Grati - Tuesday 15 March

 Happy Tuesday Friends!

Hope you are having a good day so far! It is about to get a bit better. Sit back, relax and enjoy the collection of gratitude letters that have been compiled below.

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Hi Ruth.S,

 

Good morning. 

It is with much pleasure and delight that I receive the very beautiful LB that you have so kindly made for me. Thank you!

I love it. The attention to detail, and inclusion of all the things I’m passionate about in life, is genuinely wonderful. Extra appreciation goes to the fact you still managed to include the Swans back despite being a Power supporter! 

I very much look forward to using it on my next deployment. Thank you once again for your time and efforts in creating this beautiful LB, and the lovely note!

 

Kindest regards

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Dear Philomena.H,

Thank you for the amazing quilt. It was very much a surprise, and the work and design are beautiful.

I am very grateful.

I am looking forward to when the travel restrictions lift and we can enjoy those freedoms!

Another thank you for what you do in support of the recipients of these quilts.

They are tangible reminders of why we do what we do – why it matters, that our service is recognised by those that matter.

Thank you again & best wishes,

P.S. My daughter has already laid claim to the quilt.

It will be nice to have such a momento to pass on.

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Dear Pennie.T,

I am completely lost for words. I opened your package about 15mins ago and my hands are still shaking from disbelief - your quilt is PERFECT!

I have indigenous prints all around my desk here in UNTSO HQ so the reverse side of the quilt with the indigenous print suits me to a tee. When I saw my children's names, and the emblem I couldn't believe it! 

I am honoured to be your 198th Aussie Quilt recipient! We need to design a medal for you. 

I feel like you know most things about me already, but I am currently deployed in Israel and have two gorgeous babies (5 and 3), back home growing very fast while "Mummy is at work with her work friends", as they say. I am a proud Transport Officer who is passionate about the UN's Women, Peace and Security Agenda. 

I can't begin to thank you enough. You've given me an amazing reminder of this deployment, as well as a family heirloom to hand to my children in the future. 

Lots of love and well wishes.

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Hi Beverley.

 

Just sending an email to say thanks so much for my quilt and laundry bag. They’ve already come in handy so much being at sea and the patterns are so pretty! I’m sure the blanket is going to come in great use on many cold nights on watch. I adore them!

 

I also want to thank you for sharing your family’s story with me, it’s lovely to know more about the people doing such a nice thing for our members in Defence and those who have served before us.

 

Thanks again!

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This is Kathleen.S OAM, an Air Force veteran who turned 100 in January this year. On Wednesday she was presented with a certificate of Commemoration by SQNLDR Del.G who also presented her with an Aussie Hero Quilt. The top was made by Diann N, the embroidery by Kerri B and the quilting was completed by Alison C.

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Good Evening Aussie Hero Quilts team!

Very recently I had the pleasure of receiving a surprise package - a beautiful quilt and laundry bag. A close friend and Navy colleague submitted the request. I have served for 28yrs WEF Mar 22 and deployed on HADR (Humanitarian and Disaster Relief)  and various exercises, including health capacity building in the pacific.  I am a big believer of just doing my job to the best of my ability and helping others where I can. As an emergency nurse it meant so much to me to receive these, made with love and care, even more so from a nurse from my home state!  Receiving such a gift, just because, moved me to tears and brought so much joy as well. Thank you so very much to the amazing network of Quilters for their time and care x.  It’s through such acts of selfless kindness that we realise how wonderful the world can be, how precious and unique we are, and that even the smallest act can make a difference. 

Of particular note I wish to thank Cheryl F and Kathy W for their gifts - this astronomy nerd was very, very much overjoyed!

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Heather.B,

 

Firstly many thanks for the most awesome Laundry Bag you made for me. I absolutely love it!

I am a mad Star Wars fan and have been after something like this for a long time. It really is great.

And thank you very much for your letter. It is great to hear a bit about yourself noting the time

You took out of your life to produce this for me. 

 

A little about myself. I am the Information Warfare Officer on board a ship. That basically

means I manage the team that runs the networks and internet for our ship. I also have a bunch of other

Communications related duties that keep the ship running. I originally joined the Navy in 1996

as a Seaman Signalman. My role back than as a Signalman included learning Morse Code so

I could conduct Flashing Light between ships, Voice procedures over radios and using flags to enable tactical Manoeuvring of ships. Since then Communications has exploded since the advent of computers and the internet so things are pretty busy for me on board.

 

I am currently living in NSW unaccompanied. My wife lives in the ACT with my two daughters, 7 and 3. They keep us very busy and I am looking forward to a return posting to the ACT so I can spend more time with them. I am looking to post back there very soon so I will enjoy being able to go home every night again.

 

We did a trip to Thailand in 1997 and went to Kanchanburi where the HMAS Perth survivors were Imprisioned in a POW camp. It was a very sobering trip for me. I loved the Perth posting and am still good friends with my fellow signalman I served with from that time. Since that time I rose though the ranks and have served on Patrol Boats in Darwin, Frigates out of Sydney and also was lucky enough to have an exchange posting with the Royal Navy in 2004 on board HMS Gloucestre. During this time I was lucky enough to be involved in the last major re-enactment of D-Day (the 60^th Anniversary).

Gloucestre led the flotilla of RN, Canadian and the French Air Craft Carrier the Charles De Gaul from

Portsmouth to the coast of Normandy. I also had a posting to MacDill Airforce Base in Tampa Bay, Florida. So I have been very lucky and have had a great career so far.

 

I’m a swimmer myself although I am not very fast. Both my daughters

are learning to swim to and love it. We have just got one of our daughters into sailing as well, she sails every Saturday and loves it. Well thanks again so much for the laundry bag, it really is great.

 

Cheers

 ....

Good morning Pennie.T,

Thank you so very much for my quilt, it's fantastic. You made a great choice with the pictures and colours. 

I was taken to all the places you described for each picture and I wanted to say something regarding the dolphins and one of my experiences when I was on my first posting to sea in 2000 on HMAS Manoora and we were out in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the water was like glass and it was at sunrise when I was out on the deck at the bow of the ship. I looked over the side and saw a pod of dolphins jumping beside the ship. It was so peaceful as I was the only one out there and you reminded me of that place, so thank you.

I am a medic and have been in for over 25 years now. I have completed my Bachelor of Paramedicine, am a registered Paramedic and Enrolled Nurse. I am also completing my Bachelor of Nursing with the intention to commission to officer on completion, as a Nursing Officer in the Navy. I intend to go into either ED or ICU, but I haven't fully decided yet. I have done a bit of time in ED throughout my career as well as working with paramedics on the road. Due to my role at sea I also have several emergency clinical skills that I can do, which I hope I never have to use as well.

I have a wife and son who live with me here in NSW and have been very supportive of my career, which I am very grateful for. My wife definitely does a lot of the hard yards with me being away so much and I am very lucky to have her support as she works full-time as well.

Thanks again for your time in making this great quilt. I arrived home from my deployment just a few days ago and it was a lovely surprise to come back to on top of seeing my family.

I hope this finds you well.

Kind regards,

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Well, thats it for another week.  

We look forward to more coming through next week!!!