Grati-Tuesday 31 July 18

A busy day was had today at HQ AHQ.  Lots of parcels have arrived containing lots of Invictus Quilts and bags and lots of random laundry bags for later in the year.   Getting them all sorted is certainly keeping us busy. 

Sit back and relax for a bit and enjoy these messages. 

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Dear Ruth,

It is with much kindness and appreciation I am writing to you. I have just received my own Carlton Laundry bag. Even though it was made by a Power supporter, words cannot truly express my gratitude and appreciation. The bag whilst it might seem like a small item, represents a long rich  history of support that the Australian community has shown to Defence members on operations. I am currently deployed with the United Nations Mission In South Sudan, UNMISS. I have been here for close to 90 days and am approximately half way through my deployment. Our role here is about making the world safer and helping the South Sudanese people in finding peace and growth. The environment here is harsh, lots of diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue fever. Not to mention the flies and other insects or the hot humid conditions. But if it was easy everyone would do it. It is incredibly humbling being here where the people have virtually nothing but a sense of pride that makes me hopeful for their future. It makes me appreciate the little things we take for granted at home, like the best drinking water in the world right from our own taps, the education we have received and our way of life.

Your family should be most proud of your efforts, not only because the quality of the bag is amazing, but because you have dedicated your time and passion in making this.  It has brightened my day, week and month. I will be proudly parading it around as I am fairly confident that I am the only Carlton Supporter in Juba, this bag take pride in place amongst the Aussie contingent here.

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Hi Jean!

I'm writing to thank you very much for the AMAZING laundry bag I received along with a letter from you. Firstly - I LOVE IT! It was such a lovely surprise to receive in the mail and the I appreciate the kindness from you considering you don't even know me - thank you.

I'm quite familiar withXXXX, my husband grew up in XXXX and we often spend holidays there. It's such a beautiful part of Australia. 

Thank you again for the laundry bag and for the fantastic work Aussie Hero Quilts (and laundry bags) do - it has made my day!

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A happy snap of a quilt and laundry bag made by Sue N...

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Good Morning Jenny,
              I have served in the ADF for nearly 29 Years, I have previously deployed to Rwanda, East Timor twice and Afghanistan,  I am currently serving in the Middle Easter Region as part of the Australian Defence Force,  the reason for my email is to thank you for your  Laundry Bag that I have just received. It makes me extremely proud to serve as an Australian Defence Force Member, but it also makes me very proud knowing that we have so many supporters taking  the time to prepare these Laundry Bags for  us all whilst we are overseas, and away from loved ones and the luxuries of Australia The Laundry Bag that you and your fellow sewing partners (after hours I might add) have put together is excellent and you can tell that you ladies have put a lot of love, positive thoughts and effort into the Laundry Bag, and for this I am extremely grateful.

I would like to make l mention to Jenny and the other ladies for the outstanding attention to detail, and this amazing item. I will truly cherish this item for the remainder of my career, I extremely thankful, and grateful for the effort and love that you have put together in making this Laundry Bag. I know that all the serving members that receive these items are extremely grateful for the hard work that all the ladies do at Aussie Quilts, it is amazing as part of my weekly  routine to walk into the laundry facility here and see all the different types of designs on Laundry bags, there is a sense of pride, commitment and thanks to all of you,  I hope that all of you continue to spread the message  as it is an important to all of us serving.

So in closing I would like to finish with the greatest appreciation from me, I have attached  a photo of the Laundry Bag being used in my room.

Please pass this email over to the other ladies that helped you.

Once again thankyou 

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Good morning,

I received the beautiful quilt you made through the Aussie Heros Quilt submission. I was over the moon when the quilt you made me arrived, you did an exceptional job of putting my random thoughts into an exceptional quilt! I use the quilt every day as my bed cover and it gives me great joy every time I go to bed. I have sent you a letter but wanted to follow up a photo of myself with the quilt.

Thank you very much again!

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This gorgeous quilt was collected from me last week and the recipient's super cute twins appreciated it too. 

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I'm writing to thank you for the wonderful quilt that I received from you.

