Grati-Tuesday 24 October

Lots of gorgeous messages here.  I hope you enjoy them!   I am off to Campbelltown tomorrow to speak to a Probus Club, so time for me to tweak my presentation and make sure my powerpoint is up to scratch!
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Hello Anne H

What can I say 

I have received your patched quilt,we are So proud of you lovely people back home for taking your time to do this for us just doing our job.

Thank you so much we are so very proud of the work you do.

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Deb & Grace

I can never describe how truly honoured I felt to have received my quilt from you.  It isn't much and its late, but please take this as a thank you for the amazing work you've done. Your support of our Servicemen and Women is deeply appreciated by everyone over here, thank you, thank you, thank you.

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Hi Kaye,

I received your beautiful laundry bag the other day.  Thank you so much.  I love the design and colours and it's a really good (handy) size.  It is definitely a keep sake.  There was also a nice but unexpected surprise to see so many other goodies in the box.  The book, sweets and toiletries were all fantastic.  I love the soap - Made in Australia - it brought a smile to my face.

I have another 3 months remaining before I go home.  I am married and have two little girls.  They are 3 and 5 years old and I miss them dearly.  My job is busy and it helps the time go past quickly.  I am really grateful for my husband and he is doing a fantastic job taking care on the home front and the girls.  I am from Queensland but when I return we will all be moving to Canberra for a new job.

I hear the weather is warming up and I hope that you get some time in the garden.  I am missing mine very much.  There is lots of sand, dirt and dust here.  Not much greenery at all.

Take care Kaye - what you do really makes a difference!

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Hi Bridget,

I recently received my fabulous 'Minions' laundry bag that you so kindly made for me as part of your voluntary work with the Aussie Hero Quilts organisation and thought I would take this opportunity to personally thank you for this wonderful gift.

A little about me, ...

I am married to my beautiful wife (soon to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in Dec), and we have two beautiful daughters,  Both girls love Minions so the bag is a constant reminder of them.  We also have two pooches in our family, Zoe, a 14 year old Jack Russell and Bailey, our very lovable Tibetan Spaniel.

I enlisted into the Australian Regular Army in 1982 and have served in various locations throughout Australia.  Having moved around considerably over the course of my career, approximately 7 years ago I was provided the opportunity to gain a civilian employment position (still working within Defence) and subsequently transferred into the Army Reserves (having served 28 years in the REGS).  This allowed me to gain a little more stability for the family, particularly for the girls who were at the time in their late teens, working/studying and boys were also high on their agenda.  I am very family orientated and the separation from family during this deployment has been at times difficult, however, made somewhat easier with the fabulous team and hierarchy we have working here. I am in the Middle East Region until February 18 and I am fortunate to be able to get home to Adelaide for leave over Christmas, in time (potentially) for the arrival of the newest addition to our family, a grandchild (due 21 Dec)

I have previously deployed into the Middle East, having served on Operation MAZURKA in the Sinai, Egypt for 6 months in 2004.  A great experience with many friendships established. I jumped at the opportunity to again serve overseas when I was asked this time last year to deploy again.  

Part of my role here is to coordinate through Jan-Maree the Aussie Hero Quilt orders that are received by the serving men and women in theatre.  I mentioned to Jan-Maree in a recent email I sent to her, that I am really fortunate to see a lot of the serving men and women here open their Aussie Hero Quilt and laundry bag packages when they arrive and to see the joy on their faces as they see their handmade quilts and laundry bags is just priceless!

Bridget, thanks again for the support you provide along with all the other talented quilt and laundry bag creators.  Thank you for the continued service you provide towards our serving men and women whilst on operations .   This support is something that is spoken about regularly here in the Middle East and your kind contribution towards this is very much appreciated.

Thanks again for the wonderful Minion laundry bag .. it will be treasured for years to come and serve as a reminder of my time spent here in the Middle East Region.

Regards and best wishes,
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Hello Fran,

I was recently deployed to the Middle East on OP OKRA and was very excited yesterday to receive your beautiful Aussie Laundry bag.

The bag made it to the Middle East but I had just left so it was forwarded to Brisbane and it arrived at my home. I must say, I was blown away by the beautiful design and the amazing sewing job that you have made. I truly had forgotten about them so it was a very pleasant surprise indeed.

