Grati-Tuesday 31 Jan 17

Hi All,

Well tomorrrow I am off to Adelaide for two nights so will be on the "road" for three days effectively.  I am looking forward to catching up with quilters and recipients at dinner on Wednesday night and Thursday night.  I am also looking forward to visiting 7RAR on Thursday.  It might mean I am a bit slower answering emails.  Please bear with me. 

For tonight, enjoy the great messages we have received this week. 

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Good Afternoon Joy

It is with great pleasure that I am writing to inform you that I received your wonderful quilt and laundry bag. It gave me such joy to receive such an amazing package. The quilt is amazing and I absolutely love it! Thank you so much.

Your children and grandkids are very lucky to have someone who makes them such wonderful garments. I have shown the blanket to all my work colleagues who have been very impressed by the quality and detail of your work.

The quilt has not only brought me some much needed joy, but a slice of home which will keep me going for the rest of the deployment. I will cherish this blanket and continue to use it on my upcoming rotations. The work you have done is outstanding and we all look forward to seeing more of your magnificent quilts.

Thank you so much for all your efforts and contributions.

Kind regards,

Ps. I took the blanket for a trip on one of our flights (the crew loved it!). 

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Dear Janis,

Thank you for your kind support to Aussie Heros and making a laundry bag of the highest quality. I have many members here in the headquarters where your laundry bag has been a talking point - They all want one now.

I think it wonderful that your family is growing as there is nothing more important in life than family and health.

I hope you had a very merry Christmas, happy New Year and that you have a fantastic Australia Day.

From all of us here in the Middle East Area of Operations, thank you for your kind support.

Ps. Apologies that a return email took so long, there has been a delay in the mail getting to members in the Middle East.

Kind Regards, 

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Hi Bev & Geoff,

I hope you have had a great Australia Day with plenty of good food, drink and entertainment.

Thank you both so much for the fantastic quilt you made for me; the day it arrived was the coldest day of winter so far, and I have slept under it for the last 3 days since it arrived.

Our Australia Day has been a fairly quiet day so far. Later on this afternoon we will be having a  work barbecue and sporty, with maybe a beer or two to celebrate the day.

Our work here is very busy but rewarding, and we are all still of the opinion that we are helping to make a difference, having said that, I am looking forward to getting home.  This is my third deployment to the Middle East with the Australian Air Force, having previously served 20 years with the UK RAF.

Thank you so much again for the quilt, and I know my crew and work mates really appreciate the support from people back in Australia.

Regards

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Hi Jan-Maree,

I am very excited to report that my beautiful Aussie  Hero Quilt and Laundry bag arrived yesterday, on Australia Day.

The quilter, Susan P has done an amazing job!!! The Australian desert scene is absolutely stunning!!!

I also received a lovely letter from Susan which I will reply to (via snail mail) in the very near future. 

Thanks again for the incredibly generous work you and your team do to keep us going over here. It really makes a big difference.

Kind regards,

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Good Afternoon Julie-Ann

Today I received the laundry bag you kindly made for me. I would like to say thank-you for the kind words and treats you sent along with it, the kind gesture is greatly appreciated from all of us here.

Thanks,

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Hi Clarissa

Just wanted to say thanks for my laundry bag. We received them coming home from deployment. It is good to have some colour in my cabin apart from the blue and grey of navy gear.

When not at sea I live near Rockingham WA and my wife and dog live in our house in Tasmania which is where I spend my leave (which is like gold to me). I am into cycling as well and like doing triathlons where I can. Being on a submarine makes this difficult but I know it is something I will get back to in the future.

I wish you and your family health and happiness. All the best with your sewing.

Kind regards

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Dear Lyn,

You made a beautiful quilt for my husband who is currently deployed overseas.  

I wanted to email you to say thank you.  The quilt and laundry bag are absolutely beautiful.  I know that he has been enjoying having the quilt on his bed. It was such a surprise when he sent me the photos and a copy of your letter.  The time that you have spend creating something so wonderful for someone you don't know is amazing.  It meant the world to both J and myself.  I happened to be with my grandparents at my Mum's when he sent the photos through and we all ended up in tears.  It touched us all so much.   Christmas is definitely a little bit harder when a member of the family is deployed but knowing that there are people out there thinking about and appreciating our Defence members makes it all a little easier.

Again, I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for your thoughtfulness.  It truly means so much and the world is a better place for having people like you in it.

I hope that 2017 brings you and your family love, joy, peace and happiness.

Kind regards

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Hi Su,

I am currently serving in the Middle East with the RAAF and received a laundry bag that you made. I found your note and wanted to email to say Thank you very much, I have already put it to good use. The Kuranda Tropical North Queensland print on it is fantastic, and a daily reminder of home.

Many thanks again and best wishes to you and your family,

Very respectfully,

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Good morning Sandy

I am an Able Seaman in the royal Australian Navy, and I want you to know how sorry I am for how long it took me to thank you and your son Trevor for the amazing laundry bag I received during my deployment the first half of this year. 

The deployment was a long and hard 7 months and the support and generosity that people like yourselves show us means so much. It is comforting to know that people, other than our immediate family, care for and appreciate what we were doing. I've spent most of my life in Newcastle NSW and joined the Navy when I was 19. Since then I’ve seen a lot of the world but nothing compares to this amazing country we live in. I hope that you and your son continue making laundry bags and quilts for Aussies deployed overseas as I know from experience the joy and pride they bring us for serving our country. I wish you and your son all the best and again thank you for the amazing laundry bag I received it is something I will hold onto and cherish forever. 

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Hey Bev F,

I recently received the quilt and laundry bag you made me. I would like to say the biggest thank-you for both. They are absolutely amazing and exactly what I wanted ! It bought the biggest smile to my face when I received the package! Thanks for all you hard efforts I can tell you it's greatly appreciated !

Many thanks, 

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Dear Jo,

I received your AHQ Quilt this week and wanted to write you and say a very warm thank you for taking the time to make it for me. The colours look really sharp and together with the laundry bag I have also received, really add some character to my room! It's a great support initiative for troops serving overseas and has been one of the most pleasant surprises to my time spent on deployment thus far. Thank you as well for the letter, what a small world!

Thank you once again for making such a lovely quilt.

Kind regards,

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Dear Lisa N 

I have just received the quilt that you made for me.  It is one of the most thoughtful and fabulous gifts that I have ever received. You are such a talented woman Lisa. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I am now nearing the end of my six month deployment here. I am so fortunate to have been given this wonderful opportunity to represent our wonderful country and I am longing to see an Aussie blue sky again.

Once again, I want to sincerely thank you for the gorgeous, amazing, fantastic quilt. 

I can not thank you enough Lisa. You will be forever in my heart. All my love to you and your family. Forever your friend,

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Good afternoon Susan,

I am the lucky recipient of the incredible Aussie Hero Quilt and Laundry Bag you lovingly created for me.

I will send you a thank you card, but just couldn't stand the thought of you having to wait up to 6 weeks for my card to arrive without receiving any gratitude from me.

The Quilt you created is absolutely beautiful. The Australian flora and fauna scene is a wonderful depiction of the country I know and love. 

Take care and God Bless. 

Kind regards, 

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

Jan-Maree 

xx