Our third Special Project .... Laundry Bags for our Awesome Invictus Games Team....

AT LAST I can reveal our third special project... in the last three months or so I have had almost 300 laundry bags arrive in our PO Box... as well as all our other mail. 

You know about the ADV Cape Inscription Laundry Bags and then the HMAS Darwin Laundry bags... but now I can finally tell you about our very special, highly personalised Invictus Games Laundry Bags. 

Back in January I received a call and received a request for Aussie Heroes to be involved with the Invictus Team for this year.... and wait for it... for next year as well.. but more on that later....

So, this year's commitment would be making laundry bags for each individual competitor on the team, all 43 of them.   What a privilege to be asked and to be given the exclusive rights to do this for such a special group of Aussie veterans. 

Naturally the awesome AHQ volunteers rose to the challenge. I had to email 43 of them and ask if they would like to be involved as I could not put this on the blog or Facebook. It all had to be done quietly in order to make this a surprise. 

It took a lot of coordination.  First Cheri in Tassie embroidered a sample of the TEAM AUSTRALIA patch. Once I had approved the sample I purchased the black fabric, and the Aussie flag fabric and we started making kits.   The Canadian flag fabric had been purchased in Canada within 24 hours of us receiving the request and it was shipped to us in Oz within 24 hours. Helps to have a quilter with Canadian origins... thanks Donna J.

Once Cheri received the black fabric she started embroidering 50 (yes FIFTY) of the special panels. We needed to have some spares ... just in case.

Eventually kits were sent off to each quilter.   I included the profile about each athlete which was published on the Defence Website.   It was important that the TEAM SIDE of the bags be identical and I am so delighted with how the bags turned out. 

Next came the personal side.  Each bag has a personalised label like this one.

And the rest was up to the volunteers to personalise as much as they could featuring the sports each individual was competing in and any other information that we had about the individual.  Some of the volunteers had a ball researching their recipient.

I can tell you that the volunteers who participated in this project considered it a privilege and took great pride in creating their bag.

Take a few minutes and enjoy checking them all out and make sure you read all the way down to the bottom for our announcement about next year. 

Alison

Ally 

Bev C 

Cath W 

Cathie J 

Deb S

Debbie N 

 Di G and Jeanette

Di R 

Donna J 

Fiona 

Fran T 

Helen C and Marg C 

Janeene

Janet 

Jean 

Jen S 

Jess T

Jo HS

Joan 

Joanne H and Margaret A 

Joy H 

Julie Ann

Kate K 

Katie L 

 Kaye G and Di T 

Keryn 

Lisa K 

Lisa N 

Liz J and Raeleen W 

Lydia McK

Lynn and Wendy

Maree W 

Nicole W and Caroline L 

Pennie 

Rachel and Helen W 

Rita M 

Ruth S 

Sandra C 

Sharon N 

Su J 

Sue N

What did I tell you ... a great selection of awesome bags. 

More photos of the presentation and so on to follow in another post once I get them all collated. 

But now for the plans for next year.

We have also been asked to provide not only laundry bags for the 2018 team.. but also QUILTS for each individual Aussie 2018 Team Member. 

This is a HUGE privilege and really, it boils down to recognition for the contribution we have made to the troops so far and I know this is a challenge many of you will be excited by. 

Now that is a challenge for next year. For now... the team departs on Wednesday for Toronto... let's get behind them, follow the Team Australia Facebook page and leave them lots of encouragement. Let's really let them know that their country is well and truly behind them!

More info on the presentation today as soon as I get it all sorted and photos edited. 

Till then... Go Team Australia!

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie

Oi, Oi, Oi!!!