My wife who is also a SQNLDR in the RAAF was extremely impressed also, and my 4.5 and 2.5 yr old daughters thought it was wonderful.

Thank you for the effort you make to helping those deployed personnel with a little taste of home and some high quality products that we can see have have had hours of work put into them.

I was lucky to be the CO of the unit for some time during my deployment and whilst the living was not that hard, the work was ongoing. This was arguably a much more enjoyable deployment than my 2014 deployment.

Thank you again for your effort and your beautiful design.

We all appreciate your efforts.

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Hi Clarissa,

I have received the laundry bag, and I thank you sincerely for the time and effort you have freely given. The support from Aussie Hero Quilts is greatly appreciated by all service men and women.

The laundry bag will certainly get well used, rest assured. The Ying Yang symbol is associated with Taekwondo, of which my 3 sons and my wife also participate in.

I head home to Sydney soon as I near the end of my month deployment. We are very lucky these days to be able to skype our families, however it is not the same a seeing them face to face.

I am posted to RAAF Glenbrook outskirts of Penrith, where we have in the past held a morning tea hosting the Aussie Quilters. Hopefully this is a regular event of which I will certainly attend, and likewise I look forward to meeting you there if you are able to attend.

Thanks again for your support, 
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Hi Ruth,

I received your gift today in the mail. Thankyou.  😊

The colour scheme is quite apt as I grew up in country SA and played hockey there for the Tigers. My parents and sister still live there and my grandmother is now in XXXXr.

Thank you again for the laundry bag - a definite upgrade from the garbage bag liner I was using!!
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Hi Ruth, 

Thank you very much for my laundry bag you have made for me. I really appreciate the effort you went into to create it. I'm very happy with the result, the colours of rifle green and maroon represent the two infantry battalions that I have been apart, I'm not sure if you were told why I chose those colours.

It's almost too good to use for my laundry. Thank you again for your hard work.

Regards, 

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Hello Tamsin!

I hope you're well down in chilly Tassie.
I'll be making my first visit there for a couple weeks over New Years and early January, trekking around in my new/old campervan haha. 

I've just received the quilt and it is so great!
Everyone here in the workshop is jealous haha. Nice to hear your husband is also apart of the RAEME brotherhood.  I am an electrical/refrigeration technician, so I look after all the automotive electrical and air conditioning systems as well as generators and anything else in that realm.

Well thanks again, can't thank you or AHQ enough for all the time and effort you guys put in. It's such a nice gesture and much appreciated!

Best wishes,

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Hi Jan Maree and Bridget,

Just wanted to let you know that the quilt has arrived and looks fantastic.  It was here waiting for me when I got back from a brief trip out of country.  Better than I could have hoped for!  It is the envy of many of the team over here who are now wishing they had personalised their quilts a little more. It has also inspired a few for their quilt designs!

You have done an incredible job getting the badges and emblems just right, but I have still not figured out how you got the lettering so neat!

I can't thank you enough for what you have done for me and what you are doing for our deployed troops.  I have noticed that whenever I visit the troops in their accommodation blocks (usually either bombproof concrete buildings or armoured containers stacked on top of each other, and 1-4 people per room), the rooms are usually brightened by a dazzling and colourful array of quilts from Aussie Hero Quilts.  Some are personalised for the individual, some (a lot!) depict sporting teams, and some are just intricate colourful patterns.  Some of the quilts are used on the beds, some hang on the walls and some are used to create a barrier to make at least a little privacy in the cramped accommodation. They are all very much appreciated and the subject of much banter.

A couple of photos attached of the quilt in Kabul.


Thank you for all that you do!

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Hi Jean,

I received my laundry bag today and its amazing I love it, you have definitely achieved the goal of bright colours. I will treasure it always.

Thank you again for the laundry bag, your countless hours of sewing for Aussie Hero's is a credit to you all, and it definitely lifts the moral for all the deployed members oversea's

Kind regards
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Good evening Jean, 

I’m a combat engineer posted to Townsville, QLD, at the 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment

I absolutely love my new laundry bag that you have made for me, I can not thank you enough for the hard work and amazing design that you have come up with for me 😊

Thank you for you letter that was attached with the laundry bag, I have to agree with you about the mid north coast having the best climate in the land as I was born and breed in about 25km’s inland from Port Macquarie and my parents still reside in the area which I visit at least once or twice a year, I hope to one day move back and spend the rest of my years there. 

