Grati-Tuesday 17 April

For some reason I cannot get this to centre so so be it.   Lots of great messages tonight.

Enjoy!

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Thank you so much to the beautiful people from Aussie Hero Quilts for my laundry bag! Can’t wait to get my quilt !!

Good morning Joy,

Thank you so much for the hero quilt; I am completely humbled by the extremely thoughtful and kind hearted gift. This will be treasured in my household when I return to Australia. I have two boys who I will pas ethos onto for safe keeping when it is the time to somewhere in the future.
You have a kind heart Joy and it is people like you that keep people like me and my fellow soldiers doing what we do.
Once again thank you so much. This quilt, along with all the others you have made mean so much .
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Hello Jenny S,

I am sorry it has taken so long to contact you, but as you can imagine it has been very busy over here for last few weeks.

I received your quilt in first week of March.  It is so good, exactly what I wanted.  Thank you.  

As the weather over here is getting warmer, I just sleep under the quilt rather than using my big blanket.

I have been in the Air Force for 19 years.  I joined in April 1999, so my 20 years will come up next year.

 I have done some other shorter exercises around the world and Australia, but this is my second long term deployment, with my first being to Afghanistan in 2007/08. 

So in regards to the quilt design - I was born in New Zealand, and moved to Australia when I was four.  Hence my love for the All Blacks Rugby Union team, and the reason for the top part of the quilt.

I grew up in Alice Springs until 19 years old, then moved to Mackay in North QLD to play Rugby League.  I eventually changed over to play Rugby Union.  I lived in Mackay for about 6 years, until I joined the Air Force at 26.

Living in North QLD I started going for the NQ Cowboys, hence the reason for bottom part of quilt.

I will be returning home soon, and cannot look forward to being with my family.

Once again thank you so much for the quilt.

Take care and hope you have a great Easter. 

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Hi Jenny,

The Easter bunny has delivered me an unusual gift this Easter here in Iraq... a wonderful guitar quilt!

Thank you so much for the quilt, it's awesome. And good choices of guitars too... I actually own three of the designs that feature on the quilt.

As for the guitars, I have been playing guitar for many years. I played in a few band before joining the army (which I didn't do until my late 30s.... seemed like a good idea at the time). My troop commander submitted the request for the quilt on my behalf so it is a pleasant surprise. It arrived here in the mail on Easter Saturday along with care packages... some of which contained Easter eggs. Needless to say morale is high whenever we receive mail and seeing the work that has gone into this quilt is quite humbling.

Things are heating up here in Iraq - I should clarify I mean temperature wise, not action. It's only the end of the first month of spring and we're already in the 40s with the occasional sand storm. By the time I leave mid year it will be nudging 50 degrees. I'll be looking forward to coming home for winter and football season (go the Kangas).

Once again, thanks for the quilt, it is very special and I will treasure it for many years.

Regards,

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Hi Anne,

I have just received your most amazing quilt and I couldn't be happier.

Thank you for the extras too I do love Spiderman and the Hulk, they are welcome additions. 

TMNT seem to be favourites with the young ones, I know I was a huge fan on TMNT when I was younger.

I have been in the RAAF for almost 3 years and I have been very fortunate to pick up a deployment within that time frame. I am honoured that I am the third recipient of one of your beautiful quilts and I'm glad you fell into making quilts and LB's otherwise I may not have been as happy as I am.

I can imagine that working from home can be good or bad depending on the day, easily distracted but free to do more. Well it sounds like you're rather active and always on the go or always something on, maybe you should jump out on the golf course and have a hit too lol 

How was your Easter? Was it good seeing the family? 

Thank you for the Tim Tams, double coat is my favourite.

I am currently in my last month on my deployment and I'm getting tired, you have brought a much needed smile to my face and jealousy to my co-workers.

I can not thank you enough, once I am at home I will take a photo with Mason and send it though.

Kind Regards,

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Dear Bridget,

Sincere thanks for the most generous and thoughtful quilt which arrived recently.  It looks fantastic and will be treasured always.  I am particularly moved by the thoughtful touch of adding elements from Jindabyne, it is my ‘happy place’ and even more appealing after months based on a desert island and  surrounded by sand and dust every day.  You have done a smashing job with the quilt and I am incredibly grateful.  Also, my deepest thanks go to Jan-Maree and Phil B for conspiring to get the quilt on my behalf, very thoughtful.