I was born in Ballarat Victoria and been in the Royal Australian Air Force for sixteen years as a Communications Technician. I am currently posted to RAAF Townsville. I am very proud to be in the military and follow in the footsteps of my Grandfather who was in the 39th Battalion and fought in Papua New Guinea on the Kokoda trail during World War Two. I have four children and eleven grandchildren my eldest son is also in the RAAF and my youngest son is currently applying to join the RAAF as well.

 This is my first Deployment to the Middle East and the longest I have been away from my family (six and a half months).

Thanks again for your thoughts and generosity of spirit.

Warmest Regards,

.....

Dear Bridget,

Thank you so much for the brilliant quilt and laundry bag you crafted especially for me. I think the Aussie Hero Quilt initiative is absolutely fantastic and applaud you for your dedication to this cause, as well as finding this purpose in your hobby. I’ve served for 19 years now and deployed multiple times to East Timor and Afghanistan, and this is the first time I’ve been lucky enough to receive one of these wonderful quilts. I’m currently serving here in Iraq, helping senior Iraqi counter-terrorism staff develop long term plans to hopefully help stabilise their country in the years to come, and it’s a real morale boost to receive a token from home like this.

I’m 37 years old and married with a little girl back home. My wife is an Army Nursing Officer who is doing an incredible job looking after our one year old daughter and balancing it all with her job (including periods out field as well). We’re looking forward to spending a couple weeks together again as a family in Italy and the Greek Islands, when I take my allocated mid-tour leave. It’s good to hear your daughter and son are starting to spread their wings and find their way in the world. Everyone tells me they grow up far too quickly, and I believe it’s absolutely true.

You’ve done a fantastic job with the quilt in capturing my love of brewing beer and rugby – I especially love the ‘Drunkards Path’ pattern, but will have to wait another month or so before a quiet beer! I was lucky enough to win the Champion Brewer prize at last year’s Queensland Amateur Brewing Competition, so I’m looking forward to picking up the hobby again once I finish here (although I don’t think my wife is!). I also loved the Wallabies/All Blacks fabric you managed to find for the laundry bag, I’m sure it wasn’t an easy feat but looks great.

Thanks once again for your support to our deployed military members. You’ve certainly brought a smile to this soldier’s face.

Kindest regards,

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Good Morning Bridget,                          

I have served in the ADF for nearly 29 Years, I have previously deployed to Rwanda, East Timor twice and Afghanistan,  I am currently serving in the Middle Easter Region as part of the Australian Defence Force,  the reason for my email is to thank you for your Awesome Quilt / Laundry Bag that I have just received. It makes me extremely proud to serve as an Australian Defence Force Member, but it also makes me very proud knowing that we have so many supporters taking  the time to prepare these Quilts / Laundry Bags for  us all whilst we are overseas, and away from loved ones and the luxuries of Australia The Quilts that you have put together are excellent and you can tell that you ladies have put alot of love, positive thoughts and effort into these Items, and for this I am extremely grateful.

I would like to make a special mention to the naughty black poodle and specially Kerri B for the outstanding attention to detail, and the amazing items. I will truly cherish these items for the remainder of my career, I extremely thankful and grateful for the effort and love that you have put together in making these quilts/ Laundry Bags. I know that all the serving members that receive these items are extremely grateful for the hard work that all the ladies do at Aussie Quilts, it is amazing as part of my weekly routine to walk into the laundry and see all the different types of designs on Laundry bags, there is a sense of pride, commitment and thanks to all of you,  I hope that all of you continue to spread the message  as it is an important to all of us serving.
So in closing I would like to finish with the greatest appreciation from me, I have attached  photos of theQuilt and Laundry Bag being used in my room, so once again thankyou. Please pass this email on to whoever assisted in the making of these items.
Once again Thankyou

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Dear Dianne, Heather and Dot,

Many thanks for your wonderful Australian Indigenous art-inspired laundry bag. I was very taken by the colour and animal images of the material - it is a reminder of home whenever I see it in my room. The greens are especially significant as there is not much greenery here!

I am the senior medical officer for the Middle East, and at home I am an Army Reserve GP in Port Macquarie NSW. This is my third deployment to the Middle East, but the first time I have been fortunate enough to be given a laundry bag, so your beautiful gift is very gratefully received.

