30 April 2024

Grati-Tuesday - 30th April 2024

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Please enjoy todays messages and photos on this the last day of April.

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

...


Good afternoon Ann S,

 

Just wanted to take some time to reply to your letter and offer you my sincere thanks and appreciation for the Laundry Bag that you created for me.

 

It was lovely to read your letter and hear a little about yourself, including the story of your Dad being a WWII Veteran. Men like him have shaped and set the standard for soldiers, sailors and aviators today, and I offer you my thanks for his service to our great nation. I have never been to Young in NSW but have some friends who visit there often to see their relatives. Lovely to hear that you spend a great deal of time with your grandkids, they all sound so talented and wish them all the best for their futures.

 

I personally come from Western Sydney myself, specifically the Penrith area (hence the Penrith Panthers Laundry Bag) but live in Newcastle as I am posted to RAAF Base Williamtown. Funnily enough, I will be flying to Sydney tomorrow for 2 weeks of leave and respite before returning back to Egypt for my final 3 month stint. I am looking forward to seeing my family, girlfriend and mates over the next two weeks, especially watching my little Brother marry his fiancΓ©e down in Jervis Bay… it will be fantastic.

 

I have attached a photo of myself with the wonderful laundry bag you made for me.

 

Once again, thank you for your time and generosity and please know that all of us serving abroad greatly appreciate the work you wonderful volunteers of AHQ do for us.


Thank you and take care,



...

Hi Bobbie S (& the Mystery BOMers, Alison C & Joan B),

I just wanted to say thank you so much for the work that you have done on my fantastic Aussie Hero Quilt, I had heard and seen all the great work you all do in making these quilts and laundry bags when I served in Townsville. 

I am blown away by the amazing quilt that I have, I’ve sent photos already to all my friends and it now takes pride of place on my chair. 

The quilt will certainly be a topic of conversation amongst family and friends when they see it. Thank you all so much for all the work you do for our soldiers and veterans.

Kind regards
...

Hi Aussie Hero Quilts and Gayle W.

 

I am writing to express my thanks and gratitude for the lovely quilt that was recently delivered. Your organisation does such a great job, and I am very grateful to have been the recipient of such a beautiful piece of work. 

 

Gayle, thank you very much for your hard work and also for the letter you have sent to me with the quilt. I believe your work as a volunteer in the veteran community and in your local community has undoubtedly changed many lives and help many animals. Keep up the great work.

 

If there is anything else I can do to say thanks for your great work please let me know.

 

Kind regards

...

Evening all,

 

Just a quick note to say thank you on behalf of all of those who will receive your laundry bag/s in the not too distant future.

 

I received them the other day and have got them ready for distribution at a later date.

 

Your gift is wonderfully received and hopefully will be acknowledged by those serving on the next rotation of Op Resolute.

 

Keep up the great work.

 

Kindest regards

...
Dear Heather B,

I received your laundry bag and treats about one month ago and I am sorry that it has taken this long to write to you, but my deployment has been a little disrupted.

 

Your letter was a real joy to read. I am in the RAAF and am the only Air Force member on Operation PALADIN; the rest are Army. So, I was very happy to hear that you have some RAAF connections in your family :)

 

A little about my role here. I am with the UN mission called UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation); it is the first peacekeeping operation in the history of the UN and has been going since May 29, 1948. We are unarmed military observers who are here to assist the UN in the supervision of the truce between Israel and Arab forces. We conduct daily patrols in vehicles along the Blue Line (the disputed area of separation between Lebanon and Israel) and I patrol with an observer from another country as well as a local language assistant (LA). People are tired of the conflict which has been going since October last year, and many want to return to their villages and their homes. I hope that this will be over soon and peace will return so that the country can get back on its feet again. It is a beautiful country with the mediterranean on one side and villages in the hills going East; it often reminds me of the Italian countryside.

 

I absolutely love the laundry bag and it is being put to good use when I am out on the patrol base, which is often! Also, the treats came at an excellent time and were shared with some of the other Australians, but mainly my teammates from Fiji, New Zealand, China, Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Chile. Thank you so much!

 

I arranged for the rest of the Aussies here to get quilts and laundry bags, as many of them had never heard of Aussie Quilts. I can tell you that those who have received them just love them. We are so grateful for the volunteer work that you do, and I can tell you that the bags and quilts are treasured not only as reminders of home, but something that reminds us of our deployment when we return home.

 

Once again, thank you Heather for the bag and the treats.

 

Kind regards

...
A very happy recipient recently received her quilt after 47 years of service. 
She was completely blown away by the thought, honour and workmanship of it! 
Many thanks!
The quilt was made by Colleen S.