The Jindabyne memorabilia was great to see, and I have put up in my office some of the postcards and the Australia map to remind me of what I have to look forward to when I get back at the end of May.  They also attract comments from my international colleagues who are surprised that we have alpine areas, compared to the usual ‘sun and sand’ image of Australia.  The efforts in reaching out to friends, and their own efforts in providing Jindabyne memorabilia, was really moving and far beyond what I would expect, so thank you all again.  I was deeply touched by the thoughtfulness and generosity of people who don’t know me, but, want to support what we do.

So, thanks once again for all that you and your team of merry quilters do for us.  It is truly appreciated and very selfless.  

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Hi Tamsin

I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful quilt that was fashioned by both yourself and Hilary.

What I would normally say here is that a little gesture goes a long way into making our lives more comfortable over here.

However, It is not a small gesture and I cannot imagine how many hours and how many discussions you had together in making the quilt.

I most certainly do not feel like an Aussie Hero. I am just someone that decided to give back to my country. Just like you are doing by making the quilts.

I am 49 years old and a Physiotherapist and am currently in my 3rd year with Defence.

Deployment has been good. The health team has a lot of lovely and diverse people and we are like a family.

I return home by early June and am looking forward to seeing my loved ones again.

I feel proud to have been of service to my country. I feel privileged to have received such a wonderful gift. Without knowing there are those like yourselves back at home thinking of and supporting us, I think deployment would not be as tolerable.

Stay safe. thank-you again. 

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Dear Ma'am, Jean,

I have been meaning to send you this email for a while now, but have been busy at work. Every time I would remember would be when I was away from a computer. I am terribly sorry for my tardiness.

The laundry bag is gorgeous and so beautiful. It is so nice that I haven't used it - the water here is hard and over chlorinated. When I put my dirty clothes in my current $5 Ikea bag I normally wash the bag with the dirty clothes. However, I will use it for all my future travels with the Army. 

I wish I was half as talented as you to make something so "everyday" as a laundry bag, into something absolutely beautiful. I was in awe and very touched that I have a small piece of your kindness. When I pulled it out of the postage bag - it smelled so clean, fresh and must be what your home smells like - beachy fresh! That is other reason I don't wish to use it. If I wash it that fresh beach smell will go.

As you informed me a little about yourself - I will do the same.

What is it like here to live. Firstly, it is dusty. Dust through the doors, windows, AirCon ? it is just everywhere. You have to wipe down all surfaces you work a lot. There is a mixture of pavers, concrete and gravel to walk on. The gravel is large and pivotal to when it rains here to keep the mud at bay. The buildings we work in are previous Iraqi governmental buildings.  We sleep in converted shipping containers. 

It is always very touching that a totall stranger thinks of us over here. It is your small act of kindness that lifts our hearts and makes the distance feel shorter. Your note I have stuck into my work diary - as a memento. 

 I hope you had a lovely Easter. God Bless and kiss and hug your loved ones for me!

Very Respectfully,

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Greetings Sandy and Trevor,

We are based in Townsville however home for me is in Griffith, regional NSW. We are currently undergoing a rotation to RCB Butterworth in Malaysia. I recently received your beautifully made laundry bag (With all the frogs on it) and have put it to good use.

I'd just like you thank you and Trevor for the bag and for your kind words in the letter. I wish you could have seen the room as everyone was running to get there laundry bags. It adds a taste of home to our trip over here and gives me a smile when I think about the support we are getting.

Thanks again for the support and keep up the good work! I'm sure you have brought smiles to a lot of faces around the world. 

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Hi Ellen,

Apologies it has taken some time to write and thank you for the fantastic quilt you made my son, Jack!! It looks ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC; I know Jack (turning 3 in July) will love it when I give it to him. Thanks a million for making it. My wife has made a few quilts, so I have some sense of the labour involved. It means a lot to me/us over here. Again, thanks to you, and indirectly, to all the other lovely people who are supporting us from back home.

Reading your letter, your family has an incredible military history. I'm sure everyone who's served have some amazing stories. Your father, in particular, must have seen a lot. My family military history is shorter than yours, and little different! My grandfather fought day 1 to day end of WWII with the Germans (given no chance; fight or be shot) and my great grandfather fought for Australia in WWI on the western front. Both were taken prisoner at some stage; both escaped. Needless to say, I'm pretty keen not to continue the tradition of being taken prisoner!!

Your retirement plan sounds pretty special. I too, love the car camping. Sitting next to any water source can keep my family amused for a long time. Oh and by the way, thanks very much for your service as a Nurse. Nurses are incredible; I tell them that every time I'm sitting infront of one : )

Well Ellen, thanks again for the quilt and your time in making it. It's a very special gift that we'll treasure. It will soon become part of Jack's story.

