Grati-Tuesday 8 October

It is Tuesday already????   Goodness, you don't want to see my calendar for the weeks leading up to the dinner!  and time is flying by just too fast! Have you got your tickets?  Make sure you dont miss out.  You can buy them from here

 And in the mean time you can check out these awesome messages. 

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Dear Heather,

Thank so much for this beautiful quilt that you made for me. All the boys continually hassle the postman  as everyone is excited to get there quilts/ laundry bags. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw it for the first time. I didn't mention anything about hobbies when I sent in my wishlist. but you nailed it. I like my rifles, I enjoy my archery and I am always down to go hunting deer. Its perfect! The weather over here is hot. Its only just starting to come down from 50 degrees. Thank goodness for the a/c, it goes around the clock and now i have a lovely blanket to keep the chill at bay. I am a sunshine coast boy. Electrician by trade, reservist by choice. It will definitely be nice to get home to my family. Food is better the air is fresher and I won't have to worry camel spiders anymore haha.

Sending you well wishes from a sandy place.

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Dear Sue,

Thank you so much for my beautiful quilt. I absolutely adore it and it is something I will treasure forever.

 I was so excited when it arrived and even more excited to show it off to my friends and family.

I loved hearing your story about your family and 2 spoilt cats. I have 2 spoilt cats called Coco and Maxi. They are both getting old now though, Coco is 17 and Maxi just turned 19! Maxi has almost no teeth so my dad has to make sure he cuts up his food very small s he can digest it Lol!

 I am currently deployed as an administration clerk for task group. My main role over here is to look after all our soldiers to ensure they get their leave. Our task group is made up of a few hundred people in total so getting everyone here was a pretty huge task for me administrative wise.

 I have been here just over 3 months now and it is only just starting to slow down for us. While for the guys it is just starting to ramp up. It's their job to train the soldiers, and just recently enrolled a whole battalion, so they are busy getting the training done while I work in the office. I try to get out and involved as much as I can. It is good to get away from the computer when I can.

 Thank you again for the beautiful quilt. Your time and effort is so appreciated, Thank you so much for all that you do for us.

 Sending all my love to you and your family and of course the 2 cats.

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Good morning Helen,

I’ll soon be taking over as the Executive Officer on board HMAS Broome.

I thought you’d appreciate hearing that the laundry bag you sewed is being put to good use.

This is the first time I’ve come across this organisation and I think they’re great. The bags hanging from the walls certainly add some colour to an otherwise bleak and bland interior design of a warship. I’ll certainly endeavour to keep a few handy so that all new members of the crew can be given one when they post in.

I’m glad to hear that you’re enjoying the access to some of the Bases and Ships that Aussie Heroes is giving you. If you ever find your-self Darwin way, or in the event that HMAS Broome comes to visit Sydney (Which is very unlikely unfortunately as Sydney is home for me too) then please send me an E-mail and I’d be happy to arrange a tour of an Armidale Class Patrol Boat for you.

Thank you very much for the laundry bag (or as we call them in Naval jargon, a dhoby bag).

Yours aye,

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Dear Melissa (I hope this is the right email),

Thankyou so much for the quilt you made me, I really appreciate the time you've taken to put it together so creatively. I'll be sure to use it when I deploy next! 

My whole crew have been so excited for their quilts to turn up, especially myself and i'm thrilled with how it looks. 

Sounds like you invest most of your time with your kids and it shows, they sound like they're heading towards great paths, thanks to you. It'd be nice to spend that much time with family again.

I'll make sure to remember to send you a photo of the quilt on the ship, it gets quite cold in the cabins so it'll permanently be on my bed. 

Thankyou again, and take care,

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Dear Beverly,

I would like to sincerely thank you for the beautiful quilt that you designed, made and sent to me. The parcel arrived this week and it was a wonderful surprise that made my day. The design is great and it had brought lots of colour to my room!

