward to getting home to family, friends & the comforts of home. I really appreciate the effort and time in making this gift. It is very nice to know people are thinking of us over here. It has put a smile on my face and it is really heart warming. 

Best wishes and thank you once again.

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I have received the Quilt safe and sound. Thank you for all the time and effort that was put into it. I'm over the moon on how it looks.

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

Jan-Maree  xx

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