Grati-Tuesday 31 Mar 2020

Hey all,

Here are the latest thank you messages.  I hope they put a smile on your face as they do mine. 

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On behalf of my partner a current serving member of RAAF when we received this quilt after being admitted into hospital I honestly can not thank all of the volunteers enough ❤

To see my partner smile after the last week was absolutely a blessing in disguise,

Heather g’day!

Firstly thank you so much for the laundry bag. It was quite sorely needed.

You certainly sound like quite an active person and I’m amazed you even had the time. I personally have the swimming ability of a particularly dense rock which works out great in the Navy. Gives me that extra motivation to do my job well I suppose.

Anyway I need to run, food is amazing but the workload is a killer! Thanks again for the bag it’s absolutely perfect.

Have an amazing day and know that you’ve brought a very happy moment to a tough time.

All the best

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Dear Georgina,

I received my quilt and laundry bag today and what can I say, it is amazing and more then I could of hoped for! Ill also tell you a little about myself as well J

I currently live in Perth but grew up on the Gold Coast. I also recently married my wife last year.

I come from a big family of 4 boys and 1 girl with me being second eldest (first to move out of home, which my mum says makes me the favourite son lol) My youngest brother is also in the Navy, eldest and seconded youngest brothers are both carpenters and the youngest, my sister is still in school and wants to be a hair dresser. My mother also would be the happiest mum in the world if we all landed on her doorstep even though we were all a handful growing up and still are.

I joined the Navy straight after finishing year 12 in 2011 and have been serving for the past 8 years and could not have asked for a better career as I love serving my country and the wonderful people back home. The day I joined was one of the happiest days of my life (besides marrying my beautiful wife) and one of the happiest for my mother (not sure whether she was crying because she was happy I was finally moving out) as I was finally doing what I wanted and had planned to do for a long time. I have spent majority of my career over in Perth and have been trying to convince my family to move over as it’s a beautiful place. Now my career has brought me on deployment to the Middle East.

You went through a lot of effort with the quilt and even if you had used the other fabric you chose I still would of loved it! 

You must of went all the way around Canberra hunting for the fabric as I can’t imagine there are many Japanese stores there.

The colours and pattern you chose go perfect together. The laundry bag story gave me a bit of a laugh but it still turned out perfect and my laundry bag has a decorated inside now.

Thank you so much Georgina for going through the effort and all the time spent for making me the quilt and laundry bag. It means a lot to me especially that there are people back home thinking about us. I have already put the laundry bag and quilt to use and will cherish it forever. I have also tucked the note away to keep as well and will get it laminated so it does not get damaged.

I wish you and your family stay safe through these tough times and hope my reply is enough for your generosity.

Sincerely,

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Hello Ruth,

  Thank you very much for the laundry bag and the care package It was very nice. Normally I would write back by hand but due to everything going on at the moment I thought that an email would be the fastest way to get back to you, I wouldn’t want the letter getting lost in quarantine.

  A bit about me, I grew up in the Adelaide Hills. I joined the Navy in 2011 after becoming a qualified carpenter as something different to do and to travel a bit. My wife followed me to Sydney after I completed my initial training and we are still together with a three year old son Oliver. Last year we purchased a home in SA and they live there with our cattle dog Lucy while I am away at sea (closer to our families). When I am not at sea the country life definitely suits us Haha.

  Since I have been in the Navy I have served on different ships and Patrol Boats, this is actually my second time in the Middle East on HMAS Toowoomba. Last time was in 2013 I was on HMAS Newcastle and I conducted Border Operations on HMAS Albany & HMAS Larrakia out of Darwin for just under four years from 2014 to 2018 (very understanding wife Haha). My role is a Communications Information Systems Sailor (CIS for short) our role is to provide all the ships communications so that we can speak to our bosses ashore and our families, it’s a role I enjoy and it keeps me busy.

  Once again thank you very much for the package and I really appreciate the time and effort that you and all your organisation put into the quilts and laundry bags for us it, and it means a lot to have something nice from back home.