My role is in Logistics and includes planning support a deployed Task Group with administration, life support, movements and supplies. We are well over half way of our rotation in Iraq, due home in December. This is my second deployment to the Middle Eastern Region with the ADF, and my first quilt and personalised laundry bag!

Thanks for letting me know a little bit about you and your family. I am the only serving member in my family. I have one sister who is a school teacher, married with one son, and I have one brother who is a carpenter, married with twin girls and one son. My Mum and Dad live and work on a small property outside of Bathurst, NSW. I am looking forward to seeing them just in time for Christmas!!

Beverly, thankyou again for my quilt. It has taken pride and place in my room over here and it will be a wonderful memento from this deployment.

Take care,

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Good Evening Bridget,

Hope this e-mail finds you well. So sorry for taking forever to write this, life has been chaotic as of late finishing the deployment and coming back into the swing of things at home!

Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for the lovely laundry bag you stitched up for me. It is amazing! All my favourite things, my beloved Sydney Swans, photography and Australia all in one. I will cherish it for years to come, it really means a lot that you took time out to sew this for me, it is a great feeling knowing that us ADF members are so appreciated and supported back home.

Sounds like you have found your true passion in sewing, I can’t believe you even got your 20 year old daughter involved, that is great.

I have a two year old boy, who is a real handful but I love him to bits, and found out very recently we are expecting a baby girl next year! It is so great being home again with the family. The deployment was a great experience and I met some wonderful people but nothing beats family.

Thank you for your dedication towards us ADF personnel.

Kindest Regards,

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Dear Jenny L

Thank you so much for the laundry bag and for thinking of us all over here in the Middle East. It is appreciated and brings a smile to so many faces.

Kind regards

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Dear Cath

Thank you so much for the quilt, goodies and letter, it was a nice change to read something not related to work for a change. I couldn't have thought of a more perfect design than what you created with the quilt. You must be familiar with the heat of the airfields because, as you predicted, the Tim Tams did melt but still remained delicious.

Its actually a piece of luck that your parcel arrived to me, as a buddy of mine found it in a completely different country awaiting me to pick it up. But I guess that's the postal system over here.

About myself, I am originally from the Gold Coast but am now living in Perth. I have two brothers, one who also lives in Perth and the other who is just starting a new job on the sunshine coast. Mum will be happy at least one of her boys is staying close to home as she is still living in the Northern Rivers of NSW. She is currently renovating her house which I am guessing I will be conscripted into when I go home for the Christmas break, many hands make light work as she would say.

Its good to hear that you are putting your sewing skills to good use, with yourself working full time and caring for your animals, you must have no spare time at the end of the day! The pictures of yourself, dog and bird are lovely. My mum had a bird that looked similar to the one in the photo when I was younger. She also has a brown Kelpie that is one of the smartest animals I know of. Unfortunately currently I have no animals of my own as I have no one to look after them when I go away.

Lucky for me it is starting to cool down here, which is a relief. I also come back just in time for summer so it will be back to back to back summers for me!

I hope this email finds you well.

Kindest Regards,

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Good evening Rita, Lou, Sherry, Ryan, Jill, Will, Lizzy, Benny, Rachael, Lawton and Ludo,

I firstly wanted to thank you for the AMAZING St Kilda FC quilt! It looks amazing and is used every day despite how hot it gets here! We have the air conditioner set to freezing so it gets used often. It is an admirable thing you do for us when we are over here and rest assured it is very much appreciated!!!   

You sound like you and your husband Lou have raised very successful children!!!Very busy! Hahaha. But their careers sound exciting!!!! I don’t have any kids, only racehorses!!

I will attempt to send a picture of the quilt in action and again I thank you and your family for all your support you give us. It’s people like yourselves that make our job easier and definitely puts a smile on everyone’s faces when quilts arrive. Some give them to their children while others like myself rub it in to other AFL fans that support other teams (I just wish the Saints would do better)!!! So from everyone that has deployed and received a quilt, we say thank you!!!!!

