I know from my perspective, being apart of this team is really rewarding on a personal level. I wish I had the talent our clever quilters and sewing extraordinaire's have (and everyone involved in the process), but it is really fulfilling being able to be apart at all. I know it's not why we do it, but boy-o-boy I think it's just so special when the messages and smiles come flooding in the email / mail each week.
From me to you, thank you being part of this, whether its placing a request, creating, designing and preparing the beautiful creations, distributing, receiving, sending a beautiful thank you message, following along on social media or sharing the word, our wonderful admin team here or just as importantly, the support team behind each of us as individuals, allowing us to give our time and love to such an important part of our lives.
I hope you enjoy this week's messages as much as I always do. Happy reading! Alex
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Good Evening Jan-Maree,
Our friend received her parcel, it was brilliant. She posted photos on her page, stating it had really made her day and made her feel very loved.
I cannot express how grateful I am to you and your team of artisans. I will forever be indebted to you for making our friend feel still part of the family in more than posts and messages could manage.
Kind Regards.
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Jean,
Words cannot express the appreciation and gratitude I have for you and your friend. You both are true heroes and you have become the highlight of my trip so far. I absolutely love the laundry bag, it is phenomenal and I can't wait to see the quilt. I'm currently 1/3 of the way through my tour here in the Middle East and it is unexpected kindness and selflessness freely given by generous souls like yours that make our time over here significantly better.
Your virtuous deed has blown me away and I have already bragged about it to my family and wife. Back home I'm currently posted to Northern Territory. I live with my wife, married in April just gone, and our pup. I grew up in Queensland. Being from QLD, I hope it means more when I say the NT is the place to be during a dry season. The climate, lifestyle, sunsets, national parks are unparalleled. I didn't know how good it was till I came up here and am now surprised how many Australian's have never been!
I hope you're staying safe back home and know that the work and effort you put in and give to help Aussie Hero Quilts and Jan-Maree is incredible and so so appreciated.
Kind Regards.
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Hi Jan-Maree,
I wanted to reach out and say a big thank you for the quilt that has just arrived. My family and I think it is great! I very much appreciate the time your team have put into producing the quilt - I have sent a thank you email to Beverly. My son, who is currently going through the RAAF recruitment process, has taken a particular liking to the quilt so I am going to have to muscle in to get some time with it!
The work your team do with the quilts and laundry bags is great. Clearly you have invested a lot of your time into this special endeavour. The number you have sent out is amazing. I have no doubt all recipients very much appreciate your efforts.
Again, many thanks for the quilt, it is very much appreciated.
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Hi Alison,
I'm the guy you made the green "Eye Spy" quilt for.
The quilt turned out better than I imagined it to be and it definitely looks like you found every different sort of fabric possible for me to enjoy with my son.
As for the Australian portion of the quilt with poppies, flag and soldiers. It was definitely not too much. It gives the quilt a special touch so he can hopefully in the future understand more why I was away for so long.
Though I am not great at talking about myself, here is a little about me. My family is made up of my wife, my son and I. We have two cats and two super wild Siberian Huskies. Together they all take up most of my time. My wife and I are soon to be 31 and my son 2 and a half. He is the first grandchild on my side of the family, so he gets spoilt more than he should.
We haven't really been affected by the pandemic all that much either, outside of the world toilet paper crisis, which thankfully seems to have sorted itself out now. The worst thing for us, was that I had to go at just an inconvenient time during the start of the panic buying at the height of the drama and not having family near us to help out my wife in my absence. But such is life.
We are a little luckier these days with technology that I can skype with them almost everyday. My son really loved the quilt when I showed him, but I expect in person it'll be a lot more fun together looking for things. I think his favourite so far was the Monster Trucks or the Ninja Turtles at the top.
Hopefully this isn't too jumbled of a letter. I wrote it over a few days, and writing definitely isn't my thing.
Once again, thank you for the quilt and the goodies and hope you and your family are safe and well.
Regards.
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Hi Beverly,
I wanted to reach out and say a big thank you for the quilt that has just arrived. My family and I think it is great. I very much appreciate the time and effort Dorothy, yourself and the WPH ladies have put into producing the quilt. My son, who is currently going through the RAAF recruitment process, has taken a particular liking to the quilt so I am going to have to muscle in to get some time with it!