I know that all of the ADF members who receive laundry bags or quilts from people back home in Australia are very happy to know that the public supports the work we do in service of our nation, and appreciates the sacrifice of our families who carry on with life at home while we are away. It is hard being away from my wife, daughter and son, but I know that they are proud of us all.

Thanks again for all the effort you all put in to making the wonderful laundry bags and quilts.

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G'day Noelene, 

I've recently received a care package and a wonderful laundry bag from yourself. 

I thank you very much. I've put the bag to good use already and your packet of minties went down a treat as I shared them with my colleagues. 

I work in the deployed Army hospital as a scientist and I myself live in Brisbane. I'm missing the mild weather of the coast as you put it in your letter. It's exceptionally hot here in the desert. (Who would've guessed) 

Again, I think you for you care package and sincerely appreciate your letter 

Regards, 

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Hello Maxxi,

I would like to thank you for my fantastic laundry bag you made for me it's perfect.

The quilts and laundry bags are bringing so much joy to all deployed members here and the efforts being made to create them is amazing.

I showed my daughter on Skype and she loved the Jets and Australian Flag.

Again I thank you as it's the little things that really make our day over here.

Regards  
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Good Morning Anne, 

I am the lucky nursing officer to have recently received a lovely laundry bag from you.

Thank you very much for your time and effort, it is a great bag.  The Australian Wild Flowers are beautiful and it’s the perfect size for my laundry hook. 

It sounds like you have also brightened many of our soldiers days! (Mine included). 86 other laundry bags is impressive!! 

Thank you for sharing your story.  I really enjoy hearing peoples connection to the military and other Australians in general,  we all have a lot in common and a lot to offer each other.  It seems sometimes we are all a bit too busy to make those connections.  I got to sit down and read your letter with a lovely cup of tea, so thank you for that experience too. 

To hopefully give back a bit of my story here it goes. 

My time here in Taji has been spent at the hospital working in the sick parade and being part of the resus team, thankfully we have not been too busy, but there is enough primary healthcare to keep us chugging along. I am now a month in and still enjoying all of the activities and work that is keeping us here.  It is my first deployment so I expect my enthusiasm will be pretty high for it all.  We have a great team and everyone is making sure we are all keeping safe. 

Thank you once again for your effort and for thinking of us. 

Have a wonderful day. 

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Hi Kaye,

Thankyou so much for the parcel it means alot to receive a gift and positive message over here. A little about me I grew up all over our beautiful country spending half my life in qld. When I was 25 I decided, I wanted to really challenge myself by joining the RAAF I have now been in 6yrs. 

The first months in basic where difficult and unearthed so many strengths in my personality, I never knew I had and have till this day I'm still uncovering more. I then spent 7 months in employment training before posting to amberley in qld. Since then I have completed numerous exercises and I nearing the end of my 2nd overseas deployment.

Since beginning my career I had never stepped foot off Australian soil, I have now worked in 3 different countrys and vacationed in 6.  The world is a beautiful place and I know have the travel bug.

Back home my hobbies are really just doing and achieving new experiences, as to open my eyes to the unseen world that we live in. I try something new every week, sometimes good, sometimes not so much haha. I have skydived, bungie jumped, climbed mountains, snowboarded down others, taken helicopters rides through the grand canyon and sailed yachts in the seas off greece and croatia. 

I will finish by saying even though we keep our country safe, kind hearts like yours, is what makes our country feel like home. 

I cannot commend you enough for the selfless effort and time you took with every stitch. 

Regards

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XXXXX sent me this photo today, she loves her quilt and laundry bag!

Thank you Jan-Maree, Margaret W  and Aussie Heroes Quilts, you are Aussie heroes too!

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Hi (rally)Ally,

I think this was meant to be. I work in the operations room here in Malaysia where I got my new laundry bag. I’ll admit I acted slightly selfishly since I was tasked with handing the big pile of bags out to the company. Naturally this meant I had first dibs! I was immediately drawn to the WW2 planes bag as I’ve always had a keen interest in aircraft and engines, it lead me to my profession of becoming a Vehicle Mechanic in Army.

To my surprise a fellow car enthusiast is the creator of the bag! I’ll tell you a little more about myself. 