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

Tuesday's would be so totally boring without them!
🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷🌷

29 April 2024

Request List 29 April 2024

Hi All

I hope whatever you did for ANZAC Day you it was meaningful for you. If you click on the following link you will be able to see some of the ANZAC Day messages from some of our deployed troops. Some of them have names that you will recognise as you are currently working on their quilts or laundry bags.

https://www.facebook.com/AustralianArmy/videos/835570628392960

 



Here is the request list for this week. Happy hunting. I hope you can find something that tickles your fancy.

PRIORITY REQUESTS

The first 23 requests on the list this week are all for recipients serving overseas, mostly people in South Sudan and the Solomon Islands.  

As always it would be lovely to get these quilts and bags underway and put some smiles on faces that are a long way from home! Don’t forget we can provide the crests and text embroideries that are being requested.

POST BY DATE

The post by date for all Requests on this list is 3 June 24 please, or earlier if you can manage this.  If you cannot make that date, please let me know. Do reach out if you have any timing issues and we’ll resolve one way or the other. In fact, if you are going to be late posting it please let me know BEFORE you post it.  Also, if this time frame is too tight for you, there are options, just email me to discuss, thank you.    

Request Information

When selecting a request, remember, you do not have to include everything they have asked for. Footy quilts do not need to have the logo or even the team’s name. Using the team colours is all that is required. Simple is perfectly acceptable.  A number of these requests have given you favourite colours as well as footy teams or other hobbies and interests. It is fine to make a quilt using their favourite colours but please include at least one of their interests.  It is fine to keep it simple. 

If there is more than one request on this list that you would be happy to do I suggest that you send me a list of requests and tell me how many you want to be allocated….i.e. one of the following please….  There are always a few requests that everyone wants to do (and I can never pick them) so if the first one you ask for is taken then I can allocate another from your list if I have a list. 

Any queries you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact via the AHQ email as per usual with any queries and we will assist you from there.  We may not know the answer, but it will be our pleasure to research and get back to you.   

A reminder, when you are ready to post the quilt or laundry bag you’ve created, please use the PMKEYS number given you in any correspondence with the admin team.  This helps the volunteer admin team keep a track of what’s been sent etc.  The PMKEYS number is included in the address details we supply for your recipient e.g.  the 7-digit number in bold below. 

CPL Wanda Quilt 8765432 

TG 3456 

AFPO XX 

ADF 

Sydney NSW 2890

Also, please use the Aussie Heroes PO Box address on your parcel in the event the parcel is Returned to Sender -  the PO Box is a safe place in the event of  any mishaps with postage. 

Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags) 

PO Box 248,

Cherrybrook, NSW 2126 

Don’t forget to take a photo of your completed quilt or laundry bag to email to AHQ with the name and PMKEYS of the recipient and we can include in the Weekly Dispatches blog and add to the tally of quilts and laundry bags sent off to the troops.  I personally love viewing the photos of those projects dispatched – so inspiring. 

If you are using an AHQ supplied prepaid satchel please kindly use the AHQ address for the return address– also for your own packaging – if a parcel is Returned to Sender it is likely we can expedite its journey to the recipient from Sydney.

Please also please hold on to the Tracking number (the pink sticker that you should remove before posting – we’ve experienced mail delays lately (haven’t we all?) and having the Tracking number is very reassuring to keep an eye on the parcel’s progress in arriving at its destination. 

Don’t forget, if you look at today’s Request List and need help choosing, please feel free to get in touch to discuss, we will be ready to reply and offer guidance by email. Our goal is to help you find a request that you will be comfortable with doing. If you need a crest etc we may be able to post embroideries / printed fabric images or email some of these to you. 

Helpful info may be gleaned here  http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com/2019/07/information-post-for-those-that-sew-for.html    I look forward to seeing the photos of completed quilts and LBs when they are ready to post off. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE copy the ENTIRE line if you wish to nominate for a quilt or laundry bag.  

For example…. 

Marvel Theme. Ironman     M       LB      1 

This is really important to make sure that neither you nor I copy the wrong number which could lead to me giving you the wrong details for specific request.  If you find it hard to copy and paste, please copy the line out as above.  

Decoding The Columns 

The first column is the theme or preferences requested. 

The second column indicates the gender of the recipient. 

The third column is as follows. 

B=both quilt and laundry bag (feel free to nominate to JUST do the laundry bag if you wish) 

Q= just a quilt 

LB = just a laundry bag 

F= female 

M= male 

Please let the Admin crew know if you have any other questions....Just email friendsofahq@gmail.com  

Looking forward to seeing what you want to make this week. Happy stitching! 

