Hello!
The following is a recount of a presentation by Roz G and Heather B. It is great to be able to create awareness of what Aussie Hero's is about and also the logistics of it all. It looks like they had a great day and a lot of interest was shown from the "OWN" group!!
Hope you enjoy reading about it!!
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Roz and Heather – “OWN”ed the Floor
Recently Roz G and Heather B had a little trip overseas – one of the perks of being a recipient and volunteer for Aussie Heroes. Well, now that I have your attention, that is a big exaggeration as our trip was over the bridge to Bribie Island (an hour’s drive north of Brisbane) where we were the guest speakers at a meeting of the Bribie Island Branch of the Older Women’s Network Inc. (OWN). This was held in the very appropriate “ANZAC Room” of the Bribie Island RSL.
OWN is a nation-wide organisation run by, and for older women. It promotes the rights, dignity and well-being of older women and it represents Australia on the United Nations Working Group on the Aged. The group is a non-profit, non-governmental, voluntary organisation. Branches organise events and activities to facilitate an active, healthy & positive approach to older women with inclusive programs to reduce social isolation.
After the necessary coffee charge on the drive, we were soon set up with a display of quilts and laundry bags ready for the talk. Roz looked very important in Army Ceremonial uniform and made an impressive impact!
Best laid plans went astray when we were told the promised projector for our slide presentation could not be located. Hmmmm….How were 35-40 ladies going to see the photos on our two little laptops?
Aha…thinking cables, USB’s, TV….Wait a TV ?….and quickly one laptop was connected via cable and it was all systems go with the slides being shown on a wall mounted TV that all could see.…. Perfect!
After a few Branch meeting formalities, it was our turn to take the floor. First up it was Heather’s turn to introduce the audience to “Aussie Heroes Quilts and Laundry Bags” – why and how it started almost 10 years ago and the impressive numbers we have achieved in that time.
Roz was next, with her photos and first-hand stories of overseas deployment and what a difference Aussie Heroes makes to service men and women when they are so far from home. The effect of “someone I don’t know made this for me….as a token of gratitude …Wow!” cannot be underestimated.
To finish, Heather explained the nitty, gritty of how AHQ works, a few specifics of the quilts and laundry bags and why these are important.
Groups of ladies / friends are a bit renowned for chatting eh? But I can honestly say, you could have heard a pin drop….such was the engagement we had!
There was then a morning tea break, but most of these lovely ladies wanted more information and to see the examples of the quilts and LB’s. We had a “half-made” LB there, so they could see the simple and very effective design. There was also a handout slip that had all the contact information for AHQ, which they all eagerly took…..and lots of conversation and interaction as you can see in these photos
Some ladies were interested in becoming a sewing volunteer, others had fabric they would like to donate.
The suggestion was made that they may like to get together but if they needed help Heather was keen to assist.
You never really know the outcome of these little talks, but one thing for sure is that this group is now enlightened about “Aussie Heroes”! We appreciated the opportunity to talk to the Bribie Branch of OWN Inc. and tell the AHQ story!
Heather B and Roz G
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Well done Ladies. It is such a good feeling of satisfaction when you speak to a group who are really interested and not just there for the morning tea I remember vividly my talks to groups of both men and women and their positive comments and gratefulness for what AHQ is all about
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