The work the team do with the quilts and laundry bags is great. The number you have sent out is amazing! I have no doubt all recipients are very much appreciative of your time and efforts!
I have enjoyed my time in the RAAF and have only the fondest memories of all aspects.
Again, many thanks for the quilt it is very much appreciated.
Regards.
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Hilary,
Thank you so much for the lovely washing bag. I got the one with the cats on it and I love it. It's such a nice and thoughtful way of showing support to our defence members, and it is deeply appreciated.
Please accept my thanks and well wishes. A big thank you for sending a piece of Australia to us!
Best
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Good Afternoon Thelma,
First of all thank you so much for the Quilt.
I live in Sydney with my wife and two daughters - 7 and 1.5 years old. I was serving in the Middle East and ended my time away in hotel isolation in return to Australia.
Thank you again for the amazing work, I can't wait to show my family.
Kind Regards.
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Hello Jacqui,
I am the recipient of your Aussie Hero Quilts gift. Firstly, I'd like to say thank you for what you have done, it is definitely uplifting to receive a gift from a random Australian who is thinking about us Defence folk on deployment. I appreciate the time you have time you have taken to design and create this quilt, I hope you will be glad to know it is getting used! It was nice to receive a personalised letter, it makes the gift all the better knowing a bit more about yourself and your story.
A little bit about myself. I am 21 years old and originally from New South Wales. After high school I aimed for a career in Defence and ended up in the Royal Australian Air Force. I have been a permanent member for almost 4 years now and as you now I am fortunate enough to have been chosen to join the Australian Operations in the Middle East. I am currently halfway through a deployment here and time is certainly flying by.
To tell you a little bit about my job, I am an Technician on the E-7A Wedgetail, a surveillance type aircraft based out of NSW. My role is certainly a technical one. To put it simply, my job involves maintaining, repairing and replenishing aircraft, heavily involved with electrical systems and radar systems. I have been doing this role for my entire career and so far am quite enjoying the unique challenges it brings and the fact that everyday is different.
Covid-19 has made the deployment very different to others, a lot of restrictions in place, including using gloves and masks etc. Along with the hot and humid conditions, it has taken some time to get used to, but I am acclimatised now.
Stay safe, and I hope the situation in Australia improves.
Thank you very much for your time.
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Hi Anne,
My husband's quilt arrived today and he is thrilled with it. Thank you so much for everything Aussie Hero Quilts does. You are all amazing x
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G'day Clarissa,
I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciated the time and effort you put into creating the Aussie Heroes Laundry bag for me.
My position while deployed is Air Movements Load Team. We build and load all cargo, vehicles and passengers that move into, through and out of the Middle East.
I am married with one boy aged 7 and an eight month old baby girl. My wife and I grew up together in NSW and have been married for 8 years. We built our first house about 18 months ago which is close to my work.
Thank you once again.
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Good Morning Sue,
I received the lovely laundry bag which you gifted to me via the Army Chaplin last week. I am grateful and am very impressed with the sturdiness of the bag. It is the best one I have ever gotten. I chose your design out of the variety that they had for us. I assure you it will be used and I will think of your nice gesture each time.
Kind Regards.
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Good Afternoon Clarissa,
I just wanted to let you know and say a HUGE thank you for the laundry bag that I have received from you today as a result of me being assigned with the ADFs COVID-19 operations!
I am about to start my stint in the ADF assistance to COVID-19 and it was very much a pleasant surprise upon receiving this bag. Thank you so much! I love both the bright colours of the bag and the pineapples that are on it. It is fantastic.
I have been in the ADF for nearly 2 years now in the Navy. I am loving it and little things such as this make it so much more worthwhile.
Again, thank you very much for all that you, your family, the other ladies and the organisation etc do in supporting ADF members such as myself and volunteering your time to do something so meaningful and special.
Kindest Regards.
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From the Facebook page;
I wanted to forward on my husband's huge thank you to your volunteers especially Lyn R. He received a quilt last week and it made his day so much. It's not only brightened up his room but also given him some extra warmth.
Please forward on his and my thank you to your volunteers as it hugely appreciated.
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Good Evening Marilyn,
Thank you so much for making the Beauty and the Beast Laundry bag. I absolutely love it and it's exactly what I wanted. I showed my daughter, the laundry bag and she loved it. Has asked if she can borrow it when she goes to school camps or something, which of course I said yes.
