Friday Night Volunteers' Gathering

Friday night 25^th October 2024 saw the coming together of people from every state in Australia and the ACT to the AHQ Annual Volunteers Gathering.

A Gathering evokes images of Scottish clans gathering to share rich history and cultural traditions. These gatherings bring together members of a particular clan or family to celebrate their heritage and share in the camaraderie of their shared ancestry. Well, the AHQ gathering is really no different. It is an integral part of the Thank You weekend, providing a sense of community, acknowledgment, sharing ideas, information, techniques, pride in the work we do, and connection to recipients with their stories and the impact of these personal, unique gifts have on them.

The MC for the night was Pello, aka the Pocket Rocket. She introduced herself – I’m not a professional MC. I served in the Royal Australian Air Force and am a Reservist and served in the Queensland Police department.

She attended to housekeeping, refreshments set up outside the ballroom and gave some instructions for the Saturday night dinner event. To quote there is to be “no face planting, no pushing or shoving for the silent auction.”

With the recipients at your dinner table, talk to them about why we do what we do. Ask them about their service. Talk about expectations on a quilt.

We were Pello’s guinea pigs for the night as she practiced her jokes and trivia questions on us in preparation for the dinner.

A small fabric bag was held up by Pello, for the lucky dip draw and it was referred to as the G-string bag. The banter between Jan-Maree and Pello had started. From the audience Jan-Maree using a microphone would interject and tell Pello to “stay on script.” Pello’s reply “who gave JM that microphone.” So, the lucky door draw had to wait as Pello was getting ahead of herself.  

Pello introduced the first guest speaker, Air Marshal Leo Davies (retired) Chairman of the AHQ Board.

Leo told us he is a mad golfer and plays four times a week. The quilt he received sits next to his golf gear, so he sees it many times during the week.

He spoke about a range of topics particularly the reply rate and the board. The “dreadful rate of return replies.” He said it sat at about 27%. He went on to explain that many recipients were very junior, it was their first deployment and that they had difficulty in expressing themselves in how to capture how they felt.

“Senior folk are hopeless” saying “my staff didn’t tell me to do it. I will do it on the weekend.” But then time takes over and they do not get around to replying.

Then those away waiting to get home and when they show their family, they want to capture that and then they will write. But then they don’t end up replying.

Leo spoke Aussie Hero Quilts, an “extremely successful charity”. That it was now a recognised charity. Some sponsors did not know what we do and how it relates to Veterans.

He talked about how the AHQ flow of quilts and laundry bags go to the right people at the right time. The request base line has less deployments which was a good thing. How AHQ had focused on groups such as 15 years, 30 years and 40 years of service and they could put in a request for a quilt as they never had the opportunity to deploy. In the growth of AHQ it now can focus on Vietnam Vets, Fallen Warrior and Because We Care quilts. Leo expressed that the future of AHQ is very bright.

Leo went on to explain the engine room of what we do that a third of his speaking engagements the people have received a quilt or a laundry bag. That two thirds of people in a venue have heard about AHQ from Parliament House to new recruits. He spoke highly of the wonderful reputation that comes from the work of the quilters.

Next it was time for Pello to put her hand in the G-string bag and draw out some names for the lucky dip table.

Pello introduced the next speaker Capt Guy Blackburn serving 36 years and still serving and AHQ board member. He too made comment regarding replies saying he “laments the lack of feedback”. So, the board is well aware of frustration we feel when we don’t hear back from our recipients.

Guy had the honour of presenting a quilt to a deserving recipient. From the back of the room where he was helping on the goodie bag table WO Andrew, affectionally know as "Jock" came up on the stage.

Guy shared information about Jock. He joined the Navy at 16 years old in 1982. He has served for 43 years, he was Academy Sergeant Major, he is “good at fixing stuff”. In Samoa he was Technical Advisor, he loves bright shirts which he would wear on Fridays. Jock has done selfless sacrifice and as Jock says about himself “it’s not about you”. Jock was in the top 100 Navy high achievers in the centenary. In far flung places Jock seeks out a place to go fishing. Then the catch is cooked on top of the engine. Jock says it a great morale booster and cooking on the engine is a long tradition. Jock loves to save bits and pieces and tinkers in his shed. He loves rugby, dinghy’s and small boat sailing. His “second love after family is the sea.”

During the sharing of part of Jock’s story his three children (2 daughters, 1 son) appeared in the doorway of the Ballroom to watch and share in the embarrassment of their father.

Jock was part of HMAS Creswell’s recovery of those that served. He collects timbers from decommissioned ships and stores in his shed where he tinkers and makes things. His love of making and creating saw him engineer a trophy that moves around the ships. The oldest ship in the fleet holds the trophy. This was inspired and created based on HMAS Voyager. She was known as “The Lady of the Fleet”. HMAS Voyager, a destroyer, had a very decorated career in the early 1930’s, was decommissioned and recommissioned and served in WWII in a range of conflicts.

Guy explained that his family has served for four generations with his son in the Navy. During a difficult period for his son Jock was someone who walked beside him, caring and bringing him through.

