Last week I made a quick trip to Melbourne. On the first night I had dinner with a recipient and several others but unfortunately I did not get any photos. We were too busy talking. All I can say is that he was incredibly grateful for his quilt.
The next day I made the trip out to Dingley to meet Tony (pictured) and Ryan from Victorian Textiles. The company has been supporting us almost since Aussie Hero Quilts started but this is the first chance I have had to meet them and say thank you. It was a great opportunity to show them the photo books of our recipients with their quilts and laundry bags which they were delighted to see. Ryan said that so often they do not see what happens with their products. It was lovely to finally put a face to the name.
Check out their warehouse full of fabric....
That night several Aussie Hero Quilters made it to Di Palma's Restaurant in Kew East for a great catch up dinner. It was easy to tell that I had arrived at the correct restaurant when I saw the three balloons in our logo's colours flying high outside the restaurant!
What a great group! We had a fabulous dinner, wonderful food and great company.
Tanja and Mark Johnston from the Australian National Veteran's Art Museum came along for the night as well and it was just lovely to be able to sit and chat with them about what they are trying to do for our Aussie veterans. Let's hope they get some traction soon on securing a permanent site for the Museum. They have been working on a site... you can check it out here Let's hope they get some traction on this soon.
I had to take this shot.. there were balloons on the table as well as out the front and we could hardly leave them there could we....
On Wednesday another of our quilters, Melissa L, joined me for lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall.
Mrs Rhonda Davies, wife of our Chief of Air Force, hosted a lunch for the partners of the VIPs attending the Australian International Air Show. Melissa and I were invited to represent Aussie Hero Quilts so that we could talk to the guests about how we support our Defence Force.
We took along a few quilts and bags to display and use as props so that people understood what we do.
We also took a couple of the photo books that we use when we showcase Aussie Heroes at Family Welfare Days or Quilt Shows.
It was such an honour to be invited to join the group and share the story of Aussie Heroes with everyone. I was very proud to represent all our volunteers in such a setting.
After the lunch I was straight out of the Town Hall and into a cab to the airport to catch my flight. Whilst in Melbourne I had hoped to catch up with one of our long standing recipients from 2012. Pello lives in QLD and so far we had not had a chance to meet up. She had hoped to make it to the dinner with all the quilters but was working very long house with the Air Show at Melbourne Airport. I thought we had missed out chance but believe it or not she finished work with just enough time to race to the airport and spend the last 20 minutes with me before I boarded my aircraft home!
What a lovely way to end a fabulous trip. Thanks for making the effort Pello!
Till next time... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx
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