Cheers, 

Jan-Maree

P.P.S.  Don't forget to check out AHQ on the Blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter


African themed - animal patterns and vegetation,

RACT badge and Movements' wagon wheel, ADF and UN flag,

Australian and South Sudan national flags.
(we can provide the RACT badges, Wagon Wheel, South Sudan flag & UN flag)

F

B

1

Royal Blue, Tropical jungle, United Nations flag, United Nations Peacekeeper Helmet Logo, Africa
(we can supply the UN flag and the helmet logo for applique)

M

Q

2

Polliwhirl (the pokemon), hippos, wombats

M

Q

3

Green, safari Africa (with animals), Australian
Peace Keeper helmet and Royal Australian Navy crest
and Navy themed.
(We can provide the UN flag, the Peacekeeper
helmet for applique and RAN crest)

F

Q

4

RAAF crest with "OP LILIA, Solomon Island 2024" as text.  Doctor themed in darker colours.
(we can provide the crest and text)

M

Q

5

Rising Sun Crest. Soldier silhouette in black
Navy Crest, Medical, Australian Flag. Poppies or field of. Darker colours
(we can provide the crests and image of soldier silhouette for applique)

M

Q

6

Toyota landcruiser troop carrier nudging a clothes line, Solomon Islands coat of arms, RACT Logo, Australia Flag, crocodile/Army truck themed, go bananas with the design.
(we can provide the RACT logo and Solomon Island coat of arms as an image)

M

Q

7

Rising Sun, RAEME flag, Australian flag, Solomon Islands flag, "RECOVERY" written centre top, Recovery Coin photo
(we can provide the Rising Sun, RAEME flag and image of 'Recovery Coin')

M

B

8

Rising sun badge, RAE badge, horse and soldier silhouette, poppies, rosemary, pink and purple colours
(we can provide the Rising Sun badge, RAE logo and image of horse/soldier silhouette to applique)

F

Q

9

RAE Badge. Army and engineer themed
(we can provide the RAE badge)

F

LB

10

Rising Sun, soldier silhouette in black, Skippy Badge, Poppies, Australian Flag, machine guns
(we can provide the rising sun and RAR skippy badge as embroidery)

M

Q

11

RAR Skippy Badge, Army/Infantry themed
(we can provided the badge)

M

LB

12

RAR Skippy Badge, Cross machine gun (Mag 58) and rocket launcher (84mm Carl Gustav), Australian Flag, machine guns, Army Green
(we can provide the RAR badge)

M

Q

13

RAR Skippy Badge, Army/Infantry themed
(we can provided the badge)

M

LB

14

RAR Skippy Badge,Cross machine gun (Mag 58) and rocket launcher (84mm Carl Gustav), Australian Flag, machine guns, Army Green
(we can provide the RAR badge)

M

Q

15

RAR Skippy Badge, Army/Infantry themed
(we can provided the badge)

M

LB

16

Rising Sun, soldier silhouette in black, RAR Skippy Badge, Poppies, Australian Flag and 8/6 RAR
(we can provide the Rising sun and RAR skippy badge as embroidery)

M

Q

17

RAR Skippy Badge, Army/Infantry themed
(we can provided the badge)

M

LB

18

RAR Skippy Badge with text  "8/9 RAR DFSW" "OP LILIA", Cross machine gun (Mag 58) and rocket launcher (84mm Carl Gustav)
(we can provide the badge with text as an embroidery)

M

Q

19

RAR Skippy Badge with text  "8/9 RAR"  "OP LILIA", Cross machine gun (Mag 58) Australian Flag, Solomon International Assistant Force patch logo (SIAF), AMCU camo background
(we can provide the badge with text as an embroidery)

M

Q

20

Rising Sun with "OP LILIA", Rank, Name and PMKeYS, RAR logo, 8/9 RAR logo - machines guns and rocket launchers, the Australian flag, Solomon islands flag, Bundaberg rum logo on a multicam camouflage background
(we can provide the Rising Sun with text and RAR logos as embroideries)

M

Q

21

Anything Metallica (band)

M

Q

22

Whiskeys of the World

M

LB

23

Sydney Roosters NRL Team

M

Q

24

Purple, Western Bulldogs

M

Q

25

Blue, Sydney Roosters

M

Q

26

Outdoor, Adventure

M

Q

27

4x4 Driving Theme

M

Q

28

Holden V8 Cars

M

Q

29

Submarines and Ice Hockey (we can send you some submarine fabric)

M

Q

30

RAN crest, RAN Marine Technician Rate Badge - Diesel, Rock climbing, Light blue, Nickname
(we can provide the White ensign and MT-D badge and nick name)

M

Q

31

RAN crest, HMAS Gascoyne Ships Crest, MTD Badge,  Kraken, Sea Mines, Ocean, Western Star Trucks, Sydney Swans, Aquaman, King Neptune
(we can provide the ships crest and MT-D badge)