Once again I can not thank you enough for the amazing laundry bag that you have created for me, I love it 👍🏼

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Dear Sandy,

Thank you so much for your work creating my Aussie Hero Quilt, I truly loved it!

I am currently deployed to Operation Inherent Resolute (OP Okra) in

Iraq with Task Group Taji.  We are deployed here in a training capacity to assist the Iraqi soldiers to defeat Daesh.

I am truly appreciative of the work that Linda, Marj, Di, Mary and you did to create my quilt.

It was exactly what I was hoping I would get over here.  It’s already proudly displayed on my bed in my room – much to the jealousy of my roommate haha!

Thank you again for taking time out of your own busy life to think of Australian soldiers who are currently deployed overseas.

Each time we receive a care package and quilts from back home it lifts our spirits and reminds each of us of the work we are doing for our country.

I hope this letter finds you well.

P.S. I’ve typed this letter as opposed to writing as my handwriting is atrocious after years of writing nursing notes!

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Good evening Jenny,

I am 27 years old and I was the crew member onboard HMAS Darwin that received your Laundry Bag. It was very well put together and the choice of cloth was one of the better patterns on the laundry bags we received. Being part of the last crew onboard HMAS Darwin is a very compelling experience and it has been made all that much more special as it will be the last ship I serve on as I am discharging at the end of the year. I will have done almost 9 years when I discharge and have enjoyed every moment of my time.

It is touching to hear that you have been making Quilts and Blankets for over 30 years as it shows a commitment that not many could understand. My recently departed grandmother loved making woollen blankets and outfits for her grandchildren and in her latter years spent a lot of time making full sized quilts for the salvation army (her record was 15 blankets in 1 year). Another touching note is to hear that you have found yourself making quilts and laundry bags for Aussie Hero Quilts because of your sons service to the military, I was deployed on HMAS Melbourne when we went to the middle east and everyone who received a quilt or laundry bag was exited and grateful to receive them, you should be proud of the smiles your work brings to people.

When I leave the Navy I will be moving back home to the family farm, who like your farm has been part of the family for a long time (I'm 6th generation). It is in a small place. While not as big as the Barossa or Clare valley, it is one of the bigger wine producing areas in SA as well as Australia. we grow about 400 acres of vines and then have another 1000 acres for sheep and crops. The one thing that makes home so special is that it is the only place in the world that uses natural flood water as its main source of irrigation. We have a small 200 acre red gum swamp on the property that gets lovely and full of water most winters, while it unfortunately gets full of carp because of the massive population boom the carp have had in recent years, we also get yabbies and they are much tastier.

On a different note your bag has travelled a few miles as of writing this. At this point it has travelled from Sydney to Dili in Timor Leste, from there is has moved onto Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia and finally onto Subic Bay in the Philippines. Currently we are heading down to Singapore for our last foreign port visit before heading back to Darwin to conduct a Freedom of Entry March. Once we have spent some time in Darwin we will be travelling back to Sydney, spending a few days in there before doing one final week at sea before the final entering harbour come the end of November.
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Dear Sharon

I was very nice to meet you last Friday at the afternoon tea for the Aussie Hero’s.   It was pleasing to meet someone from a group of people who care deeply about those in the Defence Force and go out of their way to do something to make life a little easier, especially when they are away from their family overseas.

Thank you for the laundry bag.  The dog theme is very good.

Please pass on my appreciation to all those in your group and my thanks to you.

Regards

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A gorgeous email for Wendy V

"Ma'am, 

I am writing from the mighty warship HMAS Newcastle to inform you that I have received my Aussie Hero Quilt up here on my deployment and wanted to take the time to thank you and all those involved.

In the age of email and internet (the later being a fairly rare commodity for us at sea) receiving any form of physical mail from 'home' is an indescribable feeling.

We do at times feel cut off from our loved-ones at home and from Australia in general. To see a parcel with my name on it really made my day - and that was before I even knew what it was.

Morale can slip so quickly depending on what we are required to do. Anything received from home picks up morale instantly.

