Grati-Tuesday 20 September

Hi all

I hope this finds you all well.   It has been a busy couple of days with a late night last night, catching up on emails after being out a good portion of the day.  Another WPH ladies working day today so catching up on emails again. 

I have photos to share of yesterday's great day with the Invictus Team but need the time to write up the post. Tomorrow is the day for that.... I promise. 

For now, enjoy these great messages. 

This gorgeous quilt by Sandy and her team arrived today.  The message I received said that he loves it.

Well done ladies

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G’day Kaye, 

I am a current serving member in the Air Force. Tonight I was talking to Jan-Maree from ‘Aussie Hero Quilts’ on Facebook and I am very embarrassed to say I do not think I ever thanked you properly for the time effort and most amazing Laundry Bag and Quilt you made for me. 

Jan-Maree must have the most amazing memory as as soon as I showed her a picture of the quilt she went “Ahh yes Bird’s of prey, eagles and owls” and knew straight away it was your work. I asked her to forward your email address so I could contact you, I hope that’s ok. 

The Laundry Bag and Quilt you made for me that I received early 2016 still goes everywhere with me and since my time on deployment it has traveled to both Malaysia, the USA, as well are all around Australia. As I type the quilt you made is laid on top of my bed always on display in our home. 

I must admit these days I struggle a bit, but I have always struggled with a mix of depression and anxiety since 2007 (I have been deployed on and off since 2003), it’s been a long journey for me but I get by better than others. Words do not describe how much the little things help like that of the quilt and laundry bag you made for me. 

Sorry I am never any good with words and I don’t think I will ever be able to explain how much the effort you went for me means to me, and still does. I guess I just wanted to be able to say thank you. 

Warmest Regards

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Good Evening Raelyne,

        Thank you very much for the time and effort that you put into the Dhobey bag which I received today, I will be putting it to good use whilst we are away. 

I really do like the material, the lighthouses and the beautiful colours. I also particularly liked why you chose the light houses, colours and what it means to you, for me it is very fitting being a sailor so in a lot of ways it has meaning to me also. 

  

I would also like to thank you for your heart warming letter it really did make my day after cooking in the galley all day for 200 + hungry sailors.

Once again thank you very much

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Hi Robyn, 

I have received my Aussie hero quilt and laundry bag you made for me. 

I am in love, thank you very much for them they are amazing!!! 

You are very talented. I appreciate all the time and effort you have put into this for me. 

Thank you for your time and service definitely has made my day! 

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Good Evening Janis,

Let me begin by thanking you for the beautiful quilt and laundry bag. I don’t have the words to express my gratitude. It has been a tough couple of weeks and to receive your package, has lifted my spirits immensely. Every night I come back to my room with a massive smile when I see your quilt, I will think of you and of D. The resemblance is just uncanny. I have attached a picture of my dog D so that you can see for yourself. Furthermore, I will try to get a photo of myself and the quilt and send it you at a later time.  You have no idea how much your love of quilting, in particular the quilt of D has and will continue to brighten my day.

It was so lovely to hear about where you live and your family. Thank you for sharing those personal details with me.  

Once again, thank you for the beautiful quilt.

Would love to hear from you again.

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Joan and Robin, just a quick note to express my admiration of your work on the laundry bags. I have three in a box in my office, just waiting for the next bunch of soldiers, recently arrived, to realise that they really need one.

Looking through them I realised how much thought and imagination you put into them and how magnificent are the results. I make the odd thing myself at home, so know how much hard work goes into producing those results, too. So I’d thought I’d drop you a line in appreciation.

Well done.
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Hi Lisa,

I've got 5 minutes in the office with no-one else around and I've been meaning to send this for about a week (since I received the quilt). I think you hit the nail on the head with the quilt. Love the whole effort that's gone in to it.

I currently work in an office surrounded by coalition personnel. They're a mix of Army, Air Force, public servants and contractors.  When I got the quilt I brought it into the office, as I did with the laundry bag before, and they're jealous. They get sent a lot of stuff from home, including a lot of donations, but it's stuff you buy from the shops, not something that has been hand-crafted to this level. I'm sure I'll get plenty of use from it. It will also go on one of my spare beds at home permanently when I get back.

Please pass on my thanks to Wendy as well for finishing it off.

