Tuesday 26 July 2022

Grati-Tuesday 26th July 2022

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Hope everyone has had a fantastic start to their week!

Its been a good week for thank yous and even 
a few photos which are always awesome to see!
 
So now its time to grab a cuppa, sit back, 
relax and enjoy the gratitude letters below. 
....

Hi Bridget R,

 

I am the wonderfully lucky recipient of your beautiful Aussie Hero Quilt. And thank you for your kind letter. It is nice to know a little bit about the creator of such a special gift.

 

I grew up in Queensland and joined the Navy in 2013. I have served on Hydrographic Survey Ships HMAS Leeuwin and Melville based in Cairns, Frigates HMAS Darwin and Parramatta based in Sydney, and most recently as the Navigating Officer on HMAS Bathurst, a Darwin based Patrol Boat.

 

I am married to a fellow Navy Officer who received an Aussie Hero Quilt when she was deployed on HMAS Success in the Middle East in 2015. It is nice to now have another quilt in the family. We also have two children, a 4 year old boy and an 18 month old girl and two (very lazy) whippets.

 

Being in the Defence Force has provided me with many happy memories, and I can honestly say that receiving your quilt is truly one of them. I feel very spoilt!

 

Thank you again,

....

Hi Jacqui D,

I was presented with the quilt you made for me and I am extremely grateful! The quilt is beautiful. Every time we meet for quilts to be presented I hear another story of the power they have for our troops during deployments, and so I feel very thankful.

Although I have personally never served, every day I am learning more about the sacrifices that are made by service men and women in service of our country.

I am a lawyer and that's how I've been helping the (Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide) Task Force. The work we do is demanding at times but I've quickly come to care a great deal for the cause, which makes it very rewarding work.

Best wishes to you and your family! 
....

Good Morning Bennie C, Sue and Janet,

 

I would like to say a BIG thank you to you all for my lovely quilt and laundry bag!

 

I was absolutely thrilled to open the package and see the quilt which will take pride of place in my cabin on HMAS Choules.  I can’t even fathom the amount of time and effort that went into making it and I assure you that they will be well cared for and kept always.  I wasn’t aware of the practice of sending gum leaves to overseas troops, so that is a very nice touch indeed.  Likewise, the laundry bag’s beachy feel is a perfect addition to an otherwise lacklustre cabin!

 

I’m a father of 3 and didn’t hesitate taking my quilt and bag home to show it off.  The kids thought they were very cool, and my wife, who has some limited sewing and quilting experience, was absolutely blown away by the quality and detail, never mind the sheer generosity of the gift.

 

The letter you sent was very thoughtful and gave me a good chuckle too, so I appreciated receiving that also.  The quilt and bag will always come with me to sea and I’ll always cherish them.

 

Thank you again to all of you.

 

Warm Regards,

....
Hello Jan-Maree B,

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for my stunning quilt.
I absolutely adore it.
Barbara D is a very talented lady and could you please pass on my heartfelt thanks to her for her time in creating this beautiful piece.
Once again thank you to you and all of your talented quilters who give up their time to make beautiful quilts and laundry bags for military personnel.
Kind regards

....

Hi Jacqui D,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag and quilt you made for me. They are both amazing. I could not have imagined a better outcome if I designed them myself.

I have recently been in Southern Lebanon, monitoring the separation between Lebanon and Israel. It has been a very different experience from our standard deployments. 

Luckily my wife held on to your package until I returned home, because there are currently 4 packages lost somewhere, 3 of which were sent in Feb!

Anyway, thank you again. The quilt is something I will treasure for many years. 

Regards, 
....

Dear Janet L,

 

I really wanted to take the time to express my gratitude and appreciation for the beautiful quilt you crafted to add to my Invictus Games experience. Thank you.

 

Support from the Australian community means so much to us as veterans as there are certainly times I have felt alone. During my trip away I was fortunate to be supported by a number of family members that travelled with me.  I appreciate the support and their sacrifices toward both my military service and journey into sport & rehabilitation.  I served for 18 years as a Maritime Warfare Officer - a job that I was trained/conducted bomb disposal, diving and navigated warships.

 

I feel like I exceeded my personal goals I set for the Invictus Games.  Some were performance based for the swimming & cycling as I trained extremely hard towards these events.  What meant more however was a goal to be able to run with my daughter.  Since medical discharge from the military, my lower limb injuries have prevented me from running due to pain and it is something I have been working through for some 6 years now.  I set the goal to compete in the either the 400m or the 1500m track running. At the last minute I decided to try both.  It hurt a lot however I achieved my goal along with some how making the 400m final?! 

 

Away from Invictus, my wife and I co-founded a project that has served as both therapy to me and a means to support other veterans / paying it forward to others to honour the support I have received.  It is called Saltwater Veterans and helps to connect our veteran community through sailing with the support of sponsors and volunteers.  We now have crews sailing in Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle and Nowra and regularly put 30-50 veterans out on the water.  Our biggest event this year was in Adelaide and we achieved a massive feat of helping put 105 plus current serving soldiers on the water in Adelaide that had just returned from Op Flood Assist. 

 

Again, thank you for your support to the veteran community - it really does mean a lot to us.


Kind regards


 

....
Good Evening/Morning Jacqui D,

I'm writing to say hello and to thank you for the beautiful laundry bag that you made for me for this trip.  I haven't yet decided where I will display it on my return home, but it's far too nice to keep putting dirty laundry in!

Unfortunately I have been forced to miss a bit of the tour, being locked up in my room since arrival with COVID!  I am very much looking forward to leaving my room and join the others in honouring our recent identified fallen from WW1 as soon as possible.  

Thank you for your work with Aussie Hero Quilts. I think it's a fantastic initiative and, while I may not feel the most deserving of recipients, I am very touched by your efforts. 

Kind regards,
....
Dear Jan-Maree B,
  
 My husband received this absolutely beautiful
quilt yesterday from his work colleagues as a departing gift. 
He and I would like to pass on our heartfelt thanks to the wonderful volunteers, Gail Mc, Sheena B, Inge C and Arthur F, who put in so much effort. This is something
we will forever cherish."


(this is a message from the lady who presented the above quilt)


Hello Jan Maree B,

 

I hope this finds you well and enjoying this sunshine.

 

A member of the 17th Sustainment Brigade Command was farewelled last Friday, followed by a lunch of 13 people who were significant to him. This lunch was in a lovely restaurant where I presented him the wonderful gift from Aussie Hero Quilts.  I had it wrapped specially and including a big bow and when he opened it his expression was priceless. He was so delighted and taken by the efforts of this quilt and both he and his wife were truly grateful. Receiving this quilt was the pinnacle of his farewell, which would not have been easy for him, however to receive such a thoughtful gift, filled his heart with a feeling of contentment from ADF.

 

I too, am so grateful to yourself and the amazing volunteers who made this quilt with a special thank you to Gail M and Sheena B (The Garage Girls). Also a big thank you to the embroiderer, Inge C and including Arthur who created the 176 AD Corps Badge. An amazing effort and appreciated too, the short time frame of my request and for such a special piece which will be appreciated by the member and his family for many years to come.

 

Thank you !!!!

 

Kindest regards

....
Unfortunately that's another awesome week of beautiful 
thank yous over.

Keep those letters, emails and photos coming in.  
Tuesday's would be boring without them!

๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŒŸ ๐ŸŒŸ




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