The quilt itself is beautifully made. It's obvious that a lot of care and attention was put into it. I already have plans to put it on display when I get home at the end of the year.

As it is Newcastle-themed it will be a perfect way to remember and cherish my time onboard. That is unless one of my daughters does not claim it for herself.

So thank you. It really does mean a lot that someone back in Australia is thinking about us. It's not easy here so this really helps.

Please also pass on my thanks to all those involved in creating this quilt and having it sent to me.

You are all doing great work.

Thanks again,

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Dear Melissa and Pam, 

This is my 3rd deployment, having already been to Afghanistan twice. I am sorry for the late reply, I have been away from our main base for quite some time and postage has been a

nightmare.

Words can not express how grateful I am for my quilt and laundry bag. Blinky Bill was my childhood hero growing up and it just so happened to make its way to me for winter. I am blown away at the detail, I couldn’t draw a better Blinky Bill. The Barbie idea happened to be a practical joke by my team, which only gives it more sentimental value, so I am often seen smugly flaunting it to and from the laundry with pride. I was very impressed to see the detail and effort you ladies must have gone to in making the quilt and laundry bag. I'm pretty happy to hear that twelve others have been lucky enough to get quilts and laundry bags of this quality, they are a great morale boost and something special to hold onto and perhaps

one day pass down to my children.  Its good to hear that your son is making good progress in the cadets as a Corporal. its the best rank in  my opinion because, It is high enough to be in command of your own team, but low enough to still be hands on in the field. Becoming a Corporal will be a challenge for him and teach him a lot of good life skills, I can vouch for that, as I was also promoted to Corporal at the beginning of this year. he will have a lot of fun in cadets and I’m sure it will set him up for success should he choose to pursue a career as a soldier. I think its great that you can find the time to run the kids around, juggle two jobs and still manage to show your support for us all over here. 

Again I can’t show my appreciation enough. I have attached a photo of me and some other 

soldiers of different nationalities I have been working with over the past few days. Needless to say they are quite jealous of my laundry bag and quilt. I am the Tallest guy in the photo holding onto the quilt.

Huge Thanks,

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Hi Sue,

As the recipient of one of your laundry bags I would just like to say thank you. The effort you have obviously put in is amazing to see and it really does put a smile on my face and the faces of all the other members who have received a laundry bag or quilt from Aussie Heroes.

A bit about myself, I"m 25 and born and bred Brisbane boy. When I am not deployed overseas I am living with my two house mates in Brisbane and work as an aerospace engineer with the RAAF, however I will be moving to Canberra next year with my girlfriend.

 I love to fly planes on the weekend and I am an avid reader of fantasy novels (Lord of the Rings is my favourite).

 Once again, Thank you for all that you do to support those of us deployed overseas. 

Take care and I hope you and your whole family have a great rest of 2017.

Kind Regards

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Hello Jean,

                Thank you kindly for your lovely letter and for the washing bag. It is very lovely and will be always used on my deployments from here on in. I have been to Coffs Harbour a few times and I really like the area. We used to take my 4 children to the Big Banana when I was posted to Newcastle and we really enjoyed the sights and area around Coffs. I myself am from Dutch heritage and have lived there for a couple of years after high school and I certainly pass on the family traditions onto my children. Thanks again for your hero laundry bag and good luck with your further endeavours.

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Hello Susan,

I am writing to say a very big thank you for my quilt. I apologise for the late response it has been quite busy here. I am very delighted with my quilt and I am extremely grateful for all the thought and effort that would have gone into it. Please thank your family for their donation and assistance.

A bit about myself. I am also from the sunny state of Queensland. I grew up near RAAF Base Amberley and seeing the jets flying around was what inspired me to join.

I love to travel. I have been lucky enough to travel to New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan, Parts of Europe including, London, Paris, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, and Vanuatu. I had a trip booked for other parts of Europe in August this year like Spain, Greece and Malta but unfortunately had to cancel it upon being informed of my deployment. However, we have decided to visit Canada over the Christmas break when I return home. It will be much colder than it is here, but I cannot wait.

Please thank Lindsay for the idea and I appreciate the piece of history and humour. 

Again, thank you very much to you, your family and all the volunteers for your consideration and support to all of us. The thought goes a very long way and is much appreciated by all. 
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Till next time..... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!

Jan-Maree  xx