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😃Hi Pennie,

Thank you so much for the work you put into the most awesome laundry bag (and the bonus treats - yummmm) and the lovely letter. The design is absolutely fantastic, love the design and colours and it made a few here that never asked for one very green with envy.

We here all know and very appreciate the hours you and others put into designing and toiling over the handy work for us whilst working long hours in tough jobs as well, and yes work can interfere with pleasure, better ease up on those hours in ED !! 

The girls and guys here can't wait to show off their bags and quilts when they arrive. Everything stops to read the fantastic letters and for photos sessions to send home to our families to show off our wonderful gifts. The great designs and colours certainly take away blandness of our living spaces. Receiving mail and parcels from home is exciting enough but when we see it's from Aussie Heroes Quilts, well it's fantastic.  Hope you can visualise it because it is so special to us on long deployments away from home. And hope you get to meet some of the recipients of your handy work to realise first hand how much it means to us. 

Well, I've rattled on enough but wanted to again say how fantastic it was to receive your fabulous laundry bag, letter and treats.. we all love choccy over here and do share on the occasion.

Keep up the fabric "habit" as your work is very much loved and appreciated by all here. Please also pass on our appreciation and thanks to all and any of the other Aussie Heroes Quilt people you speak to or communicate with.

Kind Regards (from the sandpit),

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Hello Ruth,

I would like to express my sincere thankyou for the laundry bag that you made and sent over. I appreciate the time and effort that you have put into making something that provides me with a sense of home and comfort. It has already been put to good use and it gets a few envious looks from other Coalition forces that have no idea about AFL and because they admire the handywork.

Please pass on my thanks to your son-in-law who supplied the knick knacks and logos to make it look so good.

Once again thankyou for your wonderful gift and please know that your efforts (and those of Aussie Quilts) are greatly appreciated by all members throughout the world on deployment.
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Hello Sue, 

I recently received my Quilt and goodies and was overwhelmed by the detail and effort put into it. It is absolutely beautiful. I actually had some tears in my eyes when I opened the parcel (in a good way) because it honestly means so much to me. I cannot thank you enough a I have always wanted a patch quilt to pass down to my children (when i have some) and it could't have been given to me in a more meaningful way.  I let my friend borrow it the other day has she has been having some bad dreams (DREAM CATCHERS) and it seems to have cleared them right up.
The girls and I are are astounded that you made each of the Dream Catchers from scratch, it would have taken ages!!! Wow!! So much talent =)

I really liked getting to hear your story too, Your spoilt cats are very lucky to have such a kind owner and your 3 adult children would also be very blessed.

When the other girls in my mess receive their quilts we are going to take some photos and send them back to you kind souls. So you can see how much we love them.

Thanks so much =) 

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Hello Pennie,

You recently sent me an awesome laundry bag :)

It arrived at the perfect time! The guy I work was on leave and as you might imagine the office was a bit quiet, making it the perfect time to have the pick-me up :). 

The laundry bag is absolutely amazing. my workmate and I have each been watching Twin Peaks recently (Season 3 for me, Season 1 for him). Similarly we were also holding Game of Thrones viewing parties, although a few people (like yourself) hadn't seen it. The tapestry is particularly cool. It's a fairly long read, so I'll definitely need to spend some more time digesting it.

I'm not surprised that your work is getting displayed at the dinner, especially if the laundry bag is any indication! 

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Hello Diann!

I would like to thank you very much for the hard work you have put in making the laundry bag that I have received. I assure you it will be put to good use and is appreciated very much! There is nothing like having something homemade with you on a deployment to give you that little bit of extra comfort.

I am a seaman communicator currently serving on an Armidale class patrol boat based in Darwin. With the support of my partner I enlisted in October 2015 and this is my first ship I have been posted to since finishing my basic training. So far it has been very exciting and nerve racking at the same time, but it is good to be able to finally put all the things I have learnt in basic training together to be able to competently do my job and serve our country.

Thank you again for your lovely gesture it is greatly appreciated! 

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Good Evening Sue,

Firstly, thank you for the exceptional washing bag, it is just awesome and I am very grateful. Thank you.

I am in the Air Force as a medic but deployed with the Army at the moment. 

I am enjoying myself. As I said, I am a medic but on this trip I am doing the role of ward master which is all about tracking statistics and patients who need more advanced treatment or assessment than we can provide. I am about halfway through  my trip. 

I am happy here but I do miss my friends and family. I am also sick of wearing my hair up and putting boots on everyday but if those are the worst of my worries I really can't complain. 