Kind Regards,

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Hi Bridget J

I am writing to you to let you know that I have received the laundry bag that you made for me. Thank you very much for the time and effort you have put into producing this for me. I really appreciate it and it will make finding my washing after doing laundry a whole lot easier! It is really morale boosting receiving things like this along with your letter and Tim Tams J

I can definitely relate to having a naughty dog, my girlfriend and I purchased a puppy just before I deployed and she’s currently going through the phase of chewing anything that she can get her paws on. Her favourite things are sprinklers, sunglasses and shoes. But she is adorable so we forgive her pretty quickly. 

I hope you and your family are all staying safe with what’s going on in the world at the moment.

Thanks so much again J  

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Hi Ruth,

I hope this email finds you and your family well during these unprecedented times.

I received a lovely surprise today. Thank you so much for the laundry bag. It is absolutely wonderful.

It certainly does brighten our day here and gives us the opportunity to stop and reflect on our homes and families back in Australia.

Thank you so very much for you support.

It is my absolute pleasure to serve our wonderful country.

Take care of yourself and each other,

Warmest regards,
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One of the last face to face presentations I did was to the Chaplaincy Course. They loved their personalised laundry bags and here is one of the thank you messages we have received.
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Hi Robyn,

I’ve finally found some time to reply to your letter and say a massive THANK YOU for making my Laundry Bag!!!

I love it!!!! And the bible verse is one of my favourites!!! I’m pretty certain I had a bookmark similar to what you gave me when I was a child.

We all shed tears as we were presented our bags…. Seeing the beautiful handiwork and effort that went into each one. We all felt very honoured to receive!!!

You are right about me serving before becoming a Chaplain.

I joined as a 19 year old in 2002 and served for 10 years as a Clerk before receiving a scholarship through RAAF to become a Chaplain.

I deployed to Iraq in 2003 however Aussie Hero Quilts weren’t around then!!!! I could imagine what a special blessing the quilts and bags are to those also deployed.

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Hi Kate

I cannot thank you enough for my laundry bag it is beautiful and it is such a perfect design to remember my first deployment by. I really appreciate your hard work that you do for all of us over here, it is something we all look forward to receiving.

I have heard the fires have all been declared contained at the moment which is great news it was devastating seeing it all over the news and how much people have lost from them. I am looking forward to returning home and visiting the small towns to support the communities and small businesses still running.

I am 24 years old and am a Personnel Capability Specialist. It was great to be posted there with my family. I have the rest of this year there then hoping to be posted to Darwin.

Thank you again for your time and thoughtful design of my laundry bag.

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Dear Beverley F,

Firstly, thank you so much for the quilt! I absolutely love it, it truly captures my biggest loves in life. The choice of colours is fantastic, the hiking and diving with the look of sunset in her background is beautiful. You are phenomenally talented and I feel so privileged to have received one of your quilts.

A little about me, I was born and raised in Brisbane where I also went to university and studied robotics engineering. I joined the RAN in 2012 and on completion of all my training I was posted to HMAS Parramatta, an ANZAC Class Frigate where I conducted my Assistant Engineer time. From here I posted to Canberra for a couple of years before being given the opportunity to deploy here to the Middle East.

My grandfather was a Bristol Beaufighter pilot in the RAAF during WW2 and served mostly in the Pacific as he had lived in Singapore and escaped during the fall. My Uncle served in the RAN during Vietnam and was a stoker on HMAS Sydney whilst it was the Vung Tau Ferry. Both of them spoke of their time in the service very fondly, which convinced me to join.

Again, thank you for the beautiful quilt.

Yours sincerely,

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Hi Jenny,

Thank you so much for my laundry bag. It is amazing and definitely too good to put dirty laundry in – I am the team Medical Scientist.

In my limited down time here, I go to the gym, read and socialise. When at home, I like to spend my spare time with my family and friends and enjoy running and swimming.

This is my first deployment and I have found it so far to be an amazing experience. I have made lots of friends for life from all over the world and love my work here. I enjoy hoe close the medical team is and how we work well together. I get to see the other side of health care here and get to work in a lot closer with Doctors and Nurses than I would get in a civilian job back in Australia.

Thank you so much,

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Dear Jenny P,

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for the gift. I greatly appreciate the effort and time you have put in to making the laundry bag. A s you are probably aware, RAEME has a large esprit de corps and the laundry bag clearly represents the colours and the Corps very well.