Hope you and your family keep safe and thank you for YOUR service!!

Regards and appreciation,

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Dear Ruth,

You are now an honorary QUEENSLANDER!! You have absolutely nailed the bag. I could not be more impressed. I must admit the XXXX Bitter side made me very thirsty especially considering the heat here although it is starting to cool down.

Your parcel arrived today 03 Oct 19 and was an unexpected surprise. We still have a few months left but I have come to the conclusion your bag might be too good to use. I have had a few ‘admirers’ comment on the bag so I will have to keep it under lock and key regardless!

I was born and bred in Brisbane but have been living outside Qld for most of my life due to service in the Army. I am currently in living in Canberra and leaving there when it was minus 3 and coming to 50 degrees here was a bit of a shock. Anyways it could be worse!

Thank you for a fantastic bag I am humbled by your generosity and with what you do; it definitely makes a difference to the crew here. Everyone inspects everyone else’s bags and quilts so rest assured yours was a winner even with the types from NSW.

Thank you, your efforts are greatly appreciated.

Regards,......

Hi Debra, Paul, Thomas, and Edward.  

Got my quilt today and immediately put it in my bed. While outside its not cold enough for a quilt we do have airconditioning that gets chilly at night and we cant control the setting so I love it.  Thanks again.  I too dont know much of AFL but I have started following it and as I consider myself a Queenslander I have to cheer for the Lions.  Sydney swans is because my kids like the red and white colours lol.  So the quilt is awesome.  Thanks again for it and it will be the most valuable reminder of this tour for me.  It has been a long, and hot tour and having people like you say thank you it is appreciated. 

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Dear Leanne,

Thank you for the bag and quilt, I could not be more impressed. A big hug to you for your great work! I hope your Zone Meeting with the other ladies went well and you caught up with friends whilst there. I have been to Yamba once about 15 years ago and thought it was absolutely fantastic.

Good luck with your solar panels, they would do well over here as we haven’t seen a cloud in about 4 months but the weather is slowly cooling down. I was born and bred in Brisbane but have been living outside Qld for most of my life due to service in the Army. I am currently in living in Canberra and leaving there when it was minus 3 and coming to 50 degrees here was a bit of a shock. Anyways it could be worse!

Well, thank you for a fantastic quilt and bag I am humbled by your generosity and with what you do and it definitely makes difference to the crew here. Thanks also for the Tim Tams!!!!

Thank you, your efforts are greatly appreciated.
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Hi Lisa!!,

I couldn’t find an email address in the care package you sent me, But I hope this email finds you.

I just got your Care Package today!

Thankyou so so much for the wonderful gesture!!

“Magic the Gathering” is one of my hobbies back in Australia, though I didn’t bring my cards over to the Middle East.

It was such a great surprise that you added a few packs in there with the amazing laundry bag that you made!.

  

You and your team are doing a fantastic job.

All the soldiers spend months looking forward to receiving our bags and quilts.

Thanks so much again

Keep up the outstanding work!

Kindest Regards

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Dear Jenny,

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for the beautiful laundry bag I have received.

I have just completed my initial Chaplain course and was so honoured to receive the bag you have made for me.

Daisies are my favourite flower - so that bag is just perfect!

I felt so proud to receive it!!

Thank you for your kindness and all the time and effort you have taken - it hangs proudly in my house :-)

Thank you also to your family for their service - someone once told me 'we may wear the uniform as serving members - but our families all serve' and I think this sounds true of your family also.

Thankyou again from the bottom of my heart.

Your sincerely,

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Good Afternoon Sandy

I just wanted to drop a quick line and let you know that my Hero Quilt and Laundry Bag have arrived safe. They are absolutely wonderful and exactly what I had dreamed of.
I will send you and your Team a letter soon, but please let them know their work is appreciated and is the envy of our Coalition partners.

Thank you for you devotion and support

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Till next time... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx