Grati-Tuesday 14 March 17

Hi all, 

I hope those of you who are in the Sydney/NSW region survived the weather today.  This is one of those days I was happy to be able to enjoy the weather from INSIDE looking through my windows. 

Tonight might be a good night to grab a cuppa and enjoy some of these messages.

.....

Hey Robyn,

Thanks for the package! Love the viking theme. You nailed it! 

Still a few months to go, we're all going well

Kind regards

.....

I would like to say a big thank you to Louise Turner from Dolphin quilters for my beautiful quilt and Joan and Robin Cartin for my beautiful laundry bag. Both items are just wonderful and I absolutely love them. They will be treasured forever and a great reminder of my time spent here in Afghanistan.

.....

One by Bridget

.....

Hi Sue,

Thank you so very much for the wonderful laundry bag! I love it. Plus all the goodies inside. Me and my room mate love the air freshener. Smells just like home.

I can't express to you the gratitude i feel for the time you took to make this simple but very special gift.

It really means more than I can say when I am missing my home and family so very much.

Thank you again,

Kindess regards.

P.S. My partner loves the design just as much as I do and we will be using this long after this deployment. I think I will treasure it as a reminder that kindness is invaluable in times like these.

I will never forget this kindness

.....

Dear Sue and Debbie,

Last week I received a laundry bag made by you from a nurse I am deployed with,  Although I did not request a quilt or laundry bag I received one that is gorgeous.  Your thoughtfulness and genuine gift of kindness has been well received and will be a reminder of my time here in Taji.

Thank you so much for the work you do bringing creativity, joy and love to what can be a lonely place far from family and friends, Kindest Regards,

.....

Dear Thelma

Thank you so much for my ‘RAINBOW PATCHES’ Quilt. I absolutely love it .! It has really  brightened my room here & makes me smile daily .   

Your hard work is much appreciated by everyone who receives quilts over here .

Thanks Again

.....

Hi  Thelma

Firstly I would like to thank you so much for the fantastic quilt you made.

I cannot believe when I opened the box and saw just how much effort you had  gone to by making me this gorgeous quilt .

I have to tell you the ‘YELLOW SUBMARINE’   has definitely made a permanent home and is keeping me nice and  warn at night not only that but my room is now so much brighter and welcoming and all thanks to you .

It is amazing the all the  hard work and effort you have put into making these quilts & laundry bags .Not only for me but for all service men and women. I hope you do realise just how special you are, and we all cannot thank you enough for this special treasure.

The Aussie Hero Quilts are making life just that little bit more bearable & everyone that is associated with the quilt  making is doing a magnificent job – well done !!!

I have been in the  Navy & Submarines for almost  25 years now  and  this is my first  land base deployment.  It has been a very rewarding experience  because of the fantastic  people  I have got to know and the amazing support and encouragement we have all received from great Aussies  like you .

I can tell you – what you are  doing for  us  all over here is making a real difference  and the excitement  everyone has to see the amazing quilts when the parcel  arrives is really great to see.

We all gather around and  ooh & arrh as they are just so great.  I don’t have to long now & I’m missing my family something terrible but I get to go home to my family & the greatest country on earth.  Really looking forward to a BBQ, a coldie.

Thank you again for everything , I wish you and your family all the best for 2017 and  hope all your wishes come true

Yours Sincerely

..... 

Good morning.

I was just wishing to thank you personally for my laundry bag.

I am actually serving with the Royal Air Force from the UK, however, I have helped the Australians here with their aircraft, as well as loading/unloading their mail in our aircraft.

In return as a thank you, I was gifted a lovely laundry bag, and inside I found a note from yourself.

I just wanted to express my gratitude to you as I’m sure you’re aware, with your daughter having served, the little things like this do help in passing the time.

Well, anyway, again, thank you very much, the note was a very nice personal touch, which I have already sent a picture of, to my mum and brother back in the UK to show them.

I hope you are well and continue to produce such lovely fabrics.

Enjoy your day whatever you may be doing!! 

Regards,

.....

Hi Jenny

I received your package yesterday with the  laundry bag I ordered along with your letter & some other little extras. They are a very welcome addition & not at all expected. The Tim Tams give me a lot of bargaining power here as they are the preferred currency when trying to get little favours done to make our time away from home a bit more bearable.

I fully understand your dilemma with regard to football club allegiances. My son & I are very much in the Roosters Camp whilst my daughter is an ardent Bulldogs fan and my wife just isn’t interested. However her two brothers are die hard West’s Tigers fans also & we have had many robust discussion over a beer or two watching TV or even attending a match.

I would like to say a big thank you to you for the laundry bag. I know from your letter you are a very busy mum so for you to find the time to make the bag for me is very much appreciated. Please also pass on my thanks to your husband & two boys for sacrificing family time so you can make this WOFF feel a bit better every time I look at the bag.

Kindest regards

.....

Dear Carol B

Just a quick message to say thank you so much for the quilt. Was a great surprise to receive an unexpected package this evening.

Would also like to thank everyone at Aussie Hero Quilts for everything you do and all the support.

.....

Hi Bridget,

I am now the very happy owner of a beautiful piece of craft. The construction plant is very fitting and it looks great! 

Over here I work with a works supervisor to deliver infrastructure projects. Our biggest job is replacing part of the aircraft parking apron which is severely degraded. It is a challenging job but very rewarding to see the end product.

It means a lot to me and to everyone over here who have been fortunate enough to receive a quilt. We are all grateful for your time, effort, skill and thought that you have put into this.