Kind regards,

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Dear Lynn,

The quilt is excellent, I appreciate the effort yourself and other quilters go to. The support everyone has received over Christmas/New Years has been unreal, so we are all definitely feeling the love.

Thank you, and to anyone else that had an input into the care package.  Your laundry bag will be replacing my boring white $2 one, and quilt straight on my bed.

Thanks again Lynn,

Regards,

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Hi Jean

I received my laundry bag recently and must say that I am absolutely thrilled with it. Thank you so much it is just perfect the colours and design are just what I wanted.

I am one of the few Public Servants that are given the honour of deploying. I am from near Puckapunyal where I have worked for most of my career.  I am due to go home late July so I will experience my fair share of hot weather I’m sure.

Can I please express my gratitude for the amazing work that you and other ladies do. There is always much excitement and show and tell when packages arrive with laundry bags or quilts.

I wish your family all the best and thanks again for your work putting smiles on faces and producing something I will treasure forever.

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Good Afternoon Rosalin,

Firstly thank you for making the amazingly designed laundry bag, I appreciate the effort that is put in to making this unique item for me plus many more that you have made in the past for others.

At present my Ship and I have completed six months away and have a further three months to go, our deployment thus far has been very successful and hoping the success continues. I began my time on HMAS Warramunga in September 2015 and this trip will close out this chapter of sea time as I proceed to an office job once back in Sydney. I am a father of a little boy  (five years old) and he will be very happy to have his dad back home once I complete this nine month trip.

The idea for requesting it was based on my initial joining date in the RAN and is very “fit for purpose”. The laundry bag you made holds even higher status as it was made from a fellow country lover, as I lived in Tamworth for 12 years prior to joining the Navy. Green is one of my favourite colours….it shows as my car is very bright green, and I don’t normally tell people this but I intentionally went looking for that colour lol. I am thankful for the lollies and very thankful the Tim Tams were not included, I am secretly trying to lose some weight.

Once again thank you very much for such a terrific bag, it will used with pride.

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Good Afternoon Heather,

Thank you for the time and effort put in to designing and making the beautiful quilt. The service provided by you and the team that make these is amazing, and I have seen the joy on many people’s faces as they receive and open theirs. Everyone is always intrigued at what designs are made up from such a small topic.

At present my Ship and I have completed six months away and have a further three months to go, our deployment so far has been very successful and hoping the success continues. I began my time on HMAS Warramunga in September 2015 and this trip will close out this chapter of sea time as I proceed to an office job once back in Sydney. I have nearly completed 15 years in the Navy and of that nine years have been at sea.

The basis of the idea was my (5 years old), the date you sewed on the quilt was his birthdate and the day he was born, he was born in to my life, in the Navy. I have to say the quilt is absolutely amazing, you have done a terrific job.

I can’t thank you enough, terrific job, well done. Thank you for your dedication.

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Dear Clarissa,

Thank you so much for the handmade laundry bag which was Jazz inspired.

I asked for this theme as I visited Cuba 2 years ago and fell in love with the music J

The surprise tim tams that you sent also went down a treat!

Thanks again for your gift and generosity.

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Dear Beverly,

In recent days I have received a package from yourself and the Aussie Hero Quilts foundation and I have to say that I was truly blown away by what I received! My quilt is far greater in detail and creativity then I could have ever imagined, and I can see that you truly have a passion for sewing. I have never received such a heartfelt gift like this before so I truly thank you. I love it.

A bit about myself, I was born in UK and emigrated to Australia back in 2002, iv recent celebrated my 28^th birthday and I have no partner or kids of my own. I guess I joined the Navy subconsciously, both my grandads served within the Royal Navy, and my father worked within the naval dock yard in Portsmouth England along with my uncle and older cousins. From a young age I always had an interest in the military, but more toward the Army than Navy, but somehow I ended up here. I am now half way through my 8^th year of service as a Marine Technician and I haven’t looked back.

On behalf of all those who have or will receive a quilt, we are truly grateful! It is a nice thought to know that we are supported by our greater communities whilst we are out here doing our job. I hope that everyone who will receive one will write back to their individual quilt maker because your token of appreciation is appreciated in return, but if not thank you on their behalf.  

I am glad this passion makes you happy because you have a wonderful talent, and I can’t thank you enough.

Many thanks

Kindest regards

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Hello Bridget,

Thank you so much for the amazing quilt and laundry bag - to say I was overwhelmed would be a massive understatement - I was actually brought to tears when I received these amazing creations - I honestly can't thank you enough.

Thanks for the background of you and your family - it sounds as though you have a really good plan for your retirement.

