| Are you feeling the heat at the moment? Strange to think that our troops are feeling the cold at the same time whilst they are deployed. Enjoy these messages! ..... |
The best
Labrador quilt in the middle east!
Good
afteroon Cathie,
I received
your amazing quilt just before new years. It was the biggest and best surprise!
I have been waiting for the photos bellow so I could send them to you! I
absolutely love it!
Thank you
from the bottom of my heart Cathie. I look forward to seeing pictures of all
your labbies soon!
Kind
regards,
....
Hi Thelma,
Firstly -
thanks very much for the time you took to make my laundry bag and put together
the care package - especially the personalisation of the bag with my initials
and 1SQN crest and aircraft. These care
packages mean a lot to all of us on deployment as I'm sure your grandsons will
attest to. Its always nice to receive
something from home.
Apologies
for not getting back to you sooner - your care package arrived last week -
however it has been quite busy here in the Middle East. Including your email address helped a lot
too.
I'd also
like to take the time to thank you for your service. Its not just the ADF members who deploy, but
their families also 'deploy' - often doing it tough on our lengthy
deployments. My wife is looking after
our 2 children, a farm, and a full-time job.
She is amazing. Thankfully I'll
be heading home soon to help out.
Luckily my children are 10 and 9 years old and are fantastic daughters
who help out a bit where they can.
Once again,
thanks for the care package.
.....
Hello Sue,
Firstly I
would like to thank you for the ship themed quilt that you made for me, I am
absolutely delighted with it And it hasn’t moved off my rack since I received
it, and I must say a fair few comments have been said of how Nice it was and
wished that they had thought of the theme for their quits as well.
I received
your quilt whilst we were alongside in our last port of call.
I myself am
a Marine Technician Like your late husband I work in the engine rooms as well,
although we call our selves ‘Stokers
Once again I
want to thank you for the Quilt,
Thank you
.....
Hi Jeanette,
I thank you
after recently receiving a Hero Quilt you made for me after my recent
deployment to the Middle East Region with the Australian Airforce.
A little
about myself. I have served for nearly 23 years as an Aircraft Technician, and
am currently working with the C130J aircraft at RAAF Richmond but have several
other aircraft types under my belt during my time. This was my second
deployment in as many years, ensuring our aircraft keep flying the support for
our men and women in theatre. It is a job I am truly proud of with my
deployments being the highlights of my career.
When I am
not working, my passion- apart from my wife- is off road motorcycle riding.
This is where the theme of the quilt you made me stems from. My current, and
several past off road motorcycles have been KTM’s. My motorcycles, which there are 4 of, take
pride of place in my garage so feel assured your quilt will be on prominent
display when friends and family visit.
I thank you
again for making me my quilt. Speaking with many other people who have received
quilts during the past express their gratitude for the effort the volunteers at
Hero Quilts make. It does not go un-noticed and is highly appreciated.
Sincerely
.....
Hi Pennie,
I am writing
to pass on my sincerest thanks for the wonderful Laundry Bag that you kindly
made for me. The package arrived while we were alongside recently. It is
perfect. Better than I had hoped for. I particularly like the embroidery on the
front and the inner lining. It’s currently holding my laundry, hanging next to
my rack (bed). I’m looking forward to receiving the quilt. I will have it as a
keepsake for my son when I get back home but plan to get some good use out of
it here first. The whole hero quilts program is a very thoughtful idea that is
greatly appreciated by our sailors.
I joined the
Navy as a 19 year old in 2003 to work as an Officer of the Watch (responsible
for navigation and warfare) on the bridge. I did that for about 6 years before going
back to uni to study medicine. That has led me back to sea as the ships doctor
now which is a role I thoroughly enjoy. This is actually my first trip back at
sea since 2009.
I was
pleased to hear that you are an Emergency nurse. I spent about a year in ED as
a junior doctor so understand the high tempo work environment. The shift work
is very demanding and the contribution you make is as valuable if not moreso
than anything we do out here. I have a huge amount of respect for the work you
do.
We’ll be operating in a huge patrol area
throughout the middle east region. It’s a long time to be away from family and
friends and that is really the hardest part of my job here. That’s why little
acts of kindness like the package I received from you mean so much. It means a
great deal to have the support of our countrymen back home whilst we are on the
other side of the world flying the flag and working hard to contribute to the
regional security. It helps me to justify my absence from the family to myself,
particularly over the Christmas period and school holidays.
We have been
fortunate enough to have some success out here and so far we have boarded many
vessels and seized about 11.5 tonnes of hash and 140kg of heroin. Our role is
really to disrupt the sources of revenue funding terrorist combatant groups
here in the middle east but also to keep those drugs from reaching the end
user. Our main focus is the interception of drugs and weapons moving between
Iran/Pakistan and Africa. We are a small part in a much larger task force but
we are doing our bit and everyone here takes great pride in the work we do.