M

B

32

Brisbane Broncos themed

M

Q

33

RAN White Ensign, HMAS Gascoyne Ships Crest, Australian Flag, South Australian Flag, Sextant, Nautical Compass
(we can provide the White ensign, ships crest and flags)

M

Q

34

RAN White Ensign, HMAS Perth & HMAS Gascoyne Ships Crests, Nickname
Killer whale &/or Emperor Penguin, Sonar, Ocean, Nickname 'Laz', Boxing/Muay Thai, Singapore artwork/culture, Pineapple
(we can provide the White ensign, ships crests and nick name as text)

M

Q

35

Penrith Panthers theme in Black

M

Q

36

Western Style Cowboys theme in any colours

M

Q

37

Cycling, Swimming & Running. Blue & red are favourite colours.

M

Q

38

Something Climbing Related (carabiners, ropes, quickdraws) with surname
(we can supply surname as text if required)

M

Q

39

Smiling shark, octopus and pineapple

M

Q

40

Newcastle Knights

M

Q

41

Marine Technician Propeller / Disney Princesses
(we can provide an image of the propeller)

M

Q

42

Sydney Roosters NRL Team / Chameleons

M

Q

43

USA NBA Basketball Team: Houston Rockets

M

Q

44

Bulldogs (NRL) OR Cars

M

Q

45

Surfing / Cycling / Diving (We can provide a dive helmet)

M

Q

46

Anything Diver related & Koala (We can provide a dive helmet)

M

Q

47

RAAF crest with text
Australian outback country themed, ie. gum trees, aussie stockman, camping style
(we can provide the crest with text)

M

Q

48

blackhawk, chinook, iroquois

F

Q

49

Blue/Grey - Halo (video game)

M

LB

50

Nissan GQ Patrols (4WD vehicle)

M

LB

51

Black/Purple - Black Panther

M

LB

52

RAN crest
Served 10 Jan 79 - 16 Jan 21
Nickname
Text "The Silent Service"
HMAS Otway, Ovens, Onslow, Oxley
"O" class Merang and Dolphins
HMAS Watson
HMAS Kuttabul
(We can provide the RAN and ships' crests)

M

Q

52

Rising Sun, RASIGs, Australian Army Apprentice School badge
Served 12 Jan 88- 20 Jan
UN Transitional Auth in Cambodia (UNTAC) Apr92-Mar93 (Meritorious Unit Citation)
Op Catalyst Iraq 2004
(We can provide the badges and the posting details can be embroidered as a patch)

M

Q

53

Magpies, top hats, classic Hornet , 75SQN crest (75SQN themed) in black and white checkered squares with black border. some examples for 75SQN themed include magpies, top hats, and the classic hornet.  There are photos that can be provided for inspiration.
(we can supply the 75 SQN crest)

F

Q

54

Brisbane Lions Theme

M

Q

55

Red Bull Ampol Racing Team (Supercars)

M

Q

56

Parramatta Eels/ NRL

M

Q

57

Arsenal FC/ Soccer

M

Q

58

Houston Rockets (USA Basketball Team)

M

Q

59

Geelong Cats (AFL) / Redcliffe Dolphins (NRL)

M

Q

60

Hawthorn (AFL)

M

Q

61

St. George Illawarra (NRL)

M

Q

62

Diver theme

M

Q

63

Italian Theme

M

Q

64

Black/Gold - HMAS Perth theme, Naval Gunnery Theme

M

LB

65

HMAS Gascoyne Ships Crest, RAN Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Crest, Kraken, Sea Mines, Ocean, Sextant,  Transformers G1 cartoon, English Bulldog (white coat with lots of brown patches and spots named Pickles)
(we can provide the ship & MWCD crests)

M

B

66

Dolphins badge with surname - Space themed
with planets, stars, galaxies & telescopes.
(we can provide the embroidered dolphin
badge and surname)

M

LB

67

Star Wars, the Mandalorian

M

LB

68

Spiderman themed with Spiderman wearing dolphins.

M

LB

69

Submarine / Ocean

M

LB

70

Submarine / Ocean

M

LB

71

Submarine / Ocean

M

LB

72

Pink Starfish/Katana (Japanese sword)/Red and white fox

M

LB

73

Pirate Monkeys

M

LB

74

Submarine / Nautical

M

LB

75

Submarine / Nautical

M

LB

76

Submarine (Submariner Dolphins) / Jurassic Park Theme / Richmond Football Club Logo
(we can provide the dolphins as an embroidery)

M

LB

77

Submarine / Ocean

M

LB

78

Jolly Roger Pirate Flag

M

LB

79

Navy/ Submarines/ Manchester United Logo - Red and Black

M

LB

80

Disney Princesses/Barbie/Pink

F

LB

81