Grati-Tuesday 3rd June 2025

      

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Welcome to the first post for June and the start of winter. 

Brrrrr (well for most of us Southerners)!

We have a great lot of thank you's this week so grab a cuppa, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude!

The AHQ Thank You Dinner is only 144 sleeps away. 

Don't forget to get your tickets!

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Hi Wendy V,

 

Greetings from Sydney! I’m in the Army but I’m posted to the Navy ship HMAS Canberra. Our home port is in Sydney.

 

I just had the honour of unpacking your Star Wars laundry bag and receiving your kind letter. You’ll be pleased to know, I am a massive nerd and a big Star Wars fan, so the force has fated your gift to the perfect recipient! Thank you very much.

 

It was very pleasant reading about who you are, where you live and what your life is like. Our ship tends to be away from port anywhere from 3-6 months a year, so hearing your story reminded me of being home. I’ve driven past the North Coast a number of times on road trips to Brisbane for work but have never thought to stop by. I’ll have to drop in to the national park and go for a nice hike the next time I’m in the area!

 

I myself grew up in Melbourne but moved to Sydney for high school after my parents got jobs here. I still live with my parents at the moment and my dogs (two miniature schnauzers) but I’m hoping to move out with my partner later this year. I joined the Army in 2020 during COVID to fulfil the childhood dream of wearing the uniform.

 

As for my job in the Army, it is quite a unique one to say the least. HMAS Canberra has about 400 crew on board, but not everyone is in the Navy! About 50 people on board are Army and 3 are Air Force. The Army personnel have all sorts of jobs on board, from cargo operators and radio specialists to chefs and logisticians. I’m a Command Support Clerk (that’s a fancy name for administration assistant), so my job is to help make sure the Army members have all their paperwork, pay and administration squared away. I also have the secondary role of being the ship’s travel agent, so I organise commercial flights, accommodation and bookings for our members when they need to travel in Australia or abroad. You may have seen our ship conduct disaster relief and humanitarian aid operations both in Australia and overseas. It can get very busy on here, it’s almost like a small city. We can hold up to around 1200 extra people on board.

 

I hope you’re doing well and from the sounds of it, your children must be keeping busy in Sydney and Newcastle.

 

Here’s a photo of me with the wonderful laundry bag you made (they make us wear the Navy uniform but I’ve always secretly preferred wearing the green!).

Wishing you and your family all the best and may the force be with you!

***

I just received the most beautiful quilt and letter from you. I just wanted to tell you how thankful I am. 

I have been serving in the Army for nearly 7 years with my partner, who is coming up to 10 years. 

Before my Nan passed away, she made me and my siblings a quilt each that we have cherished ever since. I hold that quilt close to my heart and will now also hold the one that you have gifted me close as well.

You are very talented and creative. Thank you again.

Warm regards,

***

 Hi Ellen,

Thank you so very much for the absolutely stunning quilt you made for me. It is beyond perfect and is just amazing.  I wish I had your talent, it's a very special gift you have.  We were away from home when it arrived and have only just gotten settled, which is why the late response.

I really enjoyed reading about you and your family.  I retired (albeit medically) in mid 2023 and my husband had his last day in the office on the 16^th of May (after 38+ years full time).  He will do Reserve Service after he has a bit of a break. I'm not actually sure how he will go being at home full time, but I have a long list of jobs for him and a couple of young Highland steers for him to work with in the paddock. 

We have been considering buying a caravan, mainly so we can take our labrador with us on holidays. I'm thinking something at the 17foot length so the bed faces the right way and we can have an ensuite. But they are sooo expensive, so I am keeping my eye out for a second hand option. 

If you have any recommendations please send them my way. At the moment I am leaning towards the Snowy River caravans, but I am open to suggestions.

Anyway, I will sign off for now and go and unpack from the trip.  Thank you again. 

Warm regards,  

 ***

Dear Kristan H,

 

First of all let me start by saying, thank you so much for your amazing quilt! I'm absolutely blown away by your craftsmanship.

The quilt is beautiful! I absolutely love the Rising Sun in the middle and the colour scheme is just perfect.

 

This has been a very welcome morale boost.

 

A little bit about me, I grew up in Perth and now live in Yeppoon QLD with my beautiful girlfriend. I enlisted in the Army in early 2021 and I started my commissioning journey January this year. 

 

Once again, thank you so much for sending me this beautiful quilt. I will proudly display it on my bed during room inspections as the CSM is grilling me for having a thread out of place.

 

Kind regards,

 

 ***

Good morning Anne Hnr,

Thank you very much for the quilt and your letter. 

It is also quite cold here in Waiouru, we have had negatives over night with the coldest in May of a feels like -6⁰ and of course we had PT that morning. 

I was a corporal in the reserves, also a train driver for Sydney trains, and decided I wanted to go full time but join the "dark side" officers.

So, I applied for RMC and was accepted! During application I said I would be interested in doing the course in NZ instead and was given it, myself and one other. 

So my rank I think should be Staff Cadet for RMC but I have officer cadet instead for some reason, I actually dont know why.

I plan to join the engineers, so hopefully that works out for me.

I have only ever been to Tasmania once, for a wedding, quite a while ago and don't really remember much. I'll have to head back down and check it all out again. 

Thank you again for the quilt.

 ***

Good Morning Everyone,

I am sending this email with much appreciation of receiving a beautiful quilt which was made by Mae McP.

I have worked at the School of Infantry for nearly 40 years proudly alongside Infantry soldiers, more particularly within the training component of the Infantry soldier’s journey. Until now I wasn’t aware of your great organisation however since receiving my quilt and letter I have educated myself of your organisation a little further by following your FB page and have read a lot of your submissions on it. I can’t express enough how wonderful your organisation is and proud I am of your volunteers for their commitment and love for what they do.

After receiving my quilt the conversation has started and I found that some of the guys within my unit have quilts and spoke proudly about their individually styled quilts they have received.

As per the picture included, after showing extended family members and talking about who and what your organisation is about the quilt lays across our guest bed – a conversation starter when they enter the room. Hopefully to continue spreading the word of your great organisation. I can’t believe how well it tones with the already colours that was in the room, obviously the selection was meant to be. 

Again, thank you for the love and effort that has been delivered to me in the form of this beautiful quilt.

Kind regards,

 ***

Following are two thank you's for Fallen Warrior Quilt 

Hello there Jan-Maree,

I have recently visited my daughter in Tasmania and received a stunning Aussie Hero Quilt in honour of my Vietnam Veteran husband who passed away in 1991.

Words cannot fully express how moved I was upon receiving this beautiful gift in memory of him. His service to our country came at a great personal cost, as he carried the deep scars of his war experience throughout his life. Like so many of his fellow Vietnam veterans, my husband returned home to a nation that did not always extend the gratitude and recognition they deserved. Instead of the respect afforded to other servicemen, Vietnam veterans often faced indifference, misunderstanding, and even hostility. Their sacrifices were overlooked, and many endured ongoing struggles without the support they so desperately needed.

Despite the hardships, we shared moments of great joy, especially with the birth of our two wonderful children aged 36 and 35. 

His legacy lives on in them and in the love and strength he carried through his most difficult times.

Gestures such as the gift of this quilt reassure me that his suffering and sacrifice, along with that of his fellow veterans, has not been forgotten. This quilt is more than a beautiful creation—it is a symbol of remembrance, gratitude, and healing. It will remain a precious family heirloom, passed down through generations as a testament to the service of a man who gave so much.

Please extend my deepest thanks to all your wonderful volunteers, especially Dorothy C, Lynn F, Philomena H, and Joan B. Their generosity and dedication to honouring veterans and their families is truly remarkable.

