Happy Wednesday Friends!
Dear Ann S,
Thank you so much for the delightful quilt you made for me, I was absolutely thrilled to receive it and feel very humbled to be the proud owner of something so unique and special and I can assure you that it will be loved and cherished forever.
You are very talented and I absolutely loved the design you came up with. However, I was disappointed that I was unable to be present at the dinner at the war memorial to see it on display although you did a remarkable job and I am very honoured you made it for me.
I just wanted to share a bit about me. I live in Canberra with my husband and two children. One is15 and loves basketball and one is 12 and loves school, colouring-in and painting rocks.
I work full-time with the Department of Defence and have been a Specialist Reservist Public Affairs Officer with the RAAF since 2017.
When I left Air Force Headquarters, I had so much knowledge on aircraft types and Defence processes that becoming a reservist was the perfect fit and now enables me to mentor and train others.
One day I hope to deploy although I will wait until my kids finish school. They would miss their taxi driver and chef way too much!
I love my reserve work and have been given many fantastic opportunities. No one year is ever the same and next year.
Aside from my reserve work, I am also studying part-time and am in my third year. I love learning about people, their personalities and behaviours.
Thank you again for sharing your talent with me by creating something so unique, immensely delicate and beautiful, it will be treasured forever.
Wishing you a truly wonderful and blessed Christmas and I hope 2026 is an amazing year for you and your family.
Best wishes always,
Good Afternoon Jan-Maree,
I have attached a photo of the recipient with the quilt, which he loved and had with him everyday until his passing and insisted he also have drapped on him for his funeral.
Thank you once again for everything and all the family is really thankful.
Kind Regards,
Hi Angie T,
I wanted to reach out and express my gratitude for the quilt that you made me, you did a fantastic job, I love it.
When I return home, I will be looking to frame it as a reminder of my time in the middle east.
Thank you for taking the time to write me about your life.
Reading it reminded me of all the things I love at home, particularly with regards to your caravan trips and your neighbours cat Asher who adopted you.
Please give Asher some pets for me, my wife and I have our own cat Harry who is also spoilt rotten.
Please also pass on my thanks for Joan B; her embroidery is very impressive.
It is comforting to know there are people who are willing to volunteer their time and effort for someone half way around the world; you and those who volunteer for Aussie Hero Quilts are a sterling example of what makes Australia so great.
I think you’re admirable and I hope you are proud of what you do.
I hope you, your husband, and your family have a great Christmas and New Years.
From a very appreciative Officer, Thank you.
Best wishes,
Good morning Bev F,
I would like to start off by saying thank you for the beautiful quilt that you made for me and I was very pleased to hear about the special touch you put to it with your own photo of the museum on there.
We are very appreciative of the hard work, time and effort that would go into making one of these quilts and I know from the members I am deployed with, we were all very excited to receive these quilts and gave us something to look forward too. We are currently deployed here in on a 6-month rotation with all of us having our birthdays whilst deployed.
A little about me. I am a mum of 3 and have a Son 12, Daughter 11, Daughter 4. We love to go camping and spending time on the River Murray with friends jet skiing over the summer or heading down to Renmark to enjoy some family time. This will be the first xmas away from the kids so a little harder on all of us but have promised to go on a holiday as soon as I get back in March next year. I enjoy playing Netball and represent the ADF in some of their national teams. My daughter has also found a love of netball, my son plays basketball and youngest just loves the water and is always swimming. In my free time if I’m not running around after the kids or going to a sporting event - I love to bake. I previously worked at a bakery before I decided to join the Defence Force. Last night the base put on some xmas baking event so got my cup filled with some xmas traditions of being able to still bake some xmas cookies whilst being here. I joined later in life when I was 30 and have not regretted the decision and hope that at least one of the kids will also join.
Thank you so much Bev for all that you do for deployed members, it really does bring joy receiving the beautiful work that you create. I know even my kids are going to love what you have created.
xxx
Dear Bev L,
Thank you so much for your incredibly thoughtful letter and for the time and effort you’ve put into making the quilt and laundry bag. It truly means a lot to know that there are people back home who appreciate what we do and go to such lengths to show their support.
I only received the package a few days before Christmas, so it felt like getting an early present! I absolutely love the quilt and laundry bag. I’ve shown them to a few people, and everyone agrees they suit me perfectly.
Your description of the process and the team behind Aussie Hero Quilts was fascinating—I had no idea how many hands and skills go into creating these pieces.
I also enjoyed reading about your life and interests. It sounds like you and your husband have had some incredible adventures.
It’s great to hear about your family’s connection to the military as well; I can see why this cause is so close to your heart. My family also has a very big military connection on my mother’s side we can track family members back to every conflict Australia has been in since the Boar war and my father`s side had multiple members in WW2, Korea and Vietnam. So, it must be in my blood to join.
Please pass on my thanks to everyone involved in making this happen. Your kindness and support make a real difference to us while we’re deployed.
Take care, and all the best for the year ahead.
Warm regards,
***
G’day Ruth S,
This is an email to thank you for sending me a Laundry Bag.
I have been in the Royal Australian Air Force as a Public Affairs Officer since 2006. I am a Reservist, but I have spent many of these years working in the Air Force full-time.
You might be surprised to learn that the question of ‘what’s our access to laundry like?’ is often one of the first we’ll ask when looking at our accommodation. It’s one of the many things that we take for granted at home. I was actually very excited for the opportunity get an Aussie Hero Laundry Bag created, as for the last ten years it’s been the dedicated item that I wish I had when I am deployed away (canvas shopping bags don’t quite remind me of home).
The one you have sent will take pride of place in my deployment bag. My young family (8F, 5M, 3F) has already given it a test run on a weekend away, and sharing this bag with them allowed me to explain the value and appreciated that we have for the work that you do.
Thank you once again for providing this Laundry Bag, and for all of the work that you do for everyone in the ADF, their families, and veterans. Every single one of us appreciates it.
Cheers,
***
Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in. Wednesdays would be so totally boring without them!
