How is your week travelling friends? What is keeping you motivated or busy? Work, work and more work for me. I can say living in Sydney (and a little too far from the beach), I am thrilled to know outdoor pools are opening back up next week, so that's where you'll find me - but I must say, I hate crowds and the thought of socialising is a little overwhelming so it might be a few more weeks before I actually indulge in that offering.
Enough from me, hope you enjoy the read!
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Good Morning Kirsten,
Thank you so much for the laundry bags you sent. They arrived yesterday and were very welcome.
Since the COVID Task Group began I've had the privilege of handing out well over four thousand bags to very appreciative recipients. With the sudden ramping up of an extra 300 and now another 500, the demand has well exceeded supply. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to give a sense to our ADF members that their service is profoundly appreciated by Aussie Heroes and others in the Australian community - I don't think they realise how appreciated they are.
It's a great message to be able to give them. Any more bags you are able to send my way will be appreciated and in a month's time, those mounting now will be rotated as well as those who are in motels, and doing a whole range of other tasks at the moment, including contract tracing.
It's such a privilege to be part of this organisation and have such willing young men and women who truly are the very best cross section of Australian society.
I thank you and everyone involved with Aussie Heroes for your generosity and trust I'll continue to have the chance to hand out laundry bags until the COVID crisis is over. Hopefully towards the end of this year.. Who knows?
God bless you.
Thanks again.
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Good Morning.
Just a quick note to say I received my quilt. Thank you very much. It's beautiful.
My partner told me it arrived the other day. So wonderful. I will let the quilter know as well and give her my thanks and appreciation!
Thanks again.
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Hey Sonia,
I am up from ACT, working with the COVID Assist Task Force in NSW. Passing on my great thanks to you and everyone who is making these fantastic bags.
I had to leave so suddenly on Friday, that I didn't pack any kind of laundry bag/tub so this as not only a heartwarming surprise but also very practical.
Best wishes to you.
Stay Safe and Kind Regards
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Good Morning Ellen,
I just wanted to pass on my gratitude for the laundry bags you have made and especially for the one I received.
I am a Flight Sergeant in Air Force. I have been in Air Force for 23 years and currently posted in NSW.
For the next 6 weeks I am on Operation COVID Assist, helping with quarantine of international arrivals.
I apologise for the poor quality of the photo. I took it in my temporary accommodation as a 'selfie' which I am not really good at.
Thank you so very much for the laundry bag. It is greatly appreciated.
Regards
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Clarissa,
Thank you. It truly means so much.
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Hi Rachel and Keryn,
I am writing to thank you so much for the wonderful quilt you made for me. I received it on Friday from one of your volunteers. My wife organised a surprise afternoon tea at the local RSL with 20 guests. It was a lovely afternoon.
The quilt itself is absolutely amazing. Everyone loved it. My wife put it up on Facebook for others to see and it got quite a lot of nice comments. I am going to hang it up on our passage so that everyone who comes to our house will see it.
I admire the work you put into making these quilts. They are all very nice. Our daughter who is still serving member was also lucky enough to receive one of your quilts after she completed a 7 month deployment a few years ago. Her quilt was lovely, but I am biased, I think mine is nicer.
Once again thank you so much. Keep up the good work.
I have included a photo we took as well.
Kind Regards
Just wanted to say a big thank you to all concerned in the making of this quilt and laundry bag.
To the ladies, who made the quilt, and Bev, who made the laundry bag.
My son hasn't arrived back here yet so he hasn't seen them and the accompanying letter is sealed for him to read whenever, but I peaked at the quilt.
A big thank you to Ben for researching my son's Army history when I wasn't sure.
Photos of the laundry bag.
Thank you
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Hello Clarissa,
I am writing to say a huge thank you for the amazing laundry bag you made for me.
You managed to design something I didn't actually know I wanted and I absolutely love it. It will definitely be used for many years to come. I was super excited when I opened the parcel.
I instantly sent photos to my family, including my grandmother, who also enjoys sewing. She is very talented, like yourself and colleagues. She used to make costumes for the School Spectacular. She too was impressed with your work.
This is my first deployment, so I wasn't very familiar with your work until I found your Facebook page. You do a great job and myself along with all the other deployed members enjoy and appreciate your work so much. Definitely brightens our days receiving the sewn goods from you guys.
Thank you for sharing a part of your story. I always find it interesting hearing what kind of things people experienced before me. Your family sound like some inspirational people.
I thought I'd tell you a bit about me, and the reasoning behind the request of the laundry bag design. Red and blue are my favourite colours, as a kid I loved Spider-Man and they are the predominant colours of his outfit. As I grew I got into motorbikes and cars. I currently have 2 Blue Yamahas dirt bikes a Red Holden Ute, so the love of red and blue continued. The number 487 was my racing number when I raced dirt bikes. I raced all over NSW for about 5 years from ages 13-17 and gave it up just before I enlisted. I still enjoy a social ride every now and then though. As you might be able to tell I am a little bit of a tomboy, haha!
Anyway, it was lovely to receive a letter from yourself. That was very kind of you.
Hope you and your family are staying safe in these uncertain times. Once again, thank you for the laundry bag.
Take care
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Dear Ellen,
Oh my goodness. Thank you so so much for the amazing quilt and laundry bag.
They are amazing and I cried when I saw the laundry bag having lost my fur baby of 15 years last year.
I am so terribly sorry it has taken me so long to reply, especially with your concerns they don't make it safely. It most definitely has and will be something I cherish forever.
I was a RAAF brat but my dad discharged when I was quite young. You have an amazing family. Aside from my dad, my paternal grandfather served in RAAF in UK during the WWII bombings (he was an aircraft refueller), my maternal grandfather in the Army during WWII was a baker, went to NT but never overseas, as well as other relatives in WWI and the Boer War.
My current partner is in the Army and whilst I wasn't blessed with children of my own, his three are like they are mine. It is tough being away, a bit tougher that we aren't allowed 'off base' due to COVID. But it is what it is.
Again many many thanks
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Hello Lyn,
This is being written on behalf of my husband, to thank you for making the Aussie Hero Quilt to mark his 32 years service in the RAAF. He was originally from Western Australia and has served mainly in the south-eastern area of the country as well as two stints in Asia and three in UK.
We met after his service in Asia and we had two children born in UK which meant that there was no blood family support, but there was service support for us while I spent a month in hospital before the birth of our second child in 1976. That was great thing about living in air force housing on a housing estate adjacent to the base, there was a roster of air force wives who looked after our one year old during the day and after dinner, my husband would take her home and care for her. I was not allowed any visitors during my month in hospital, but I knew my daughter was well cared for because of the generosity of the ladies who came to our support.
This is the wonderful thing about service life which I again experienced when we lived on the base at Victoria. We had a pre-school and school on the base and the children were able to play with their friends in the safe confines of the base and ride life was simpler and we felt on the base among friends. Having said that, like many servicemen the air force was was my husband's life and his service came before family with is why the spouses of the serving members cherished the friendship of those around them. It also helped us cope with the disruption that came about from moving every two year or so and there was no consideration given to whether you had a new baby or very young children.
I think it is wonderful that you have sacrificed your time to making quilts for the Aussie Hero Quilts who I have followed on Facebook for quite a long time, as had my daughter, who put the request for a quilt.
Thank you once again, for your generosity.
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Just fabulous right!?! Love being able to share these with you all each week, so inspiring and motivating.
Stay safe, please remember to like, comment and share so we keep spreading the good work. Alex
Awesome.
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