Hey all,
I know you are going to enjoy these messages.... Grab a cuppa and have a read......
Dear
Gail,
Firstly
I want to start by saying thank you!! Thank you for my beautiful quilt I
received today. But before I go on about how much I love my quilt, I want to
say how much I appreciate your letter and telling me a bit about yourself. The
moment I opened the package, the first thing I did was read it. It allowed me
to know about the person who has given their precious time to create something
that I will cherish forever. I currently live within the Western Sydney area. So it was great to hear that you
aren’t too far down the road. I love that you have so many interesting hobbies
and enjoy such precious time with your family and have had the opportunity to
travel. As you probably guess I have 2 beautiful children myself, nearly 3 and just turned 4 in June. Still both quite little but very
much a handful, which I wouldn’t change for the world.
My
quilt request had all the things my children love and I wanted to have a piece
of that over here on deployment, because it reminds me of all the times I’ve
snuggled up on the couch with my little cherubs and watched dinosaurs, cars,
the Wiggles and Frozen about a million times over. It was my first time ever
being away from my children since they’ve been born, so having that piece of
home would help make my time here a little easier. This quilt has given me that
and so much more. Your vision is beyond anything I could have ever imagined and
has filled my heart with so much happiness. The work and time you have put into
this quilt is truly inspiring. I absolutely love my quilt and every time I see
it, it puts a massive smile on my face. The moment I unfolded it, it literally
took my breath away and immediately took a photo to send to my husband. His
reaction was “WOW just WOW”. He was just as blown away as I was and amazed what
had been created from only a few ideas. A few photos are attached, with one of
how it looks on my bed. It’s perfect. If that wasn’t enough you even threw in
some Tim Tams and Snakes…my favourite. They have definitely made the other
ladies I work with very very happy J
I
cannot be more appreciative of the time you have given for the members deployed
overseas. You provide us with a creature comfort that is truly personal, to
brighten up our rooms and make the space on deployment our own. It’s these
things that help us get through the tough times when we’re missing our loved
ones and struggling with the time apart. It allows us to take a moment and look
at something that is a reflection of our lives from back home and remember what
we have waiting for us when we return. We are all so blessed to have people
like you that give so much out of the kindness of your own heart. Your
generosity is overwhelming and I will never forget what you have done for me.
Thank
you so much again for this absolutely gorgeous, wonderful, amazing quilt. I
cannot wait to get home and show my children. They will adore it just as much
as I do.
Kindest
regards
.....
G'Day Jan-Maree,
I am writing to say a huge thank you to you and to Sue
Pmr for the outstanding work, you ladies have put into making my Laundry Bag
and Quilt. I am absolutely gobsmacked at the design of the quilt and it now
lays proudly on my bed, adding some much need vibrancy and colour to my
room. As mentioned I kept my idea behind the quilt a surprise from my
wife. She thinks it's absolutely beautiful and was a little bit
sentimental that I thought of a family tree. Furthermore, my kids gasped with
amazement when they saw it on Skype as well.
The people around the HQ love the quilt too as I have shown
it off to all the sections. They too think it was a great idea asking for a
family tree, that's when I threw in the cheeky remark that a lot of people want
military themed quilts and I just wanted to be out of the norm... I received a
few colourful words back (from a couple of mates) with my comment too!
Please pass on my sincere thanks to Sue for her great
idea of the tree, the colours, the indigenous artwork backing and fine
needlework. It is far more in-depth than what I would have done (I was thinking
of a stereotypical tree drawn by a grade two student) the work and thought that
has gone into my quilt would have taken more hours than I could imagine. (the
kids liked the geckos/lizards on the tree trunk too).
I can not be more thankful for the great work that
Aussie-Hero-Quilts do for the troops and now I have a piece of history that I
can pass down to my children, as I hope they do the same til it becomes a
family heirloom.
Many thanks again I am thoroughly impressed :)
Kind regards
(PS What we have covered up in the photo is the names of the recipient and his family)
I am one of the crew members on board HMAS Success who received one of the lovely laundry bags donated to us by Aussie Hero Quilts.
I've
been in the Navy for about a year now as a Midshipman learning to drive the
ships, and on Success since March to complete sea familiarisation coursework.
Sometimes I'd see members of ships company carrying around their own unique,
quilt laundry bags and I thought they were so cool.
So
when I heard that I'd get to have one of my own, I was so excited to see what
comes up. The Mexican themed laundry bag that you created was an obvious choice
as I love Mexican food, fiestas, siestas, all of it! Already it's been put to
good use carrying bulk loads of washing around. So I'd like to give you a big
thank you for your lovely gift.
Keep
up the great work!
Kind
regards,
......
Dear Helen,
I am writing to thank you for your kind and generous gift,
the laundry bag you have made me has certainly been put to good use so far! It
came at a much needed time as my old one was starting to get a few holes in it
and nearing the end of its life.
I read your letter which accompanied the laundry bag and was
pleasantly surprised when I saw that it had come from a fellow Penrith local. I
was born in Nepean Hospital and lived in Jamisontown for several years before
moving up the Blue Mountains to Springwood where I lived until I joined the
Navy in July of last year.
I am a Sub Lieutenant on board HMAS Success and we have
recently returned from completing the international exercise Indo-Pacific
Endeavour 19 which saw us travel to Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia, Singapore and
Indonesia. This was an enjoyable experience, especially as it was my first sea
posting as well as my first overseas deployment. As enjoyable as this time was,
after being away for 4 months there was no better feeling than coming back home
to see my family and friends.