I was born in Sydney, NSW, but spent most of my childhood growing up on the Gold Coast, QLD. My background is mechanical engineering and I am the workshop Platoon Commander for the 5^th Batallion, The Royal Australian Regiment in Darwin.  I am currently deployed in Iraq. I am having a ball and loving the new experiences I share with some great Australian and New Zealand service men and women.

My partner and twin brother are in the Navy and between us, we have had our fair share of experiences. We do not necessarily look at our service as a sacrifice but rather an experience of a lifetime. We share a common belief that the people that we work for and with are just normal people that do extraordinary things which inspire us all in many different ways.

I personally believe that anyone who sacrifices the little things in life in service to helping others, without the need for recognition, are truly Australian heroes, which I’m sure is reflected in your 20 years of nursing. And for that, I thank you.

It is people like you that our Australian and New Zealand soldiers represent at home and overseas. So with all this, I thank you for the gift and I hope this letter finds you well.

Best wishes for the rest of the year and I wish good health to you and all of your family.

Sincerely, 

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Dear Jenny,

Thank you very much for my RAAF laundry bag. As one of the very few RAAF personnel where I am, the blue stands out against all the Army ones. The colours have certainly brightened my week. The RAAF camouflage pattern on the back matches my uniform back home. At the moment I’m wearing Army green. I will take a photo of it to show my wife and two daughters back in Canberra.

I’ve typed this letter because many of my colleagues complain that they can’t read my handwriting. 

Yes, being away from family can be challenging but modern communications such as WhatsApp make connecting back to home quite easy compared to when I was in Afghanistan ten years ago. Back then we used to queue-up to use land lines much like you would see in a prison movie!

My parents, who are in their mid-80s now, retired to Lemon Tree Passage on Port Stephens and we often drive past the central coast and occasionally drop in for a swim to break up the journey or to cool off.

Once again, I express my genuine thanks for your gift and please pass on my thanks to all your fellow Aussie Hero Quilters. Whenever someone gets a package from your quilters we all gather round to see it opened and compare our gifts.

Regards,

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Good Afternoon Ellen,

Firstly I want to thank you for my gorgeous quilt. You absolutely nailed the pink theme and the aircraft add the perfect finishing touches – THANK YOU! I have been away since Oct 19 and was due to return home in the next few weeks, however due to the Covid19 pandemic we have been extended with an unknown return date so your quilt has really made me smile when I’ve needed it most J

I love that you are an Army brat, with such an extensive military family background did you ever consider joining the forces?

I am a Navy brat and grew up mostly in Nowra – how small is this world. I am currently based in Canberra but I bring my three young boys (11, 8 & 4) camping in the September/October school holidays every year and my two best friends from school still live in Nowra.. I love coming “home” J

We work some crazy hours, but I am very grateful for the unique experience and the opportunity to travel to places such as Muscat and Bahrain. 

I have attached some pictures for you so I’m not a complete stranger!

Thank you again, I really appreciate the time and effort you put into my amazing quilt.

Take care and good luck with everything happening at home.

Kind regards,

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Hi Jenny

I like to thank you for the quilt it is amazing and far beyond Anything I was expecting. It’s something that I will continue to use while I’m posted to HMAS Toowoomba although once I post off it may be hard for me to stop my 4yr old son from claiming as he is a massive star wars fan as well and has a tendency to seal any of my star wars related stuff. Rest assured that it will be well loved by both myself and my son Atticus for many years to come.

I’d like to thank you for the time and effort you have cleary put in and it is very much appreciated its acts of kindness like this that makes long trips away from home that little bit easier to bear. Thanks for the treats and coffee they are where amazing.

Thank you Jenny and your team for the time and effort in making these trips little easier and giving us a great keep sake to remember the deployment and the support we receive from home
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The quilt arrived today and it is amazing!! Thank you so much for sending it to me! For your information, I had received a quilt during my time in Afghanistan in 2013, and I wanted to request one from my most recent deployment so my twin daughters each had something to remind them of their sacrifice as well as mine. Here is a photo with them each with the quilt, the one on the left is the one from 2013, and you would recognise the other one.

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

Jan-Maree xx