Grati-Tuesday - 31st October 2023

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!

A very special collection of letters and some photo's for you for the last day of October!!! (YIKES)

Please enjoy.

Grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy some well deserved gratitude!

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Hey Ann S,

One of the things I overlooked when packing to come to Malaysia was a laundry bag so I am very appreciative of your gift. I really like the design too.

I’m enjoying my stay here but missing Australia.

 Thanks,

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Good Afternoon Ruth S,

I would first like to thank you for the lovely note you sent me inside my parcel with the laundry bag.

I enlisted in the Navy in 2020, following in my mother's footsteps of her service. I am currently onboard HMAS Sydney and am really enjoying the career so far. I am looking at getting a dog soon (a Samoyed) to fulfill my heart some more.

Receiving your laundry bag was an amazing surprise. I had heard of others throughout the fleet who had previously had some made, and were very happy with theirs, but I feel that mine is by far the best.

The attention to detail in the embroidery and the way you incorporated both the Navy and my love of dogs was truly special.

I have shown it off to everyone in my office and proudly wander to the laundry with it in hand.

Thank you again for the lovely laundry bag, I appreciate all the time and effort you put into making this for me.

Kind regards, 

 

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Dear Austin (Grandson of Joy H),

 

Thank you very much for the awesome bag you made! There were so many to choose from but yours was my favourite by far.

I am planning on using it on my very first deployment – there’s no way my laundry will get mixed up with everybody else’s camo gear thanks to your bag. The only issue is getting it off my son – I think he may even like it more than I do!

Please keep up your great work with your grandmother on her 1948 sewing machine (impressive!), it means the world to every soldier that the next generation is thinking about them when they’re on their missions, whatever they may be doing.

My job in the Army is in public affairs, so I go and visit soldiers doing lots of different things and write stories about them. Then I send photos, video and the story off to all the different news stations so they can tell our story.

I hope one day you will consider joining Defence – this is truly the best job I’ve ever had!

Good luck Austin, and thank you.

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Good morning Ann S,

 

I would like to take a few moments to thank you very much for what you and many others do & thank you for the laundry bag that I was able to choose from the Padre in Butterworth Malaysia. I can only imagine how much effort goes into making one of these laundry bags that you make? I really appreciate being able to get one, keep up the good work.

 

Thank you to your father for being a WW2 Veteran and for his service. My Grandfather was on the HMAS Canberra in WW2 and was the 2^nd last person off of it before it sunk. He survived and was then posted to the HMAS Shropshire.

 

So, a little bit about me if you don’t mind?

 

I am in the Air Force and I have just celebrated 33 years in the Defence Force as I was also in the Navy for 10 years. I celebrated my  wedding anniversary with my wife on the same day, but she is in QLD and I’m attached to Butterworth Malaysia for 3 months.

 

I have a 22 year old son, he lives in NSW. My wife is a Public Servant who works for the Department of Defence, she is also a very accomplished triathlete who has completed 28 full Ironman distance events.

 

I am currently posted in QLD and it is great weather all year round and it gets very hot during the summer months up in the high 30’s.

 

Personally, in my spare time I love being in the garden, spending time with my family, shopping, cooking, riding/racing bikes, doing triathlons (I’m doing the Hawaiian Ironman next year which is a 3.8km swim, 180km ride and a 42.2km run), running marathons and doing running races and I give back to the Community by umpiring AFL as I used to play AFL. I’m a huge Western Bulldogs supporter. Actually I love all types of sport from athletics to rugby league, motor sport, AFL and many more. I’m working as we speak watching the motorsport (Bathurst) qualifying which is good.

 

Actually, if it’s ok with you, I’m going to give my wife the laundry bag. As the organisation says “Aussie Hero Quilts”, I would like to think that my wife is a hero as well. When I am called upon to go away with the Defence Force, my wife is the one at home that has to do the shopping, cook, go to work herself, mow the lawns, trim the hedges, pay the bills and look after the house. So with your permission, I’ll graciously hand it over to my wife when I get home in December and thank her as she is a hero to me.

Apart from thanking my wife, I take this opportunity to thank you and to thank Jan-Maree as well for such a great thing that you do for Soldiers, Sailors & Aviators. Keep up the great work, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. All the best to you both.

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Hi Toni D,

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MY AMAZING LAUNDRY BAG!!!!!!!!

It is even better than I could have ever imagined! I haven't even put it away yet, it's still sitting on my couch and I can't stop looking at it. I saw the postie downstairs the day it arrived, and I ran down there before he even rang the bell.

Also, thank you for your letter. It's so nice to feel a personal

connection to the 'laundry  bag maker' and I will treasure it as well. My mum used to make my sister and my clothes growing up, and I wish I'd paid attention to her doing it.

In reply to your letter, I have been in the Navy for nearly seven years, however I am contemplating discharge as I love Canberra life and don't want to go back to Sydney (I grew up in country Vic, a small town of 2000 people, small places suit me). Your Queen Marley sounds beautiful! I used to have a pomeranian called Milli, however after 15years of love and spoiling, my parents had to make that awful decision based on a few health issues. I can't wait to get another one! I love going away and adventuring new places. My partner is also

in the Navy, but he lives in Sydney on HMAS Adelaide. He moves back here mid next year and I can't wait to do things with him on weekends.