At the end of our deployment our ship decommissioned which
was a privilege to be a part of. After 33 years of faithful service, it was
time to let Success finally get the fitting end that she deserved.
Once again I would like to thank you for your support and
your work for Aussie Hero Quilts. The work that you do is appreciated immensely
by the crew and all serving members of the Australian Defence Force.
Kind Regards,
.....
Kaye,
I was pleased to receive the laundry bag in the mail and I
would like to take the opportunity to say thank you.
You know my name but to tell
you a little more about me – I am currently serving on OPERATION ACCORDIAN in
the Middle East Region. I work in the Headquarters Joint Task Force, which provided
command direction and support to Australian deployed forces all over the Middle
East Region.
I’m from North Queensland and I joined the
Army late 1990’s. I have a Batchelor of Commerce, so I’m an accountant and
joined the Royal Australian Army Pay Corps (RAAPC) in order to be a finance
specialist. I have previously deployed to East Timor and the Middle East in my
finance specialty.
It is challenging time to be away from family and friends,
and I sincerely thank you for your contribution to supporting deployed
Australian Forces, particularly me and the laundry bags you have sent over. All
the troops over here talk about the quilts and laundry bags they have received
and show pictures to one another.
Please know we are doing our best to represent and protect
Australia wherever we may be, so it is very humbling to know that people like
you are thinking of us during these long periods away from our loved ones.
Thanks again
......
Dear Kristie,
Thank
you so much for my laundry bag! It’s absolutely amazing and definitely it the
nail on the head. I am a mad fan of Game of Thrones but I totally think your
record is commendable.
Good Effort!
Two young boys probably brings just as much challenges as my
job does, if not more! I think what you and the Aussie Hero Quilts &
Laundry Bags do is amazing and definitely brings some colour to where we are.
Yes it is bloody hot here and we would love some of your
weather right now!
Again, I can’t thank you enough for my bag! And the tim
tams!
Hope you and your family have a beautiful year!
.....
Dear Clarissa,
I recently was very thrilled to receive your hand-made
laundry bag! I have to say that it’s simply fantastic! I love how you were able
to include some of my passions in the design – rugby, cricket and motorbikes.
Great stuff! And the signature panel from Josh Mann-Rea is very cool and I now
have boasting rights with my dad and father-in-law. Ha ha! A big thank you to
your nephew for helping out there. I see he recently became a father too
– congrats all round.
This is my first deployment, after 26 years or service, and
so being fortunate to receive something special from home was important for me,
and maybe one day I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about it.
So, I’m from Canberra and our family also lives there; we
have three boys aged 15, 13 and 9. My wonderful wife is a part-time high school teacher, and with soccer, swimming and hockey (for her) she has her hands
very full. I’m just over half way through this 6 ½ month deployment and we all
cannot wait for me to get home.
There’s bits of military in my family history. Both of my
parents were RAAF and one of my brothers was a Navy pilot. Both of Mum’s parents
were also RAAF pre and during WWII. Pop was in Darwin during the many air raids
there. In his youth in the 30’s he was in the Light Horse before it was
disbanded. One of Dad’s great uncles was a bomber pilot for the NZ air force in
WWII, and incredibly both of his (Dad’s) grandfathers met in a field hospital
in France as wounded NZ Army soldiers in WWI, before they even had children!
On my wife’s side, her dad was badly wounded in Vietnam and
one of her grandfathers was RAN in WWII. So, putting that all together, it was
a privilege to experience ANZAC Day here whilst on operations. We had a great
turnout for the ceremony, which was hosted by us Aussies and Kiwis, but also
the Brits and Turks who are here, and then we had people come to
participate/watch from Canada, USA, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Holland, Spain,
France and Poland.
Again, thank you sincerely for the bag and your time
and effort to put it all together – it’s hugely appreciated.
Best wishes and kind regards,
P.S. Ooops! I nearly forgot – thanks also for the TimTams
which are like gold over here – Yum!
......
Dear
Bridget
I just received your package from aussie hero quilts
a week before i am to go on leave after being in Afghanistan for almost 5
months. The incredible attention to detail for my extremely specific request
set all the boys to laughter at the classic scene from the castle and was an
incredible reminder of home after a long time away. The boys appreciate
everything you guys do in your valuable spare time.
Thank you for your contribution to our country as a nurse
and for lending your time to create quilts and bringing some smiles to our
faces.
Warm
regards
.....
Good afternoon Ruth,
I received my Laundry bag in the post yesterday and wanted
to say a great big thank you!!
Canberra is my home town, and being away overseas from my
family and friends is hard, so I wanted something to remind me of home. You did
just that. It’s Perfect and definitely brightened my day.
I have attached a photo, I’m in the middle along with my
work family.
Warm regards
.....
And finally, I shared this story on Facebook yesterday but here you are for the Non-Facebookers....
I went to Melbourne to attend the opening of a Veteran’s Advocacy Centre. After all the speeches and the ribbon cutting I was sitting down when a lady walked up to me smiling and said “I’m going to talk to you because you have a name badge on so you must be important”....I think what happened next was she actually read my name and “Aussie Heroes” and she just smiled and said “can I give you a hug? I have one of your quilts!”
She was a reservist and had been in Al Minhad Air Base and received a beautiful horse themed Laundry bag and a Game of Thrones Quilt made by Pennie! 😊
I always tell quilters that you need to meet a recipient to understand how much our defence members appreciate what we do. You will hear it in their voice, see it in their eyes, or feel it in the warmth of their handshake or their hug! And... for me... it never gets old!
.....
Til next time, keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx
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