Hope to hear from you again,

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Hello Clarissa,

Firstly I would like to say how appreciative I am for the amazing laundry bag, lollies and toiletries that arrived earlier last week.  I found the letter that came with the gift to be absolutely perfect.

I think the foundation/community that has been created is such an amazing service that is provided for serving personnel.  I truly can’t thank you enough for my amazing gift and I will forever treasure this.

I would like to thank you for spending endless hours creating this beautiful artwork that now has a home in my room and reminds me of how great people are in our Country.

I really would like to thank your community again for making these gifts and to let them know that they are appreciated for the work that they do in order to put a smile on a soldier’s face.

I have been serving in the Military for over 13 years, and this is my first deployment.  I was originally a medic before I transferred over to Nursing Corps.  I love serving my Country and I feel so overwhelmed with the support from everyone back home.

I have been posted to Sydney for most of my career and this is my first time being posted back home to Brisbane.  Although I feel like Sydney has been more of a home for me, it is nice to be closer to family this past 12 months.

I would really like to try and get my Mother involved in this organisation when I get home and even myself.

Thank you once again for your amazingly kind gestures and gifts to all of our Defence members.

Keep up the amazing work!!

Kind regards,
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Irene,

I have received the beautiful quilt that you made for me. It is such a stunning piece of work thank you so much. When I heard about Aussie Hero Quilts I was especially moved as I have many very special quilts in my home made by my mother for my family, so I know first hand the love and dedication that goes into making quilts.

I have been away from home for a few months now and have another few months to go, so receiving your gift came at a good time in my deployment as it is really starting to get a bit tiring, so knowing that someone in Australia appreciates the work we are doing so much to spend days creating such a beautiful gift for a complete stranger is a great boost.

It is a lot like central Australia here with similar colours and not a lot of green but I find it starkly beautiful particularly in the early morning with desert sunrises. There are some opportunities to go for quiet walks where we are and I have often seen lizards and mice, no snakes so far but I have seen their tracks in the sand so I know they are around. Now that the weather is cooling off there may be more activity out and about.

As I mentioned my mother is a quilter and I believe that you know each other.  I rang her today as I thought that you may know each other given Toowoomba is a fairly small city and mum and dad have been there for over 20 years since leaving the farm. So an amazing thing for you to sent a Quilt to the son of someone you know.  Thankyou again so much and thanks for the Tim Tams, always appreciated in the office.

I Hope this letter finds you well and is some way expresses my gratitude for the love and effort that you put into my Quilt. Thanks again and we may well be able to meet when I am next visiting my parents in Toowoomba.

My Thanks always

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Hello Kaye,

I was lucky enough to be in recipient of a wonderful laundry bag that you have masterfully pieced together.
I have now been on HMAS Darwin for the last 3 years, and have loved (almost) every minute of it. There have been some ups and downs in that time, but it is certainly going to be strange when I finally step off the ship for the last time.
Last year when we were on the way to the middle east for our very sucessful deployment, I was also very happy to recieve a wonderful quilt from the lovely people at Aussie Hero Quilts, and still use it every night when I'm tucked in at home.
I have already used your laundry bag, and will continue to do so. It is a great reminder of home, and I especially love the vast variety of aussie animals that give me the warm and fuzzies. 

I also thank you for the post card. I myself am 26 and from Victoria, have 4 brothers,  just to the West of melbourne. The postcard you sent me is of Portland, which I'm going to assume is where you live. I have visited Portland many times, and my brothers and father have been on multiple fishing trips, catching plenty of fish down that way. They just seem to be bigger and better down there.  Such a lovely place to visit, and I may even come down next  Easter, depending on my schedule. 

At any rate, I would like to thank you for all that hard work that youve put in, you have no idea how good it feels to recieve something from a complete stranger when you are away from home. I know I wont be speaking just for myself when I say thank you

Kind regards,
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Dear Joan

Your laundry bag arrived today and I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. However you managed to find such perfect cupcake themed fabric I’ll never know.

It is a gorgeous bag and it almost seems a pity to put laundry in it, I might have to hang it on the wall instead.

I am thinking once I have a kitchen again I will have to try and replicate some of those fabric decorations in cake form.

Thank you again and kind regards

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Hello Jean

What a wonderful surprise and delight your gift is! Sorry I haven't had the opportunity to write to you earlier.

