Grati-Tuesday 30 June 2020

Does everybody know what time it is???!!

That's right team; its Grati-Tuesday!!!!!!  (insert flashing lights with bells and ringers - you know Price is Right style.....) hands down the best day of the working week! 😎

Gab a cuppa and a Tim Tam and have a read, some good ones this week. 

If you are below the Tropic of Capricorn, stay warm! 

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Sent via the AHQ Facebook page:

I just wanted to pass on my thanks for a wonderful quilt I received. It came at the right time to bring a smile to my face and make my bed a bit more comfy. 

Thank you all so much.

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Sent via the AHQ Facebook page: For Anna - 

It is absolutely fantastic..many thanks I am truly humbled

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Sent via the AHQ Facebook page:

Just wanted  to thank you all so much so love my quilt  and my  LB. Made my day.

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Today I received my Aussie Hero Quilt and I LOVE IT!!! Thank you so much Aussie Hero Quilts and the amazing ladies that volunteer their time to make us feel more at home while away from our family. It means so much to us all

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Dear Bridget,

 A email to acknowledge yours and Aussie Hero Quilts’ kindness and generosity.  The arrival last week was  a very pleasant surprise!

 This is my fifth tour of the Middle East Region.  It is by far, safer and more comfortable than my tours in Iraq and at sea but it remains a dynamic security environment, conflated by the myriad of challenges presented by COVID19. It’s been at times a challenging but overall rewarding endeavour.   

In a few short weeks, (and after quarantine), I looking forward to reuniting with my family.

 Sincerely.

 Yours Aye,

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G'day Jenny A,

I would like to pass on that of my sincerest and greatest gratitude for the amazing Herc Laundry bag you had made for myself. I will admit, I had no idea It was going to be such an awesome and amazing gift, from the perfect embroidered Herc to the RAAF Roundel the attention to detail is second to none. I greatly appreciate your efforts, it has so placed a large smile on my face just when it was needed.

Highest regards,

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Hi Leanne,

 I received the quilt and laundry bag that you made for me today. They are absolutely wonderful, you have done a fantastic job and I am so very thankful! The quilt especially is a welcome comfort being so far from home. When the weather starts to cool down in a few months I’m sure I’ll be rugged up underneath it, even if it means cuddling up with Sylvester Stallone. 😊

I hope that it rains for you soon; I come from South East Queensland and my Aunt used to run a farm out at Roma, so I know how much of an impact a dry spell can have. We get a little rain over here every now and then, but it’s been very windy lately and it’s starting to get warmer so I suppose we won’t see much more for a while.

 I’m so glad that you’ve found a productive way to spend your i-sew-lation (great pun, by the way). A few of my friends have received quilts as well and we absolutely love it when they arrive in the mail. 

 I hope the borders open up for you to be able to visit your mother soon. I know how you feel having missed her birthday and Mother’s Day (I’ll miss all three birthdays, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day this year). Luckily for us, I’m sure our loved ones know how much they mean to us, and being far away doesn’t mean we love them any less.

 Thank you so much for your gift and letter, your jokes especially gave me a smile. It’s kindness like yours that reminds all of us here why we do this job, and it makes it all the more worthwhile.

 Look after yourself, and best of luck with the borders,

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Good evening Joy

I was very grateful to receive a Harry Potter laundry bag before being deployed on our last operation.  My wife is a big Harry Potter fan and I'm sure she will be jealous of my new acquisition next time I see her.  Unfortunately, she moved to Vic before the Covid lockdown and I am in WA so it's been a few months since we last saw each other.  I'm sure we'll get together again soon enough.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for all the work you have put in to making quilts and laundry bags for our deployed defence personnel.  It is most appreciated.

Regards,

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 Good Morning,

I am currently in the Australian Army Reserves as a Riflemen and I have been serving for just over a year now. I was given the opportunity to take part in OPCOVID19 ASSIST which I have been working with the police at their vehicle checkpoints since the start of April. 

I am extremely grateful for your efforts in supporting the ADF and I appreciate the laundry bag that I received especially being able to pick out the Harry Potter Laundry bag which I am quite a fan of :) 

Thank you for your support to the ADF!

Kind Regards,

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Good evening Philomena 

I was just writing this email to thank you for making my quilt it looks amazing and is very comfortable, it was very nice reading your storey of you growing up, doing scouts and getting into sewing. I cannot thank you enough for bringing a little bit of home here for me to enjoy. 

Kind regards 

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G'day Beverly,

Thank you for your beautiful quilt, I love the detail in it. It's all I dreamed of and more. It will take pride in place in my room.

This is my fourth deployment but my first time to the middle east. I am currently an Army reservist.

The quilt has come at a good time in the trip and has brought some colour to my room. Thank you again for the countless hours you must have spent making it. 

Best wishes,

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Good Afternoon,

 I was only recently made fully aware of you via one of our Chaplains, when I saw a post of your quilts on a deployment page (Facebook) and then discussed your quilts with my son who is currently deployed on HMAS Toowoomba.

I just wanted to say Thank you, thank you to all your sewers. As a quilter and sewer myself, I know the dedication and love that is put into every project. I mean during Lockdown, I whipped out several projects. Not much to do when churches are closed!

