Grati-Tuesday - 12th Mar 2024

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!

A great mixture of messages and photos in today's blog. 

A mum has even sent us a thank you which just shows us how much the families of our recepients are grateful as well!

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

...

Good Morning Jan-Maree (and Keryn M),

I was pleasantly surprised when my quilt arrived this week. I cannot thank you, and the other volunteers, enough for your efforts and creativity in capturing the things I love the most.

I am beyond grateful and will cherish my red and white quilt forever.

Thank you so much.

...

Hello Ruth S!

 

I am currently deployed on OP KUDU in Germany and I just received my beautiful Aussie Hero Laundry Bag today. I wanted to send through a massive thank you to the lovely Ruth who made this & and let her know she did an absolutely amazing job.

 

I will treasure it forever, thank you so much.

 

And the extra little touch of the Tim-Tams and Harry Potter goodies was so thoughtful!

 

Kind Regards,

...

 

G'day Toni D,

Thank you very much for your gift and your lovely letter, the other boys here are very jealous and all want their own laundry bag. The laundry bag you sent is very nicely put together and I appreciate the time that you set aside to make it and put together this package. I will treasure this laundry bag forever.  

Thanks very much for showing your patriotism and showing that some people value do the work we do.

 

...

Dear Colleen S,

I was so delighted to receive the quilt that you made for me.

I wanted to thank you so much for all of the effort you put into it.

I adore the way you interpreted what I requested and I am beyond happy with it!

I am excited to take the quilt with me throughout my military career, I really appreciate you adding my Corps badge and motto along the bottom as well.

 A little about me; I grew up in Canberra and joined the Army just after finishing school. I've served for 7 years now I am on my second deployment on operations. My partner and I are currently posted to Canberra with our two dogs, we enjoy being closer to family for the time being but are excited to see where Army takes us next as well.

Thank you again Colleen for the beautiful quilt. I will be grateful to you for many years to come.

Yours Sincerely,

...

Good Evening Kate E,

 

Thank you so much for the beautiful quilt I received from you, it is absolutely amazing! You really managed to capture my personality with the geometric shapes, poppies, Army pictures and (of course) the purple. I am so grateful for your efforts and the time you put into making the quilt for me. Receiving quilts is such a morale boast for everyone here, as they remind us of home and we appreciate the amount of effort that goes into the unique designs for us. The Tim Tams were also shared amongst the contingent (for a price!), for which everyone was grateful for the food.

 

I enjoyed reading your letter as well. I hope your cruise was amazing, as I also visited Noumea on a cruise, being able to swim in a local cave and snorkel with sea turtles – one of my greatest experiences while travelling. There is also a tasty baguette shop on the beach front that sells the best salmon and cheese sandwich in the South West Pacific.

 

In 2023, I was posted to Townsville. However, I am in Canberra now on return from my time on deployment. After four years in Sunny Townsville and my time in the warm tropics of the South West Pacific (deployment location), I am dreading crash landing into the middle of a Canberra winter. I am sure your quilt will feature heavily during my first few months at home. I am also trying to take some leave after my deployment to reconnect with family and disconnect from work. I will hopefully be able to visit Fiji during my leave, as I love scuba diving and hiking in my spare time.

 

I will be sure to take good care of the quilt and it will feature as a treasured possession for many years!

 

Thank you again.

...

Dear Ruth S,

I was so delighted to receive the laundry bag that you made for me. I wanted to thank you so much for all of the effort you put into it.

I particularly adore the panels with the women in uniform!

I am excited to take the laundry bag with me throughout my military career, I really appreciate you adding my initials as well.

Thank you again Ruth for the beautiful laundry bag, it certainly did brighten my day.

I will be grateful to you for many years to come.

Yours Sincerely,

...

Dear Ruth S,

 

Many thanks for the amazing Aussie hero laundry bag. I just received it today and it looks absolutely awesome. It is certainly the best laundry bag I have ever had. I knew it would be good but your efforts have taken my expectations to the next level. Indeed you have certainly brightened and made my day with this laundry bag. I certainly could not have asked for anything more with the design.

 

Please find attached an image of me holding your masterpiece. 

You’re children and grandchildren must be very proud of you. I have three children who are 7, 9 and 11 years old.

 

Once again, many thanks for your commitment to providing a valued service for members of the Australian Defence Force.

 

All the best and kind regards.

 

Respectfully

...

On Friday 1 March, Fran T and Marg B represented Aussie Hero Quilts at the Defence Force Chaplaincy Centre and presented the latest bunch of ADF chaplains with their personalised laundry bags much to the delight of all concerned.

...

Gday Janelle and Craig S,

I would like to say thank you for your brilliant laundry bag and am super grateful for your generosity in taking your time out of your day to craft and design such a beautiful piece of artwork for me and others.

Something's about me is I am 18 with two weeks till my 19th birthday on St Patrick's day. I joined the Army straight out of high school last year in honor of my nation and for my previous 3 generations of diggers in my family. As well as the adventure far and wide like I currently am in the middle of Asia. There is a lot of sucky moments this job entails but it is outweighed greatly by the gifts of experiences and love shown by the people of Australia such as yourself that makes me want to keep going.

I think it's great that you create these helpful items for us diggers and the church to give it to those who need it. 

In terms of being away from family, yes it is very hard. It's the last moments I spend hugging my girlfriend goodbye or the last kiss from my mother for the next 12 months are all worth it in the end as I know they are proud and happy of who I am and what I do. Nothing Is harder than leaving those you love when you don't want to but it has made me realise how special the time is when I am with them. 

Once again thank you so much for your gift of kindness and I hope you have a wonderful year ahead and keep up the good work.

From the recipient of your beautiful handy laundry bad 

P.s. My boss doesn't know but I actually forgot my bag at home so thanks a lot.

...

Dear Aussie Hero Quilts, and a big shout out to Janis K. 

My son is in the Army and is currently in Malaysia on a training exercise for 3 months. He has just received a laundry bag from your organization and is thrilled. Especially since it has dogs on it, and he’s a long way from home and misses his pets. I just want to let you know how much he appreciates the gift and also how much it means to his family back in Australia. I’m a quilter myself so I know how much effort has gone into this project.  

Thanks again 

...

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

Tuesday's would be so totally boring without them!

💟💟💟💟💟💟💟