I hope you had a perfect weekend, and thank you again for my perfect laundry bag.

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G'Day Marilyn S,

I was very fortunate to receive my Aussie Hero Laundry bag last week which you were so kind to make. Yes it has all the things I like. I am amazed there is a scare crow and fruit and vergle patterns of material. I like red and black colours as it reminds me of a warm camp fire at night. I am a Hawthorn "fan" but know almost nothing about the current football season, the coach or who the team members are. I have not seen an Aussie rules game for about 5 or 6years.

We are about to go back up to Asia for the second time this year. Last trip was only to Singapore and Indonesia. This time we are going up as far as Korea and Japan with the expectation of coming home just before Christmas,

 I have just completed 31 years in the navy. Home for me is a 7acre property (QLD). My girlfriend has daughters one of which is also in the navy. My girlfriend is looking after the property for me while I am based out of WA. This calendar year I will get about 35days at home.

August & September months are normally the busiest time for me at home as it is the best growing season. It is still cool enough to grow most veggies and generally not too wet. This property is my retirement plan. With a few cows for meat, fruit trees, raised garden beds for veggies and a couple hundred square metre patch for the mobile chook pen, I intend to grow all my own food. We also have a pet turtle named George, Bengal cats that were raised with an old dog so they play fetch and don't mind wearing a harness. The Jack Russell pup we got last Christmas does not know if he is a dog or cat. We often find him 5foot up the 7foot tall cat tower. It wont be long before he figures out how to climb to the top.

Thank you, not only for the laundry bag but also for the Monopoly card game. This will help entertain my sailors during the long quiet night watches.

Please pass on my and my crew's heart felt appreciation to the lovely people of Aussie Hero Quilts for their efforts. Every laundry bag and quilt is a work of art that is cherished.

Yours Ave

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Dear Bobbie S (And the Mystery BOMers),

I hope this email finds you well. Thank you so much for your letter and the laundry bag you made for me.

I am truly grateful.

Your Mystery BOMers group sounds like it would keep you productive and bring you lots of enjoyment.

I am happy with my efforts at the Invictus Games Düsseldorf 2023 competition. I received two bronze medals for the women's 100m and 200m finals.

I am back home and stuck into my studies before I venture off to Mexico in December and Indonesia in the new year for a surfing trip!

I hope you're having a great week so far and you continue to inspire others with your kindness through your work with Aussie Hero Quilts.

With gratitude and best wishes,

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Good morning Jan-Maree,

The quilt you provided for Mr G's 100th birthday and thanking him for his service was presented yesterday. The family were very surprised and loved the quilt.  They could not stop talking about it.  The letters were also passed on which were placed on the birthday celebration table.

Thank you for everything that you and your wonderful team do.

Kind regards,

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Hello  dear Jan-Maree and the Illawarra Quilters,

 

Thank you so much for the beautiful Aussie Hero Quilt  you made for me.  I received it over the weekend and I LOVE it!!! I especially LOVED your beautiful note and the kindness that I read in your words.  You’re an amazing group of humans who really make a difference.

 

I always felt like a bit of a fake when I got out of the Army,  as I didn’t deploy overseas like many of what I call REAL Heroes did.  My Service Medals were placed in a drawer for 20 years, as I was embarrassed to wear them.  I had them mounted during COVID, actually and wore them for the first time standing in my driveway in 2020.  Your words and your kind gift to me, made me feel so very proud of my 21 years of Service. To receive such a gift, and read your heartfelt words is an honour and I can’t thank you enough.

 

The attached photo of me with your beautiful quilt is for you, please also pass on my heartfelt thanks for their work and their kindness. I absolutely LOVE the colours you all chose…it really is bright and cheery and it’s made me feel very happy. 

I snuggled up under your quilt, whilst watching TV last night and felt very special.

 

Thanks so much Jan-Maree, for all that you’ve done and continue to do, for our Veterans.  You’re amazing!!!

Hello  dear Ruth S,

Thank you so much for the beautiful Laundry Bag you sent me.  I received it over the weekend and I LOVE it!!! I especially LOVED your beautiful note and the kindness that I read in your words. 

 

The attached photo of me with your beautiful Laundry Bag is for you.  I absolutely LOVE the colours you chose…it really is bright and cheery and it’s made me very happy.  

Thank you Ruth.

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Dear Jan-Maree,

On behalf of the Australian Defence Force, I would like to take this opportunity to express our thanks for your continued support of Invictus Games, Team Australia, this time for our team at Invictus Games 2023 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Thank you to you and all of your members for the very thoughtful and creative laundry bags and quilts that our competitors and staff were fortunate to receive. We were honoured to have you and some of your volunteers at our August team camp to make a presentation! It certainly helped build the excitement in the lead up to the Games and the competitors appreciated all of the hard work and thought that had been put in.

On behalf of all of the bag and quilt recipients, thank you to you and to all of the Aussie Hero Quilt members who continue to put so much care and effort into making something so special for our competitors and staff.

Yours sincerely,

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

Tuesday's would be so totally boring without them!

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