Grati -Tuesday 13th September 2022

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Hope everyone has had a fantastic start to their week. 

There are quite a few photos which is awesome. Its fantastic to read the letters but extra special to see the happiness and emotion on someone's face.  

So grab a cuppa, sit back, relax and enjoy the 

following gratitude letters and photos. 

...

Dear Aussie Hero Quilts,

 

I am emailing you to thank you very much for my Aussie Hero Quilt. I love it and appreciate all the hard work that went in to making this beautiful red quilt with poppy’s for me. Thank you so much Barbara W. It will keep keep me warm in Canberra and brighten up my bunk on the ship next year too.

 

Thank you again,

 

Kind regards,

...

Dear Jan-Maree and Beverley F,

 

My husband was so touched when both Heather B and Sue-Ellen S came to our home recently to present his beautiful Aussie Hero Quilt. These two wonderful ladies took time out of their day to travel down from Brisbane and present the Aussie Hero Quilt to a person they had never met.  I kept it as a surprise for him, and both these ladies, conspired with me to make it happen! Lol  I also understand that the embroidery was sent away to another lady in South Adelaide to complete the Corps Badges?  The thought gone into this one quilt beggars belief and our gratitude is immeasurable.

 

We then had a lovely couple of hours with Heather and Sue-Ellen learning all about their interest in quilting, their connections to the Military and the wonderful involvement of many volunteers. I am ever so grateful for their efforts and would ask that you give them special mention next time you speak with them please?  

 

My husband was amazed that people he did not know would take the time out of their lives to not only organise someone to design and construct the quilt but, for that person (Beverley F) to do so with such artistry.  We can only imagine the number of hours and effort it took you, Beverley, to construct such a masterpiece.  To be able to ensure that all facets of his service was reflected in the one piece was extremely special for him.  It is our intention to have the Quilt hung so that it is given maximum opportunity to be viewed by our friends and family.  I was fortunate enough to have two of our daughters and a granddaughter witness this amazing presentation, which as you would know, made it all the more special, to be recognised in front of his family.

 

Jan-Maree, you have provided a unique way in which our Servicemen and women can be recognised and still have an extraordinary memento to cherish.  Your ability to manage the myriad of requests you must receive and then distribute the workload amongst what I think is about 200 volunteers is a time management feat! 

 

We cannot thank all of the five ladies enough, who had a hand in making him feel so very special and celebrating 40 years of Service to his country, in such a beautiful and thoughtful way.

 

I will be singing the praises of Aussie Hero Quilts, at every opportunity I get.

 

With the deepest of gratitude,

 

Sue-Ellen S (L) & Heather B (R) presenting Beverly F's quilt to recipient

...

Dear Cath H,

 

Today Jan-Maree presented me with the most beautiful mermaid-themed quilt that you made for me, along with a bag of goodies and a surprise laundry-bag. 

 

I am completely blown away by what I received today. I never expected such an ornate quilt with one-of-kind hand painted artwork. You are so very talented and generous to design and make such an amazing quilt for me. I must say I cried when I read your letter, I was so overcome with emotion because of the care and love you have put into this quilt.

 

Then to top it off you add a surprise laundry-bag for my time at sea.  I can’t even express to you fully what this means to me.

 

I’m joining HMAS Adelaide on Monday and don’t get home until December. I’m a single mum with 3 small humans.  When I deploy, my small humans stay with my parents, where they are safe and loved. But it is still a huge sacrifice for me to go away. My youngest, is struggling the most with the fact that I’m going away.  When I get home, she will get the quilt for her bed, and I can assure you it will be loved and appreciated.

 

I was the lucky recipient of a quilt when I was deployed to the Middle East a number of years ago now. My oldest took it and it’s been on her bed for years and now it’s her comfort when I am away.

 

Thank you for your letter, it was lovely to get to know you. I loved seeing pictures of your special girl Hope, and your bird Aloha and reading about Zoe. I have 2 cocker spaniels and they bring me such joy too. I miss them immensely when I deploy.

 

Thank you again for the amazing quilt. You are just amazing, and appreciated.  I’ll send you a pic of it on my rack when I join ADE next week.

 

Warm regards,

...

Hi Diana A, 

I had the pleasure to present an Army Officer who has done over 30 years of service with his AHQ. My wife and I traveled to QLD and we were very fortunate to present the quilt to him in front of his extended family.

It was a memorable occasion at a hotel outside of Brisbane, it was my first opportunity to present a AHQ on behalf of your amazing group. I was a bit nervous let me tell you, but the love from all of the recipients' family was something to behold and they made me feel right at home. It was humbling and I thank you for making such a beautiful quilt for an equally beautiful man.

I can tell you he was tickle pink, he was lost for words, emotional and notably taken back by the amount of thought and care taken by someone he didn’t even know. I’m sure he will take some time to thank you personally in his own way.

I can’t thank you enough for all you do and the love you share in making these beautiful quilts.

Yours sincerely.

...

Hey Sue N,

Thanks very much for the amazing laundry bag. It is the 2nd "dhoby" bag that I have received from Aussie Hero Quilts, the first was back in 2015 when I was on HMAS Melbourne. I have put it all to good use during the latest trip on HMAS Canberra, where we went to Hawaii for RIMPAC. For me it was a relief to be able to get off the ship again in a foreign part and in such a wonderful location. I hope all is well for you and your family.

...

Hey Ellen N!

Thank you so much for the  amazing laundry bag you made and also for the beautiful heartfelt letter! 

It was very touching to read about your heroic family members who have served, and  how proud you must be of how successful your children are. I admire your love for travelling and how you cruise around with your husband and dog in the your caravan. That was actually a dream of mine growing up- to own a caravan  and travel around Australia. Gratefully  I've been blessed enough to travel Australia through footy  and Army. But I still hope to get that caravan one day..

I've been in the Army for over 2yrs as an Artillery Operator posted in Townsville. I'm currently in Malaysia on a 3 month exercise where I was lucky enough to receive your gift. I joined when I was 21 and its probably been one of the best decisions I've made. The main reason why I joined was to make my family, especially my mother,  proud.

I love playing footy and finding new places to eat! This year I made the Army rugby team for the first time, where we played against Airforce and Navy in  a tournament in Canberra.  The rugby camp was one of the toughest camps I've been in where I had a great deal of self reflection, but it all paid off when we defeated Airforce and Navy. I was lucky enough to make the Defence Force team after the tournament and next year we are travelling to France to play in the world cup, which should be a great time.. I relate to you a lot when you mentioned you had attended 13 different schools.. growing up I moved around a lot also.  I  understand how difficult it is making new friends and how hard it is leaving old ones behind..

I hope you and your family are safe and healthy and your husband is having better luck with the fish!

Thank you again so much,  for the time and effort you put into the laundry bag and letter.. I am forever grateful..

Sincerely, 

 ...

Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in.  

Tuesday's would be so totally boring without them!

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