I have had a number of requests to publish my speech from Saturday night so here it is.
As it would be a bit boring without some pictures, I have included some of the people mentioned where I had photos.
Good
evening and welcome to the eighth Aussie Hero Quilts Annual Thank You Dinner.
Please
allow me to extend a very warm welcome to our distinguished guests,
Vice
Chief of the Defence Force, Vice Admiral David Johnston AO, RAN and Mrs Belinda
Johnston,
Chief
of Navy, Vice Admiral Michael Noonan, AO, RAN and Mrs Jan Noonan
Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Mel Hupfeld AO DSC, and Mrs Louise Hupfeld
Deputy Chief of Joint Operations, Rear Admiral Jaimie Hatcher, AM, RAN
Former Chief of the Air Force, Air Marshal Leo Davies, AO, CSC and Mrs Rhonda Davies
Regimental
Sergeant Major-Army, Warrant Officer Grant McFarlane OAM and Mrs Tracey
McFarlane
WOFF-AF,
Warrant Officer Robert Swanwick and Mrs Lisa Swanwick
I’d
would also like to acknowledge the support of our recipients, the fabulous
Lancer Band.
To
all the recipients and friends, thank you for coming along tonight to celebrate
the achievements of the Volunteers of Aussie Hero Quilts in the last 12 months.
We
have the best volunteers in the country, without whom Aussie Heroes would be
nothing. Could you please give them a special round of applause?
I
would also like to welcome a very special guest....the very first First Aussie
Hero sits among us. They have chosen, for a variety of reasons to remain
anonymous for now, but this is their first attendance at one of our dinners and
I am thrilled they are here. If they had not trusted me in the first
place, none of us would be here tonight.
No
event like this ever comes together without a lot of hard work. There will be
more thank you’s later in the evening but for the first time ever, this year I
have had an organising committee. Without their hard work I would have
come very close to not holding a dinner.
Susan, thank you for your efforts to make sure we got the best deal and the lowest
price without compromising the quality and for everything you have done today.
FLTLT
Kym, you’re not a recipient, yet, but you saw the value of what we do
and volunteered your services. With your dedication, staff skills and your
knowledge of Defence, you were the driving force of so much that will ensure
tonight’s success.
Michelle, who works with my husband, but if that wasn’t enough you took me on
too. If you all think I’m organised then you ain’t seen nothing til you meet
the organisation ninja. Her attention to detail and commitment to excellence
has also contributed to tonight in more ways than one in spite of my aversion
to all things Budget and spreadsheet.
Their
involvement has been fundamental to the success of this evening and we
would not be here tonight if they had not stepped up and offered their
assistance.
On
the tenth of October 2011 I sent off the email that started Aussie Hero Quilts
(and Laundry Bags) on its way. From that first batch of fifteen laundry
bags and twenty-five quilts came the organisation now commonly known as Aussie
Heroes or AHQ.
This
is our eighth year of operation and we have continued to maintain a policy of
under-promising and over-delivering as we have kept up with the requests of our
troops deployed to the Middle East, our peacekeepers serving with the United
Nations, and more recently managed to support our submarine force, our patrol
boats and our rifle companies in Butterworth.
Last
year we achieved many large scale projects and this year we sent over 800
laundry bags to service men and women in Townsville who put their own needs
aside to look after the needs of their community,
but when I think of this
year’s most meaningful quilts and bags I think of the individual gifts that
don’t necessarily make our blog and social media pages because their stories
are too personal and some are too painful. There are too many to share
but here are just a few.
We
have created more than a dozen Fallen Warrior Quilts this year. One for the
family of Kiwi soldier, Major Aaron Couchman, who died during a posting with us
at Joint Operations Command. It was important to let his family
know that his Australian colleagues and friends, and indeed the Aussie public,
cared.
One is also being prepared for the family of a member who recently
passed away suddenly at work.
Another
Fallen Warrior Quilt went to a little girl whose father died suddenly and it
bears a message saying “Always remember Daddy loves you Midgie.”
Some
were made in memory of members who had passed away in previous years, but whose
loved ones still deserve to know that we appreciate and remember their service.
We
have also created many quilts for compassionate reasons. Life can change in a
heartbeat with a medical diagnosis or a tragic accident. Some of our
recipients are dealing with, or have dealt with, serious injuries, surgeries,
breast cancer, brain tumours, bowel cancer,
leukemia, stroke, and of course,
PTSD. Most recently I presented a quilt to a Navy veteran who underwent
the below knee amputation of his right leg as well as the big toe from his left
foot.
Sonya
is an army veteran whose knee replacement surgery became an amputation when she
contracted a hospital borne infection. She competed proudly in the Invictus
Games in Sydney last year, but when I messaged her just before Christmas, she
had just been Medically Discharged and was really questioning her worth.
In early January she reached out to me because she was in hospital having taken
an overdose. By February she was in hospital in Penrith, a long way from her
home in Darwin, under-going surgery to her amputated knee to repair nerve
damage from a fall. Sonya ended up being in hospital away from family for
about three months, with very few visitors, undergoing repeated operations to
clean out her wound after she contracted a hospital borne infection.