I am so impressed with your laundry bag...and so is everyone else. It is obvious your take pride in your work as demonstrated by the attention  to detail and the originality of your patterns, design and colours. Everyone is very impressed with the Australiana theme - its prefect!

 Your laundry bag has already been christened. It is a wonderful thing that you have done...and do!  It is very much appreciate by those of us lucky enough to receive these gifts and I can attest that your work is very much appreciated by all. In fact, after I was showing your work off, a number of other Officers decided they also need one.

I also live in the north of the state, but a bit south- west of you -Tamworth. We would certainty appreciate a coastal breeze as we are in our third month of temperatures in the high forties and sometimes fifties.

You girls do extraordinary work- its a great morale booster not to mention receiving a lifetime gift from country person  who appreciate our efforts and care for us. 
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Good Afternoon Debbie C,

Firstly, thank you from the bottom of my heart for your gift of a fantastic laundry bag, it absolutely did brighten my day, and I will cherish it. You and the team at Aussie Hero Quilts really do a wonderful job of showing us men and women who serve that people care about what we are doing here and the time we sacrifice is appreciated. I love the design and it goes perfectly with my obsession for motorcycles. Thank you also for your background story, I will think about you and your efforts every time I see the laundry bag.

Your work with Aussie Hero Quilts is exceptional and I just received a quilt in addition to my bag to which I am so grateful. The quilts and bags that you and others craft for us, and the effort that is clear in the quality of them shows the good in everyday Australians, and a sense of a wider Aussie community spirit that we all really appreciate. We proudly carry these laundry bags around and have the quilts on our beds to remind ourselves and others that are passing by WHY we do this. We do it for the people of Australia. Thanks for the motivation top up.

Thank you kindly, keep up the good work, I appreciate it more than you will know.

Kind Regards,

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Hi Ladies,

            Just a brief note to thank you for your amazing laundry bag you were so kind to make and donate via Aussie Heroes Quilts.

You will be glad to know it is now full of smelly socks – such a shame considering the vibrant colours. It is a lovely piece of Art in its own right.

My family are very envious and my son has demanded he has second dibs when I have finished with it.

As a Sydneysider I would not normally converse with Geelong Cats fans (I presume you are) the week after a humiliation – however, I’m willing to drop the partisan approach on this occasion and wish you all the best on Friday… you may need it against Adelaide!

Once again thanks for the laundry bag and more importantly your support for the Defence Force.

Regards

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Hi Caroline,

How are you?  I hope you and your family are well.  First of all, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to make a quilt, not only for myself, but for all of the other recipients that you have made quilts for.  I did have a good chuckle reading your letter; I loved the Melbourne v North Melbourne banter.  I hope it wasn’t too painful making a quilt in North Melbourne colours.  You must have cheered nice and hard today, as we beat the Lions.

Thank you for the lollies, they were perfect and I shared them around the office with my other 4 colleagues.  We essentially coordinate and control the movement of personnel and cargo around the operational area and back to Australia.  We have a team of young men and women spread over a number of different countries, providing the Movement Control support to the Aussie men and women who are deployed to each respective area.  It is a rewarding job, one which we take much pride in to provide the required level of support to achieve the mission.

Thanks again,

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Christine,
                  Thank you so much for the Quilt and Laundry Bag, as well as the treats.  Both the quilt and laundry bag are beautiful and it sits proudly on my bunk in the Mess. I live in  This year will be 23 years in the RAN, I grew up on a Dairy Farm in land of Cairns. At 16 decided to give up the rolling green hills for the rolling ocean.

I appreciate the effort it would of taken for the quilt an laundry bag again thank you so much.

Yours Aye

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Hello,

I am the receiver of your lovely laundry bag, I just want to personally thank you for what you have done and shared, your work alongside Aussie Heros is well respected and grateful, especially on board whilst being deployed when people are feeling down or even lost. You remind us of why we do this, it really is a heartwarming thing to receive knowing that people that have never met you are thinking of you, so thank you again.

You told a little bit about yourself so i shall do the same, I am a 21 yr old Able Seaman chef who joined the navy just after turning 18 and leaving High school, I have been on board Darwin for the past 2yrs along with their most recent Gulf deployment, before that I was a part of the decommissioning crew of HMAS Tobruk. 

Thank you once again for everything yourself and Aussie Heros have done.

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

Jan-Maree xx