Heather B was invited up to present Jock with his quilt that she made. She went on to explain the many components on the quilt.

Time for more G-string lucky dip prizes and some names were called out to collect their goodies bag from the back of the room.

Next guest speaker to be introduced was our groups guide at the Australian War Memorial that same afternoon. He served in the Army for 22 years, introducing Rod Henderson.

Rod is passionate about being a volunteer guide at the War Memorial, likes to play Army in the back yard with his sons and as he said was a token Army person in the room. He joined when he was 18 years old. He served for a number of years in East Timor where he saw the “awful parts of humanity.”

One of his roles was a back seater in a helicopter. His experiences had a profound effect on him. As he said talking about your story is to get it out of your head and write it down. He wrote a book “Stop Screaming I’m Scared Too.”

While on deployments he got a care package from a primary school boy from Penrith. They wrote to each other for five months. Later on, he got the meet this boy. While serving in 2012 in Afghanistan he got a letter from a young girl in primary school.

He has not got a quilt and he took every opportunity to remind Jan-Maree of that throughout his talk, so he shared part of the story of her quilt. She was serving in Iraq, and they started bombing near the compound. They had to evacuate quickly, under the cover of darkness. They were allowed to take one bag. His wife grabbed her hero quilt and only a few other things, leaving behind other personal items to flee. As Rod was telling the story it was an emotional time. He wanted to share how important her quilt was to her. 

It was another chance for Pello to put her hand in the G-string bag. She really liked doing that and saying the word G-string to draw out more names for the lucky dip table where Jock had made some challenge coin stands all with a story of the ship that the timbers had come from. Kristie H was someone who was pleased to score one of these. More names were read to receive their goodie bag.

Pello introduced our last guest speaker, Sergeant Adam Richards, affectionally known as Richo and Alma his Community Defence Assistance Dog. 

Alma stayed on her stay mat that was provided by an AHQ volunteer.

Adam joined the Army when he was 17. After serving in East Timor, he said he went as a boy and came back a man after what he saw. He got a Helmsan ticket (a qualification) within the Army. He served in Papua New Guinea, Malaysia, Singapore, Afghanistan, France and Belgium. He went to France as a Private and came back a Corporal. 

He was part of the Jonathan Church repatriation team who were able to give17 individuals a headstone with their name on it. It was an emotional and significant experience where they buried an unknown soldier. Many of us made a quilt and laundry bag for the members of the team. Adam is a paratrooper who started out as an infantry soldier.

Richo (Adam) spoke about the impact of the gifts we make. He said each item we make is loved and respected. For him he said he felt that “I was important”. Serving away, understanding the emotional comradery, you are a different person when you come home, he said. It means something to use in the most challenging time and that we are not alone. A particularly important message.

Adam has developed a Commanders Notebook app which he is immensely proud of. It is about prioritising wellbeing and improving mental health, a holistic view and the long term impact on mental health. It is about all people being able to access and communicate with each other. The aim is to be more informed and have compassionate leadership that makes a tangible difference in the life of people by supporting those serving. His aim is to inspire others to seek support.

Adam openly shared his own mental health journey with complex PTSD, anxiety and depression. He shared that with support he has been able to make progress. He said it is nothing to be ashamed of. Without Alma he would not have been able to stay in the Army. Alma is a Defence Community Dog (DCD) Assistance Dog, and the CEO of Community Defence dogs was present to support him.

Alma is highly trained. The only place she does not go is to the toilet with him. She has to watch him while he showers and lies in the doorway. She provides comfort, stability, steady unconditional love, grounds him, checks in with him with when his anxiety is raising by putting her paw on his foot to let him know she is there for him. She lies next to him when he sleeps unless he has a night terror where she gets off the bed and lies on the floor next to him until it passes. Alma and the Defence Dogs change people in more ways than we will ever understand.

Adam shared his story of when he received a laundry bag while in Afghanistan. He did not reply to his maker and the reason is confronting. He was busy “preparing to put somebody in a box to bring them home.” As he said that didn’t mean that he wasn’t grateful.

When he did have a chance to reply to his volunteer he said, “The fact you did something while you were going through your own trouble is the reason why I serve.” In referencing his quilt, he said “it makes them feel at home and is amazing.”

All the while that Adam spoke Alma never moved off her stay mat. Adam then shared several tricks as he called it that Alma can do. She did a beautiful Downward Dog pose with her bottom to the audience. She does a jump and then the piece de resistance was he got her to back up to a wall and then she put her back legs up on the wall with her front paws on the ground. He said she will stay in that pose until he gives her release word. He said Alma rules the house at home when she is out of jacket. Adam is very appreciative of AHQ and what they do and wants to give back to the organisation.

It was a wonderful night, and the location was just great. It is a winner. The space was intimate with no distractions, round tables and comfortable chairs that allowed you to speak with others. A stage so you could see the speakers, and mic and even if they stepped away from the mic you could still hear them. It was so convenient to come down in the lift and removed the stress of leaving earlier and driving to another venue.

Thanks Cathy, great report.

Till next time.... keep spreading the word and happy stitching! 

Jan-Maree xx