Thank you very much, all the best to you and good luck to your son and daughter with their endeavours. I'm sure you are very proud of them and rightly so!

Kind regards,

.....

Dear Rosemary, thanks very much for the laundry bag and beanie, they will both come in handy.

I probably won’t be using to beanie straight away though, as I hear it is 40-50 degrees in the middle east!

Thankyou,

Regards, 

.....

G'day Joan and Robin

Thank you so much for my laundry bag, 

It's highly appreciated and you nailed it with the plane theme, it's awesome! What you do for the troops in nothing short of a miracle and it puts a smile on everybody's face when they arrive in the mail. 

I sent a photo to my wife and she loved it! Just a little about myself, I'm a member of the RAAF and employed as a Aircraft Technician on the F18 Hornet aircraft. We currently are serving in the Middle East doing our part against the war on terror. 

I have a gorgeous wife and 4 beautiful children back home whom I miss dearly. The support they give me is amazing as they are doing it tough as well being a full time mum and a full time worker. 

Once again thank you so much for your efforts 

.....

Dear Joan and Robin,

I had a wonderful surprise today.  The wonderful laundry bag that you made me arrived in the post.  It was so timely, as I have just been working on tomorrows International Womens Day information pack.

Thankyou for so much for making this bag for me, and especially the personalisation is very special. My mum always sends me affirmations like the ones you put on the bag.

I took the bag from my office to dinner in the mess (on my way to my cabin). I showed one of my friends the bag while we were at the dining table when one of the other soldiers walking past stopped. He told me that he had the same material on his laundry bag and was so impressed by all of the hard work.  It surely must have been one of yours!!

This week marks 19 years in the navy for me, but this is my first land campaign and first deployment to the middle east. I have a wonderful husband looking after our three young children at home. I imagine that when I get home one of them will try to snaffle my Laundry Bag!!

I hope your son enjoyed his deployment to the MER, and perhaps our paths may cross in the fleet. 

.....

Hi Pam, 

Thank you very much for the quilt, it's amazing. I really appreciate it. The deployment is going great at the moment, doing plenty of travel to places I've never been. Our cabin on ship is quite compact, but I am more fortunate than some others. There is a total of 6 of us in this cabin, where in many others there are up to 15. 

Again thank you very much, I really love it. 

.....

Joan and Robin,

I just received the laundry bag you created, thank you very much, it is much appreciated and has gone to use straight away.

I must admit I had started to see a few of them around throughout the ship and heard everyone talking about their quilts and laundry bags and was starting to feel left out, then wouldn't you know it, mine shows up in the next mail run ashore.

I do enjoy my motorbikes and have a bit of a passion in restoring them, seeing the old classic bikes on the laundry bag will inspire me to start another project when I get home.

I think the ship is organising a large photo of everyone and there quilts and laundry bags so we (Arunta) will post something up then I'm sure.

Thanks again, you and your Husband do a terrific job.

Regards,
.....

Dear Dianne, Dot and Heather,

What can I say, the quilt was the best gift I have had from anyone in a while, it was fantastic.

You hit the nail on the head with the picture of the VB stubby, I can't stop drooling. Ha ha.

I haven't been duck hunting yet but it is on my to do list.

My Dad used to take me out shooting for rabbits and foxes and, once a year, in October we would go to Jindabyne fishing.

I have been an avid Cats fan from a very young age, thanks to my Grandfather. I'm not sure if he was born in Geelong, but I do know we have family there.

My wife and I have three sons, one a Cats fan, the other two are Bombers fans.

As my father is also a bombers fan we would make the yearly trip to Etihad to watch the Geelong/Bombers game. Guess now we'll have to go to the G to watch that match.

It is hard being away from family, but that's part of the job.

I think it is a very generous thing you ladies do, it's very heart warming, and the sentiment is shared by all those here as well.

Again, thank you very much for the quilt, and may the Cats reign supreme this year.

and a PS

I'm so sorry, I forgot to mention that you found my other weakness, Timtams.

They will be devoured with great delight.

Also thank you for the magazine, it will make for great reading.

Once again, thank you.

....

G'day Jean, 

Thank you for the terrific laundry bag you made for me, I think it turned out great and I've put it to good use. I think it'll stand the test of time for sure. 

We are all very grateful the work you and others have done in making us our laundry bags and quilts. It's quite special to receive it on the ship and show it off to everyone. 

I live about a 30 minutes drive south of Perth and I have just the one fur baby. He's a Dobermann and just a little over three years old. My parents are looking after him while I'm away and I bet they are spoiling him rotten. 

I've been in the Navy for almost 16 years now and look after the weapons systems.  My career started out just after I left school and it's taken me all around Australia and to a lot of places in the world I wouldn't of visited normally. Both of my parents were also in the Navy so I suppose it was my calling. 

I hope you have a great year and enjoy your travels overseas. 

Cheers

.....

Dear Beverly,

Just a quick note to thank you for the most fantastic quilt - it really is something special that I will treasure and definitely be taking home with me!! I cannot describe to you the emotion I felt when I received it in the mail. I wasn't expecting anything like it and hadn't received any mail for a long time. When I opened the box I was moved by how you put so much effort into personalizing my quilt and all the effort contained within - sincerely thank you and it made my day and much more.

I think when I get home I'll 'lend' it to my son, who is three and missing his dad immensely. He has decided that when he grows up he wants to be 'an Army boy' and I know he will wrap himself up in that quilt every night.

Thank you again for my quilt and all that you do to remind us that there are wonderful people back home that appreciate what we do.

All the very best,
.....

Till next time... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx