Happy Tuesday Friends!
Dear Heather B,A huge thank you, not only for my lovely quilt which I received yesterday, but for the work you have done for deployed servicemen and servicewomen over the last 12 years or so. 112 quilts and 200+ laundry bags is a phenomenal amount of time, care and love to devote to such a task. I know however, that every quilt received is valued and appreciated.Thank you also for your letter and detail. I appreciate the link to the HMAS Perth memorial, which I was not aware of until you made me aware of it. Although I have not served on her namesake, Perth (I) holds a special place in our collective history. I have sailed close to the wreck on many occasions, and we always acknowledge it with a small service and a wreath cast onto the water. Having spent many years posted to WA, I know the site of the new memorial well. Point Walter is a beautiful part of the river and like you, I can’t wait to visit.On the subject of memorials, I am not sure if your trip will take you to Geraldton, however the HMAS Sydney (II) memorial there is well worth a visit. Sydney (II) was lost with all hands less than four months before her sister ship, Perth. The loss of life between the two ships is staggering to consider today. Your link to Perth through your Uncle is poignant, particular noting his survival of both the sinking and POW experiences and subsequent longevity. Thanks for sharing.Thanks also for the detail about yourself and your husband. Keeping fit and active, both physically and mentally, is such an important part of our journey. I understand the value of regular exercise, connection with mates, and connection to water! For me, my community is surfski paddling. Very difficult here in the UAE desert, although I do get out on the water off Dubai every couple of weeks where I can. Apart from that, the gym keeps me occupied, but I look forward to getting back home and out on the water. Home is Canberra, so I’m restricted to the lake and rivers (where I regularly see platypus), but my love is the ocean and we get to the coast when we can.I am at the six month mark of my yearlong deployment over here, where I am the commander of a fairly small but fantastic group of people. I’ve been here since December, had a great Christmas deployed (only my second in 36 years in uniform), but I look forward to hopefully being home for this Christmas. We recently had a visit from our Governor General on her way home from Gallipoli and the Pope’s funeral, which was a great honour.I’ve also included a photo of your fantastic quilt brightening up my cabin!Again, thank you so much for all that you and the other members of AHQ do for us. I have attended one dinner in Canberra (back in 2019), but will keep an eye out for next year’s event. If you are there, I look forward to saying thank you in person.Sincerely,
Thank you for thinking of our son as he serves his country and with this deployment away from his family for 12 months. He does have 3 breaks to catch up. Heather, your design and stitching is just overwhelming, that coming from a former teacher of Textiles and Design.The whole Quilt just shows your dedication and expertise, well done The colours are just so our son. The hours of work you put into it haven’t gone unnoticed. Our son actually said if you were 10 years younger Mum, you could get involved, but alas my eyesight is now making such fine details near impossible. Anyway my husband and I just want to say a huge thank you to the organisation and in particular Heather.
May you continue to bless our service men and women as they strive to protect our country
Good Evening Ms Ball,
I wanted to make sure I reached out and expressed my most sincere gratitude for the patrol boat quilt that I received this year. Thank you to yourself and the three amazing women for your generosity, love and care in making my quilt come to life – it certainly brings me a lot of joy and style to my cabin onboard the ship. I particularly appreciate that my design was out of the normal but the ladies have executed it perfectly!
I also wanted to thank you for your greater contribution to the ADF – the charity has carefully curated several of my crew’s laundry bags and quilts who have also recently arrived. You have an incredibly talented team of volunteers and have brought a lot of love and colour to my ship’s company.
Please pass on to Jill M, Bridget R and Philomena H that I use my quilt daily. I’ve attached a photo just in case the ladies hadn’t seen the final artwork.
Thank you,
Good evening Ruth S,
I wanted to make sure I reached out and expressed my most sincere gratitude for the Taylor Swift x country theme laundry bag that I received this year. Thank you for your generosity, love and care in making my laundry bag come to life – it certainly brings me a lot of joy and style to my cabin onboard the ship. I also enjoyed the bedazzled note that was included with the bag.
I also wanted to thank you for your greater contribution to the ADF – I know you have also carefully curated several of my crew’s laundry bags who have also recently arrived. You’re incredibly talented and have brought a lot of love and colour to my ship’s company.
I hope the weather isn’t getting too cold too quickly in SA and that you are also getting plenty of quality time with family.
Thank you,
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From our team to yours, thank you. Your time and effort brightens our day - one load, one smelly sock, one grey t-shirt at a time! Until next time, take care.
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Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in. Tuesdays would be so totally boring without them!
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