My Mum, Dad and brothers live in Victoria. I actually grew up in Victoria. My mum is not coping with not being able to see her family. My older brother has two little girls and she hasn't seen them for some time. My sister lives in Western Australia, and we just found out a couple of weeks ago that she is having a baby in Feb. Which is very exciting.
I have been in the Australian Army for almost 15 years and I joined as an Administration Clerk. I met my husband, before he joined the Army and we have two kids together - a son, 12, and Daughter, 11. We currently live in New South Wales and we love it. We have lived in the Northern Territory, Queensland, NSW and Victoria for a time but this posting has been our favourite. 6 months into my posting the kids sat my husband and I down, and told us they no longer wanted to move and they were happy here. I love how we are only a drive to the beach. My husband went for a drive and walk the other day, and saw dolphins jumping around.
Unfortunately due to COVID, we aren't allowed to go home and have our two week break. Most of us are now doing 6 and half months tour without a break, others I have worked with are 9 months. It's been a little bit of a struggle too, as nothing is open here. We are either in our office or in our rooms. The pool has only just opened but they are only half hour slots and you have to book a day before. I have tried to do physical activity before and after work but I am not a morning person and it's too hot ha ha. The weather is so hot and dry, last month it got over 52 degrees and humidity was high. Also, due to COVID, we are not allowed to travel anywhere unless it's Mission Essential, therefore I haven't been able to visit any places. I have however travelled a little bit but that's more holidays than anything.
Anyway, thank you again for the Laundry Bag. I really do appreciate all the effort that you have put into it.
I hope you are well and keeping safe.
Kind Regards.
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Good Afternoon Bridget,
I received the quilt you made recently and I must thank you for the work you have done. It is lovely.
I appreciate the work you and your team put into it. Can you please pass on my thanks to the ladies who made the blocks too?
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Dear Georgina,
I received your quilt today through our mail system! WOW!! I'm honestly amazed. The amount of detail in this quilt is incredible and you've absolutely nailed the colours and design. It is loud and I love it! So thank you very much for that. Your efforts are greatly appreciated. The two symbols on it mean a lot to me.
The quilt will certainly brighten up my room with some much needed colour.
Thank you for your letter too. It's great to know the history and effort that went into this quilt and a background of it's maker.
A bit about me; I'm just over halfway through my deployment and am due home later this year. If all goes to plan, I should be home for an Australian Christmas.
This is my second deployment to the Middle East. I was born and raised in New South Wales and called it home for quite a while now.
Again, thanks to you and your family for all the effort you put into this quilt and you should be very proud of it! It has gone to a loving home!
Yours sincerely,
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Good Afternoon Joy,
I hope this email finds you well and all of your family well.
I am writing regarding to the beautiful laundry bag that I just received along with your letter. I think it is amazing. I think it is amazing what you are doing and you have already made so many so far!
I only recently joined the defence force straight out of high school in New South Wales. I am in the Gap Year Sailor Program in the Royal Australian Navy, but have recently signed up to join permanently as an Electronics Technician and so will be moving from Western Australia to Melbourne for that.
There are not large amounts of females in a few of the roles that I have looked at applying for but those that I have met both in these roles and the many other that I have come across during my adventures around the base would greatly appreciate the extra tribute that you make to them when you add the pink floral mountain fabric to your pieces.
Thank you so much for contributing to such a good cause and I will be sure to make good use of this gift and take good care of it also.
Have a beautiful rest of the day and thank you again.
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Hi there,
My husband received his quilt yesterday. It is the most amazing quilt, we both absolutely adore it. You did a remarkable job, we are very grateful.
Thank you
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Good Afternoon Susan,
Thank you for taking the time to write your letter and making the laundry bags for Australian Defence Personnel, it means so much to me and other members of the defence community.
I have been in the Australian Regular Army over the last 9 years, I am currently deployed in Asia as Physical Training Instructor. My job is to provide physical conditioning, rehabilitation and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle within the current contingent.
This is my first position overseas and i am very excited to be representing Australia, the Australian Defence Force and the Australian Army. I am from Northern Territory where I live with my four year old son. When I return home I look forward to kicking the footy in the backyard, fishing and taking him down to the park. He is growing up so fast I feel like he will be a grown man by the time I return.
On behalf of myself, and the Australian Defence Force, I wish you and your family the kindest of regards. It is a pleasure serving the Australian public and people such as yourself.
Kind Regards.
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