As the wife of a soldier, mum to a sailor and a soldier I know what it’s like for them to be away from home and I know how the items I have personally made for them give them great comfort when out in the field or on deployment or long sea exercises. I know my son took his crocheted lap rug that I made for his 18^th with him during operation RIMPAC last year!

So Thank you for giving our service men and women a little piece of love. It is wonderful. Truly beautiful. All of you have hearts of gold.

Kind Regards 

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Hi Ruth,

I have just received the wonderful laundry bag you made for me.  Thanks so much, it really made my day. 

 Our issued laundry bags are flimsy and need to be replaced often, but I can see this one will last me a long time.  It will remind me, not only of the deployment, but of all the great people back home that support us. 

 I chose bees because we don’t see them on the ocean, obviously, and I have a big rosemary bush in my front yard at home that the bees buzz around happily.  It’s amazing how much you miss the little things when you’re in situations like this. 

 I hope you are keeping well in these uncertain times.  Thanks again for the lovely gift.

 Cheers,

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Hi again to all of our friends at AHQ,

Just received another three post bags (two directly from you) of laundry bags. So again on behalf of the COMD of Task Group West, BRIG Peter Moore and myself, thank you very much for your fantastic work in making and sending the Laundry Bags over to the west to support the service women and men who have been doing a great job working with the police and the WA State Government in containing the virus.

The last of the bags will almost certainly be handed out tonight. As we have gone from Amber to Green, there are only a small number working full-time for Task Group West. That is a good thing as it means that COVID has not made significant inroads into the community. Our prayer is that this will remain so.

 So again thank you for your wonderful support to the soldiers, sailors, the airmen and airwomen of the Australian Defence Force.

Kindest Regards (and blessings on and Jan-maree especially)

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Good evening Jo,

Thank you so much for my amazing laundry bag! I absolutely love it! I also have a 3/4 watercolour tattoo sleeve of Disney princesses in pin-up style.

Thank you for taking the time, care, love and attention to make this beautiful piece for me. It means so much to receive something so special!

I have attached a photo of the laundry bag on my bed cover, that my Mother-in-law sent me.

I hope you are keeping well and staying safe. Thank you for your efforts in making a little piece of home for us while we are away, you’re amazing!

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I have received a beautiful quilt and laundry bag from Aussie Hero Quilts. Thank you so much to Jan Maree and her wonderful helpers. You are all doing a fantastic job, boosting the morale of our troops, both here and on overseas assignment. 

Many thanks. 

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Dear Bridget,

 

I just wanted to pass on a short note to thank you (as well as Arizona, Joy and Kerri) for the amazing quilt I received yesterday.

 

The thought and skill that has gone into the quilt’s creation is amazing! To know a number of volunteers back home are thinking of the men and women like me deployed at this time, creating this and other uniquely designed, handcrafted quilts is truly appreciated.

For me, what makes this quilt even more special is that I didn’t order it …. it would appear one of my very considerate teammates over here may have placed the order for me (an equally very touching gesture)!

  

For your awareness I am currently deployed to the Middle East Region , having deployed from home last year.  Upon arrival I experienced lows of -11, while now we are routinely at 25, tracking slowly towards 35 to 40 in the coming months. undertaking our mission has been somewhat challenged by COVID-19 precautionary measures; however, we are continuing to work on unique ways to get it done. I am extremely proud of the resilience our young soldiers have shown and their ability to maintain a positive outlook. Morale is surprisingly high! The return of the NRL to TV (and shortly the AFL) has certainly made a difference, with traditional inter club banter returning and creating a sense of normality as we all huddle around the tv in our recreation room.

 

As we are unlikely to get an R&R break during our rotations due to quarantine restrictions (both here and at home) I am certainly looking forward to getting home at the end of the year and being reunited with my amazing wife and two beautiful daughters (3yo & 6yo). Prior to deployment we moved to NSW for family support. Whilst I know I am missed, the close proximity to the beach and extended family  has certainly eased the pressure.

 

As I understand life is slowly returning to ‘normal’ back home. I hope, as we slowly adjust as a community, you and your family are able to get back to doing all the social things you have recently missed and your two children are able to access more job opportunities.

 

Once again thank you for the amazing quilt, I’ll keep it on my bed to add a little colour to my room and hang it in the recreation room on match days (thank god the footy is back!)

 

Regards,

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Dear Rachel,

I am emailing to say thank you for the amazing laundry bag that I received from you. I am really appreciative and it is a great boost to morale when we receive things such as this.

 Currently I am posted to HMAS Canberra andwe have recently started a deployment around the pacific. It will be a long and arduous deployment as we will not be allowed to step ashore in any ports due to COVID-19. The next time  I set foot on land will be back in Australia . Things such as what you have done does help us get through these times.

 I hope you are well

Thank you again.

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Dear Jan-Maree and Jo,

The amazing quilt crafted by the Coffs Harbour team; Jo H, Dorothy and Kath  has arrived.  

 Jo, It has certainly met the brief, has given me a lot to smile about, added much needed colour to my room and made me think of home.