A little bit about me - I joined the Navy as a 16yo Junior Recruit in October 1981 and here I still am 36 + years later - Although I have deployed in ships in both operational and non-operational deployments, this is the first time that I have deployed on the ground - it's been a very rewarding experience so far. I grew up in Melb and all my family were and still are mad richmond tigers supporters - my parents have been retired for many years, are in their 80's  and live on the sunshine coast - I have 2 older brothers and a younger sister.

I am not sure if it was just a lucky guess/coincidence, or if my friend, Andy S gave you some insight, but the quilt encompasses some of my favourite things - the Richmond Tigers, wine, and international travel - Thanks again for a truly amazing quilt - you have by far surpassed my expectations.

Warmest regards,

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Dear Gail,

XXXXXX here, one of the RAAF Doctors that was very lucky enough to receive the incredible Aussie quilt you made for me.

I absolutely adore it, and especially now it holds a very important place in my heart.  Recently I got very sick here in Kabul and was admitted to ICU, I was then evacuated to Dubai and stayed in hospital for 5 days. The quilt came with me on my journey; it provided me comfort during the Herc flight and familiarity whilst being in a foreign hospital.  Obviously working as a Doctor I am very accustomed to hospitals, but as a patient it is a very different experience and I will always look at my quilt as an important part of my recovery and care.

I cannot thank you enough Gail, it has truly meant so much to me.  I appreciate your intricacy and time spent on my quilt and your lovely letter.

Kind regards,

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Dear Ruth,

I am a RAAF Doctor currently serving in Afghanistan and I was lucky enough to receive your lovely laundry bag.

I wish to extend my gratitude to you for your effort, it is perfect and certainly does brighten my day!

I have been recently quite unwell so it has certainly aided my recovery!

Thank you again. It is a pleasure to serve our great nation.

Kind regards

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Gday Kaye!

Thank you so much for the laundry bag! It is very much appreciated and I know I will cherish it for many years to come.

Thank you for your time and effort in producing these quilts and laundry bags, all the guys over here open and show off their gifts very proudly-no matter how childish the theme they picked my be (I still love LEGO). We are all doing proper photos with our gifts to send back through to AHQ, I will be there in it holding mine!

Regards

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Good Afternoon Anne, 

It's 1155h here in sunny Sinai, so apologies if the greeting doesn't match your time zone.

Firstly I would to thank you for the lovely laundry bag you have taken the time to create for me.

To be honest I didn't actually request anything for myself but I believe my boss may have on my behalf.

Either way I am still very grateful for the gift you have sent for me and the time I realise it would have taken to make.

I am very happy to not have a 'football' themed pattern, as I am like you and the majority of sports do not interest me. I think the design you chose was beautiful!

I haven't had the chance to visit any part of this diverse country, as I am located in an area that suffers from continual unrest and in that the threat level is to high for sight seeing.

I am hoping to be afforded the opportunity to see some of the surrounding area and see the sights first hand, Israel being on my bucket list!

Thank you for the Tim Tams, they are a hot commodity here as the Americans love them! (I am partial to them too, to be honest)

The parcel as a whole arrived with no issues and all contents were in good condition.

Once again Thank you for the wonderful gift!

Kind Regards,

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Hi Jo,

I want to thank you so very much for the quilt you made for me. I could not be happier with what you have produced.

In response to your question, I chose the fleur-de-lis purely as it represents my favourite sports team, the New Orleans Saints.

It is always a morale booster on-board when quilts come in as everyone loves to show them off and compare the designs. We also all appreciate the time you take out of your life to make these for us, it definitely makes being away from home for such a long period that little bit more bearable. Once again, thank you for taking the time to make the quilt, I am most grateful.

All the best,

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Hi there Janeene,

I received a lovely gift from you the other the day.

Thank-you for my laundry bag. I was so excited I ran around showing everyone how beautiful it is!

Thank-you for the snacks too!

I would just like to say thank-you from the bottom of my heart. Its kind gestures like yours that make our days brighter and your contribution to our deployments is truly appreciated and certainly not taken for granted.

I have only days to go on deployment and am looking forward to returning home to be with my loved ones.

At home I have 2 gorgeous Jacks that stay with my folks on the south side of Brisbane and my partner and I also have 2 beagles that live with us.

I have been in the Army for 3 years and I have been a Physio for 4 years. I changed my career when I turned 40, deciding to go back to university for 4 years. 

Believe it or not I was a flight attendant in a former life and I worked for Ansett Australia, Qantas for a little while, and BA flying out of london. I did that job for 20 years!

Well I best get back to work.

Thank-you so so much.

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

Jan-Maree xx