With heartfelt gratitude,

-----

Dear Jan-Maree,

To say ‘Thank you’ for your very beautiful, thoughtful quilt is quite insufficient. But I do thank you and your very talented team. What a fabulous gift you have organised for so many.

This tribute to my husband was totally unexpected and kept secret by Heather B and my family for some time. I always admire the work Heather does and had no idea that your work applied to veterans and that your team of stitchers was cast so far and wide.

Please extend my thanks to Lynn F, Dorothy C, Philomena H and Inge C for me. Their work will become an heirloom for my family. Thank you for organising this with Heather and I’m sure you have thousands of other grateful recipients in many parts of Australia and globally.

Sincerely

  ***

Hi Janelle S

 

I am posted to HMAS Canberra.

 

I’m 37 and joined the Navy straight out of Grafton Highschool. I specialise in weapons and electronics.

 

In 2014, I did a Gulf Trip on HMAS Darwin and the opportunity arose to get a quilt and I never took that opportunity. I’ve been kicking myself ever since. So when the email went around to get a laundry bag I jumped on it.

 

Thanks for dedicating your time to support us, it is greatly appreciated and nice to know that there are people out there thinking about us.

 

Your town sounds like a great place to live, I grew up rurally and hope to someday move back to; for lack of better words – peace.

 

I hope you have a great day, thanks again for the laundry bag.

 

Regards

 

 

***

Good Morning Monika McK,

 

I am quilt blown away with this quilt!!(see what I did there) Incredible work and I’m not going to lie I use this quilt every day!! I received this just before ANZAC day which put a huge smile on my face as it was ANZAC themed! Love the Ode inscribed into the quilt also, helps remind me reasons as to why I put on the uniform every day and strive to be like the heroes of our past!

 

Keep up the great work, this has improved my morale on this deployment, put a huge smile on my face when I needed it most!

 

Kind regards,

***

Good Morning Ruth S,

 

Amazing work on the Laundry Bag, I do apologise in the delay of this email as I have been flat out. Was nice to receive this laundry bag right before ANZAC day been using it every day since, can’t believe how handy it’s been and I know that I’ll take this with me on every deployment! I’m will get great use out of it!

  

Keep up the great work, this has improved my morale on this (ordinary deployment) substantially, put a huge smile on my face when I needed it most!

 

Kind regards,

***

Dear Heather B,
I hope this token of thanks brings a little joy to your day - just as your beautiful Aussie Hero Quilts and laundry bags bring comfort and pride to those serving far from home.
Your generosity, time and care do not go unnoticed. It takes many hours and a big heart to create something so meaningful and I am truly grateful for the support and kindness you’ve shown.
 With sincere appreciation,

 ***

Hi Bridget R,

Thank you very much for the quilt you made me. I absolutely love it! My son and I both love fishing and he was just as excited I was. Sorry for the  delayed reply. I was away when your package arrived and my partner had a lot going on and she misplaced the letter, so I'm sorry about that. I'm guessing you're from Tassie or Victoria? from the fish choice haha.

Thank you again,

 ***

Good Afternoon Ma'am,

I'm in the Royal Australian Navy (posted to a patrol boat out of Cairns) & recently received your amazing quilt (Anne Hnr) & laundry

 bags (Anne Hnr & Ruth S).

I'm writing to express my sincere gratitude for them, they are fantastic & I really appreciate all the effort that goes into them.

I was fortunate enough to have received a quilt back in 2014 & it is still going strong.

I was in the Army back then & was on deployment in the Middle East.

Quickly about me: 53 yrs old, married for 26 yrs so far so good, no kids but fur babies.

I joined the Army in August 1999 & served 20 yrs before transferring to the Navy in 2019 & now I'm a Marine Technician (Diesel).

My wife grew up in Cairns, so we're very fortunate to be posted home & be able to see family & my wife is still firm friends with childhood friends.

Once again, thankyou so much for everything you do, it really is lovely & very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

 ***

Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in.  Tuesdays would be so totally boring without them!

Cheers Bel P

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