I’m a 33 year old Sergeant and I live and work in Townsville, I’m married to my wife who works at the local shopping centre and we have 3 kids, 12, 10 and 6. I joined the Army when I was 19, learned my trade and was qualified by 22. I posted to a Brisbane unit and was in Iraq by the end of that year, I had my 23 birthday there. I stayed in Brisbane for another 5 or so years before posting to Melbourne on promotion and deployed again but to the Solomon Islands this time on peacekeeping, from there I ended up in Townsville where I’ve remained for the past 4 years. I received a call in late May from my boss told me about a position in Malaysia that he felt would ‘improve my career profile’ .. what do you say to that?. I talked it over with my wife and here I am. It was a larger commitment by her than me, she’s a superstar. She  and I decided to knuckle down in 2018 and get ahead so here we are. I’ll be home in 6 weeks and I’ll do my best to take the pressure off.

Thank you for the bag Ally. This is my fourth international engagement with Army and receiving something like this certainly has been a first. It’s a great morale booster to receive such a thing and read about the good people who create them. I hope you continue to do so into the future.

Thanks again and drive safe!

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Attached is a photo of my quilt taken in front of the Boxing Kangaroo on FOB Oqab. Thank you to Raeleen and Pennie for the amazing quilt and laundry bag that have made so many of our coalition colleagues  jealous of what you do for us. Also thanks to XXXX the USAF Public Affairs reporter for the amazing photo

RAELEEN Photo 

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Hello Fran,

You made me a wonderful laundry bag whilst I was deployed to Afghanistan last year. I am sorry it has taken me this long to email you it's just that I thought that I lost your letter but going through my belongings just now I found it!!

I cannot thank you enough for the support you have shown me, it means a lot to receive something hand made by an Australian while so far from home.

Since returning home to Australia I was posted from Darwin to Adelaide and have since discharged and planning to buy a house and settle in Adelaide. Originally I am from NSW but there is something about Adelaide that I just feel so comfortable and at home here.

Once again thank you for what you do and please keep up the good work it means a lot to the men and women receiving your hand made goods. 

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Anne,

          Thank you so much for the lovely quilt, it has really brightened my room and makes me feel so very much more at home.

I plan on building my own home when I return and very much look forward to having a few of my personal items around. While living here may be without some of the creature comforts of home, it's the little things that put a smile on your face and make a huge difference. I have met some fantastic people and hope they will be in my life well beyond my time here. They too have been lucky enough to receive hand made items, care packages and letters from people like yourself who take the time to brighten someone else’s day.

We are ever so grateful for the love and support we receive from home.

Good luck with your next project. I'm sure it will be fantastic and treasured by the lucky recipient, as I will always treasure mine.

Thank-you again.

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Hi Ruth,

Thank you so much for lovely Laundry Bag you made for me, you did a fantastic job on it.

The deer look great on it and it is in full use now, full of clothes that need washing.

I appreciate it and it is nice to have colour in my room instead on the military version of a laundry bag.

This is my second deployment in 2 years and hard been away from the family for 6 1/2 months per deployment. I think I will have a rest from this after I get back.

I'm married and have 2 older boys in college in the Army in Canberra, they are enjoying the training and study so far.

My third son is 13 years old, I miss him very much along with my best mate my wife of 23 years.

Once again, thank you, the bag will be used every day while away and many years to come.

Kind regards,
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Hello Shirley,

I hope this email finds you well :)

Brighten my day you did indeed with your beautifully made quilt and laundry bag! They are absolutely wonderful and I can't believe they're mine! Thank you so much for incorporating my ideas into them both, especially the quilt, I was a little teary thinking about the thought and workmanship that went into creating it. Not to mention I am the envy of many of my work colleagues!

I have done 11yrs in the Army now. Much of this time was on deployments overseas and I would occasionally see quilts made by Aussie Hero's but was never told how I could get one of my own. It has taken many deployments but I now have my very own :)

I will be returning to Australia soon and I am very much looking forward to this. I will take a few weeks off to see my sisters and my mum and then will be back at work again, saving my leave for Christmas time.

Best be getting back to it. Please know that I am very thankful that you choose my quilt and laundry bag to design and make. They will always be treasured by me and will certainly be one of the first things packed on my next deployment.

Thank you for donating your time and effort to Aussie Hero's.

Best wishes from afar,
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What a lovely bunch of messages. 


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

Jan-Maree xx