I
was really concerned for her mental state so decided we had to do
something. First came a quilt to brighten her room, then a visit from one
of our volunteers. Next, one of Pennie’s personalised laundry bags to remind
her of her bush home and then an assortment of care packages. In Sonya’s
words “ It’s been a very long and trying 3 months where at times I felt very
lonely and forgotten about. The efforts & kindness you all share
really does make a difference. I am going home happy, feeling loved and cared
about. You have made me smile from deep inside.”
We
have recognised long term serving members who have not had the opportunity to
deploy, as well as veterans of WWII, and the Vietnam era. On Vietnam
Veteran’s Day this year one of our recipients was reunited with a course mate
who recognised his service details embroidered on the quilt that hung down the
back of his wheelchair.
They were able to reconnect and reminisce just weeks
before he passed away. We can do what the Department of
Defence and no corporate entity can do. We can create personal, individual
gifts that our sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen can use on a daily
basis. Each quilt and bag is a tangible reminder that someone, other than
their family and friends, really cares about them and appreciates their
service.
To
date we have given more than 11000 quilts and almost 23000 laundry bags to
members of our Defence Force, including our Defence Civilians.
We
remain the only organisation anywhere in the world that looks after its
country’s serving members in this manner. Our volunteers number between 150 to
250 ......a surprisingly small group which demonstrates amazing generosity and
commitment, and who punch well above their weight when it comes to the volume
of output... but also... the impact they have on the morale of their
recipients... and importantly, the mental health of those they touch with their
gifts of homemade, lovingly constructed quilts and laundry bags and
accompanying personal letters.
We
are a 100% volunteer organisation and I believe we have the best volunteers you
could ask for. Without those of you who sew for us... both here tonight,
and all the others who cannot be here ... we would achieve nothing.
Tonight is YOUR thank you dinner.
Can
I please impose on our uniformed members here to meet as many of our volunteers
as possible so they gain the best possible understanding of the impact their
efforts have.
Every
organisation has costs; packaging and postage, printer paper and ink
cartridges, the upkeep of our quilting machine, fabric, batting, even Timtams
and Minties to go in the parcels. These things cost money and without the
support of many individuals, many of whom are deployed, as well as
organisations such as the Ramsgate RSL, Australia Post and Kiah PTY LTD we
would not be able to continue.
Then
there are those who have provided sponsorship specifically to make sure tonight
is a success. Navy Canteens, CAPT David, Chaplain Troy,
Chaplain Mark, The Defence Bank, Nova Systems, The Latham Club RAAF
Tindal, The Officers Mess RAAF Tindal, The Officers Mess RAAF East Sale, and
SQNLDR Chris V.
I
would also like to thank CAPT Phill Henry, RAN and his team. Phill has provided ongoing counsel and
friendship to me, particularly over the last 12 months, in relation to the way
ahead for Aussie Heroes. Notably Phill and his team, LCDR Ben Robinson and CPO
Michael Wratten, have been instrumental in securing valuable and much needed
corporate support.
We
have the promise of a new and exciting tomorrow. The road to a new future
for Aussie Heroes has been slow and deliberate, with some direction changes
along the way, but now I am confident that we can move ahead with the right
guidance. Deloitte Australia, one of the "Big Four"
Australian accounting organizations and the largest professional services
network in the world by revenue and number of professionals, has come on board
and have agreed to use their pro bono services to enable us to complete our
journey towards registered charity status.
Our
focus will be on longevity and sustainability, rather than becoming a bigger
organisation. I intend to maintain as much of the personal touch
and heart as is possible whilst drawing on the experience and resources of
those on the board. We have exciting times ahead.
We
have a live auction later in the evening with some wonderful items on offer. We
also have a number of terrific silent auction items as well as the
raffle. Please take a moment to look at the prizes on offer.
Every
day our mission is to make sure that OUR Defence Force members know we are proud
of them and that we care. We have been told that receiving an Aussie Hero
Quilt or laundry bag is a deployment milestone. We put smiles on the
faces of our sailors when they feel a long way from home. When times are tough
our quilts and bags remind our soldiers that they are not alone. We aim
to make sure our airmen and airwomen know that their service is something to be
proud of, that it matters, and that we care. Tonight your mission, and I hope
you will accept it with gusto, is to help us to achieve that with every single
generous bid you make. Please partner with us in this mission and bid
boldly.
Before I
hand back to our fabulous MC, I have a surprise for you. We make the quilts and
bags and send them off and rarely do we ever see a recipient receive their
gift, but tonight I am able to make that happen and you will see genuine
surprise as this recipient has absolutely no idea that his wife and some of his
staff have been conspiring with me for some time.
Could Warrant Officer Rob Swanwick please come forward. Rob has been the Warrant Officer Air Force for the last three years. In that time he has been a great supporter of Aussie Heroes and has attended every end of year dinner. Rob is due to hand over that role to Warrant Officer Fiona Grasby in the coming days and it seems only fitting that we recognise his service and his friendship in an Aussie Hero way.
Till next time.... keep spreading the word and happy stitching!
Jan-Maree xx
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