Thank you
again!
Warm
Regards,
......
Merry
Christmas Noel and Shirley,
I am the
proud recipient of your wonderful quilt and laundry bag, I absolutely love
them.
You are so
clever making them so quickly.
It is
getting quite cool over here this time of year so the timing is perfect also.
Thank you so
much, you have brought some cheer to a not so cheery place.
Have a great
Christmas and a very Happy New Year.
I will
always have this quilt to remind me how generous and nice people can be towards
strangers.
.....
Dear Joy,
I’d first
like to give you a massive thank you! I
absolutely love my quilt, it has brightened my room so much and made it feel
more like home. My mother also quilts so
I have a few in the house from birthdays past.
This new one will be loved just as much I assure you, by myself and also
my children who love superheroes. I have
a 4 year old boy and a 2 year old girl who I miss terribly but are being looked
after well by their father and grandmother, God bless her.
I’d love to
tell you a bit about my work here. I am
deployed with the Air Task Group to the Middle East Region working on 6 FA18F
Super Hornets. My role is an Avionics
Technician, this is similar to an electrician with a bit more thrown in. I’m responsible for maintaining the
electrical systems, oxygen systems and servicing the aircraft so our pilots can
fly safely.
Thank you
again for what you do. Your efforts and
that of Aussie Hero Quilts means so much to us all.
Cheers!
.....
Dear Sandy,
I just
wanted to drop you a quick note to say thanks for the beautiful quilt that
Nola, Mary and yourself put together and sent to me in the Middle East.
The area
that I’m operating in features a lot of sand and not much greenery so the quilt
adds a significant splash of colour to our otherwise drab surroundings.
While the
quality and design of the quilt are fantastic in their own right, it’s even
more special given that you and your team are willing to spend your time and
resources putting these together for us. Thank you.
Kind regards
and best wishes for a prosperous 2018.
.....
G’Day Robyn,
Firstly I
would like to thank you for the amazing care package! I actually didn’t get an opportunity to eat
lunch the day I received this package, so it’s safe to say that the tim tams
didn’t last long.
The laundry
bag however will hopefully stay with me forever, and I think it’s absolutely
perfect! Thank you so so much. I have been using it every second day and
it’s so easy to distinguish which bag is mine J I sent a phot to my partner
back home in Darwin and she absolutely loved it.
Sounds like
you and Michael have your hands full with the church, and I am sure it’s
beautiful. So for you to dedicate time
for me with this letter and work on the laundry bag it means so much!
Thank you
for the prayers and do keep the Defence Force in mind. We have been very fortunate lately.
The water
rafting sound like an absolute blast and I will have to keep you in mind if I
ever make the journey down south to the Blue Mountains. I do hear it’s amazing!
Anyhow, I
apologise for the delayed response as I have been super busy. I know it’s not an excuse, I’m sorry, but I
want to thank you one last time.
Kind regards
.....
Hi Anne and
Alan,
Just writing
to say thankyou very much for my Hero Quilt and Laundry bag. It is perfect and
has a permanent position on my bed as it is getting quite cold here. The
parcels did arrive before Christmas which was good timing. I returned to our
base on Christmas Eve and was very happy to see the quilt, laundry bag and
goodies.
That sounds
like a very nice place to live. I currently live with my girlfriend and our dog
who is a bull terrier cross aussie bulldog.
I recently travelled to Greece and Italy which was a great experience. A
work friend and I went to all the historical sites in Greece and visited
Thermopylae where the Spartans had their famous battle and so on. I went
through a period were I was very interested in Spartan Warrior Culture ( hence
why I asked for a Spartan helmet on my quilt haha).
I have been
listening to a lot of military podcasts lately some of which talk a lot about
Vietnam. Such an incredibly difficult and hard time for the soldiers who fought
there and I have the utmost respect for all our Vietnam Veterans. It is sad
that at the time the Australian public didn’t give them the respect they
deserve. Fighting in the jungle for any length of time is definitely not a
pleasant experience. I have been to
Tully a few times for jungle training and that is obviously nothing compared to
what our soldiers dealt with over there, but even that small taste of the
jungle was not exactly my idea of a good time.
I am the
first of my immediate family to serve in the military. My grandfather did
national service with the Air Force and my great grandfather was a prisoner of
war in WW2. However it came as quite a shock to my parents and other close
family when I enlisted....especially into the infantry. I can only speak for myself but most of my mates
joined for the challenge and fast paced lifestyle but also because they wanted
to do their duty and give something back to our nation.
I spent
quite a lot of time at my local RSL playing snooker when I was in my late teens
(I am 27 now) and have always been very appreciative of the work they do. I
think that the bond that is developed among your fellow soldiers is an amazing
thing. Many of the men who are here with me I have known since I first enlisted
and gone through all the training with so they are really like my brothers.
Anyway, just
wanted to say thankyou for all the work you are doing. I know that it means a
lot to myself and everyone else here. Its easy to feel isolated over here and
detached from things back in Aus so its great to have people like yourselves
who are helping us out. Thank you.
Take care,
.....
Good evening Anne,
I am writing
to you today to thank you for sending me over my wonderfully crafted Penrith
Panthers laundry bag. Just letting you know it arrived in the mail a little
past New Years Eve but I managed to have quite an enjoyable evening here.
The laundry
bag is perfect! You nailed the colours exactly like their jersey and the added
touch of my initials was very handy, especially since bags can get legs and
walk around here.
I enjoyed
reading your letter and hearing about your plans for Christmas and New Years
with your family and friends, hope the Christmas pudding and brandy butter was
amazing and that the yachts all arrived safely at Hobart!!
Yes, I'm
currently deployed here in the Middle East Region and work within the RAAF as a
Personnel Capability Specialist (PCS), which is kind of like HR in the civilian
world. I'm looking forward to my compulsory two weeks off which I will travel
to UK and Scotland for a bit of RnR before coming back and working till I head
home.
Great to
hear your Father was a Squadron Leader in the RAF/RNZAF! It's always nice
hearing that someone had family serve within the coalition forces, its kind of
a big family, all fighting the same cause.
With regards
to you falling into the AHQLBs team, you should definitely stick with it. The
bags that get sent over mean a lot to the serving members here and especially
when they are tailored to their personal interests and hobbies, it gives us all
something to smile about. I'm sure you've made plenty of bags for other
members, and I'd like to thank you on their behalf. Keep up the great work!!
Wishing you
a prosperous 2018 and hope that all your wishes and dreams come true in the
near future.
As for me,
I'm looking forward to returning home and catching up with my family and
friends in Sydney.
Take care
and sincerely,
.....
Chris,
It was an
unexpected delight to receive a parcel from you today. I had been having a
particularly
tough day to be honest. Motivation was pretty low. Due to our location, much of
the Christmas mail had not arrived, my family was missing me terribly and my
boss was in a particularly foul mood.
But then I
received your parcel and was moved to tears. Good tears. The kind of tears that
recognized that there are good people in the world, and people that care about
what we are doing. The laundry bag is nearly too perfect to use! Having a little piece of Australia in the
middle of this endless beige landscape is going to be wonderful.
It is
actually freezing cold here at the moment. I have my thermal underwear, gloves,
beanie and jacket on most days. I have a couple of km walk to work each morning
and the wind can go right through you if you're not rugged up enough.
Occasionally I'll walk with some US colleagues, but of course by the time you
have a shemagh wrapped around your face and glasses on to protect from the
sand, you are so rugged up it's hard to
tell anyone's gender let alone if you know them or not.
The
scorpions don't seem to mind the cold or the heat. They are ever present,
particularly on the walk home at night. They don't like lights, so I find
myself hurrying between one street light and the next, trying very hard not to
acknowledge the odd 'crunch' of a squashed scorpion beneath my boots in the
unlit parts.
Thank you so
much for taking the time to make a laundry bag for me - it has made my day.
I have a big
smile from ear to ear and am feeling particularly proud to be Australian!
Kindest
regards,
.....
Margaret B
Thank you so
much for your quilt, I love it so much.
Not what I expected but
it’s so much
more.
Thank you
for the homie touch with your own personal horse shoe down the bottom.
it is my
most favourite thing of this trip so far.
I really
appreciate the time you took out of your life to make this for me.
Merry
Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Middle East.
.....
Hello Joan,
Thank you for my
beautifully made laundry bag, it will be getting a lot of use with all the
exercises and deployments we do. You and everyone at Aussie Hero Quilts are doing a fantastic job and it is very much appreciated by all Defence members. I
have done plenty of exercises and trips with the RAAF but this was my first
Middle East deployment and receiving something like this is a nice little token
that I can keep from my time in the MER. I have attached a group photo from the
flightline over there with one of our F/A-18F Super Hornets and Rob is right,
they shouldn’t be trifled with J.
I wish you and everyone
at Aussie Hero Quilts all the best for 2018 and keep doing what you are doing,
it’s a fantastic organization and you should be really proud of what you do.
Thank you
.....
Have a great night!
Till next time .....................keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx
Awesome.
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