Also significant  my daughters first birthday was at the same time, I look forward in the future to explaining to her how the quilt came to be created and the work of Aussie Hero Quilts.

 It is not lost on me the effort that goes into these quilts and laundry bags, my mum has casualty quilted for years and I can certainly appreciate the thought, time and labour that has gone into my quilt.

 Aussie Hero Quilts is an amazing initiative, by now many quilts and laundry bags have arrived and I have seen first-hand the positive impact they have on the members who receive them, it is true to say that they bring a lot of soul to someone’s room.

Again thank you for all of the work that has gone into this quilt and all of Aussie Hero Quilts

 Best and Kindest Regards,

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Steve's laundry bag arrived today! It is beautiful and so many of the elements of his service have been included.

He was thrilled to bits when he showed it to me.

My sincere appreciation for the work that you and your those that sew these do to acknowledge the service of our soldiers, sailors and air force personnel.

I can't thank you enough.

Kindest regards,

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Hello Ruth

I was going to write you a hand written letter and send this photo, but I didn’t want to risk it getting lost and you not knowing how much this made my day!

I wanted to make sure you knew how much I love this, and appreciate every small detail!

It’s absolutely beautiful, to be honest I think that’s an understatement! I get the biggest smile every time I look at it!

My Nana is also a part of Aussie hero quilts, and gets great joy out of it and I also tell her how much these things brighten our day and make us feel so loved and special!

Thank you for taking the time to make my laundry bag, it is perfect!

Kind regards,

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Dear Helen,

I am writing to express my immense gratitude at your generous contribution of personalised laundry bags for the crew of HMAS Wollongong during these unprecedented times. 

The laundry bags were extremally well received by my crew and have almost instantly replaced all Navy standard issue bags Wollongong.

Not only are they very useful to have in our communal living spaces, they also service as a reminder to the young men and women onboard that there is a support network of devoted individuals ashore, such as yourself, that appreciated the sacrifices they make in service to the nation. They have also provided my crew with an appreciation of the support ordinary (and extraordinary) Australians provided on the home front to enable us to maintain moral afloat. 

Our recent patrols have seen Wollongong tasked with preventing the spread of COVID-19 across internal borders and into our regional ports and venerable indigenous communities in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait. We will son deploy again shortly after a brief maintenance period in support of similar operations. 

On behalf of the crew of Wollongong, please accept my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for your kind contribution and support to all Defence personal serving away from home.

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Dear Philomena,

My initial preference was to write a letter back to you. However, due to the current circumstances I do not think it would make it to you in any acceptable time. I hope this email suffices.

I had the absolute unique pleasure of receiving your wonderful quilt!

So firstly, thank you so much for the quilt and for committing your time to support serving members. Your support of deployed members is appreciated more than I could express in an email. Having something unique made just for me, is very special and receiving it while deployed is a wonderful reminder of home and provides comfort knowing we have people back home are

thinking of us, even in these current trying times.

Also thank you for the tim tams and lollies! I would love to say they will be slowly appreciated, but I brought them into the office where I work with a bunch of Americans and they disappeared very quickly!

Your letter was also appreciated and it was lovely to hear about your life and that you have had so much experience within the Middle East Region.

Again thank you so much! It's just a pity I won't be able to use the quilt while I am here as it is over 40 degrees every day at the moment! Which I am sure you understand after living in the Region for so long.

It is a pleasure to serve our wonderful country and it is a great pleasure

to have people like yourself supporting us through so many different and

helpful ways. I appreciate your 'Mission from God'!

Kindest of Regards,

PS. Attached is a photo of me with the quilt out the front of my room. It was about 44 degrees at the time of photo..... Unsure if I will be able to handle it as to gets even hotter over the coming month!

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Hello i just received my Quilt for FPE 13 and what can i say other than i absolutely love it thanks a million we appreciate it

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random quilts for Soldier On

Yoga Classes 

Recently Jan-Maree received a request from Soldier On.  They run a yoga

class for veterans on a regular basis and at various points during the class

they lie back to cool down or warm up (I am not a yoga expert) and it is

nice for them to have a blanket of quilt to keep warm under.  I was asked if

we had any quilts we could spare for this purpose.  There are many ways to

support our veterans, letting them know that their service is valued and

this is but another one.  Recently the quilts were collected and delivered

to Soldier On in Canberra. Today I heard back from them and the message

read, in part....

I really can't thank you enough for all the wonderful quilts.  Barry

delivered them and I had the great pleasure of presenting them to the

Frontline Yoga Group yesterday.

Everyone was overwhelmed with the generosity of you and your lovely team.

David who runs the class along with Felicity, is a very talented

photographer and took the attached brilliant photo.

Please pass on our sincere thanks to all the quilters who gave up their time

to produce such amazing work, we are so grateful to you all.

Take care.

This message was posted on FB by Chaplain Troy. 

Such a privilege to present a Poppy Quilt on behalf of Aussie Hero Quilts to Mrs Ann Gordon, the widow of Air Commodore (Rtd) Ian Gordon AM. Thankful for their long and distinguished service to our nation (and thank you to all the volunteers that serve to make up this beautiful charity)

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Till next week!

Kylie