Grati-Tuesday 29th July 2025

              

Happy Tuesday Friends!

Welcome to the last blog for July.  

On the downward slope to the end of the year. I bet it will be no time at all and we are counting down till Jolly Old Santa visits!!

 

Another deluge of thank you's again this week from far and wide so grab a cuppa, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude!

AHQ Thank You Dinner is only 88 sleeps! 

Don't forget to buy your tickets. 

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Hi Bridget R

 

It was a lovely surprise to open my package and receive the beautifully laundry bag! The design was exactly what I was after – something bright and colourful to jazz up our dull accommodation.

I have also watched others on the deployment open their quilts and laundry bags over recent weeks and it certainly brings a healthy dose of morale to the contingent when they see their wonderful gifts. It really helps knowing that there are people at home thinking about us, and we are so grateful for the time and effort you put in.

 

I’d also like to thank you for all the years you have put in to nursing. I have worked with so many amazing nurses throughout my medical career and I definitely couldn’t do my job without their help and support. Please see attached photo off me with the laundry bag in our medical centre here.

  

Regards,

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(This thank you is from the recipient who was the feature image from last weeks Grati-blog)

Good morning Lynn F and family

I received a quilt last week, and have been looking for a time without distraction where I can say thankyou (and this is it :)

I have used the time to think about what to say, etc, but I am still short on words. I still don't know. 

The quilt itself is beautiful. The pattern and placement are amazing. The hemming and attention to detail is perfect (thankyou). 

The embroidered Rising Sun (thankyou Joan B), which still evokes a sense of "must protect" in me, is sharp and precise. 

The quilting stitch (thankyou Philomena H) is super-impressive, and gets better the more I look at it.

I use it almost daily, thanks to the cold weather, and it will come with me when I travel. 

But it is more than the sum of its' parts. It is the intent.

I remember a quote from Maya Angelou that I read well over a decade ago, that:

"People will typically forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel".

I have always found this to be true. Both good and bad. People can use all the right words, but if their intent is selfish or hurtful, you will never forget. 

Thankfully, the opposite is also true, in that as long as your intentions are genuinely good and selfless, you can make a few mistakes along the way - as long as you keep fighting for the right thing and helping those around you.

This is the part that - for me - stands out with AHQ Volunteers. You have the unwavering, selfless intent, executed with precision and without expectation (other than showing a stranger that you care). 

This is what resonates with me. Throughout 24 years in the ADF, volunteer work, and raising kids, this is the kind of psychological compass we all should have, or at least try to incorporate in our values.

The unwavering, selfless intent from AHQ is, I think, what most people enter the ADF and emergency services with. For ADF personnel, I think this gets impacted by deployments and other experiences, diluting and confounding the core intent. But AHQ help remind people of it, by staying selfless and apolitical. 

Now that I have sat down to write, I am glad to have been able to identify and start to explain why I am so grateful.

Making a quilt can seem like a small gesture, but it is not. The intent and selfless effort behind it is enormous. 

It is everything.

Thankyou  

Sincerely.

PS: Fourteen hundred and fifty-five quilts?! What the heck?!!

Thankyou 

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Dear Jenny N,

I am the fortunate recipient of your laundry bag. I am the Physical Training Instructor (PTI) here on HMAS Brisbane.

I wanted to send a heartfelt thank you for your incredibly kind words and for the thoughtful gift. It truly brightened my day and I am very humbled that you create this!

It was also wonderful to hear about the arrival of your granddaughter – what joyful news! And your family's dedication to service is truly inspiring. I am a big believer in the value of service before self and I am in the Navy to do what I was instilled to do though my own family military service history.

Hearing about your daughter being a primary school teacher has resonated with me. I'm actually hoping to pursue a career as a primary school teacher myself! It's a path I'm really passionate about, although I imagine I will stay in Navy for the foreseeable future to support my awe-inspiring and extraordinary Wife and two children.

Thank you again for everything – I hope you also know that what you and your colleagues do for us is very much appreciated.

Warmly,

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Good morning Ellen N,

 

Thankyou SO much for the beautiful quilt, I absolutely love it! Your dedication and hard work are truly appreciated, and the warmth and care you’ve taken is clear.

 

It was a lovely surprise to receive it yesterday. My family also wanted to extend their gratitude – it’s already become a hot commodity, with everyone wanting to use it. Luckily this Canberra winter is extra chilly, so there will be lots of opportunity.

 

You are so kind and generous to donate your time and skills, please know that your quilt will be treasured for years to come.

 

Warm regards,

  ***

Dear Bridget R, 

I want to thank you for the laundry bag. I absolutely love it. It is the best I have seen.

You must be very proud of your children they seem to both enjoy what they do.  I hope you enjoy having your husband at home, it can be alot to adjust to. 

A mini poodle and a lhasa apso sound like the ultimate pairing of mischief makers. 

Nursing would have been a very rewarding career to have had. 

A little about myself, I am 25 years old. I have been in 7 and a half years. I enlisted straight out of high school into the Army gap year program as a warehouse coordinator and have absolutely loved it.  I have moved around the country side and I find it very rewarding.

Thank you again for the laundry bag. It is fantastic and I absolutely love it.

I wish you all the best in your retirement with your hubby. Well deserved.

Kindest regards

  ***

Hello Ruth,

 

Thank you very much for the Suns Laundry Bag. It is awesome!! And the mini footy has been bouncing around the office most of last week.

 

A little bit about me, I joined from QLD in 2003 from a farming community 70km west of Toowoomba, I conducted my basic training in HMAS Cerberus in Victoria and then posted over to Fleet Base West in Rockingham. I have served on HMAS Westralia, HMAS Sirius (11yrs) which are both 40,000 ton fuel Tankers, and also on HMAS Albany which is a Armidale Class Patrol Boat out of Darwin. I have also had numerous shore postings based at HMAS Stirling. I currently live in Perth, with my wife and 2 Children (13 & 11) and seem to spend all my spare time ferrying them to Football, Netball and AFL Umpire training……. Wouldn’t have it any other way though!

The Aussie Hero Quilts are a great Idea, I have been in the Navy now for 22 years and have seen a fair few people with the bags, however have never been lucky enough to receive one.

 Hope this email finds you well, and again, Thank you very much for the bag, it will definitely be used!

 

Up the SUNS!!!

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Good afternoon Cheryl, Wendy and Lisa R,

Thank you for the time and effort you put into my quilt and laundry bag, they are beautiful and absolutely remind me of my favourite things.

Thank you also for the stories and poems you shared, these were loved in my office and I thank you for the time you spent with sharing these.

A bit about me, I am from Port Lincoln on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. I grew up on a farm and ocean, so hence the themes of my bag and quilt. I joined the Navy in 2016 as a Maritime Warfare Officer, I attended the Australian Defence Force Academy for a Bachelor of Business before continuing my training. Since then I have served on HMA Ships Parramatta, Adelaide, Wollongong, Pirie, Sirius, Stalwart and now NUSHIP Eyre.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Navy and have had some amazing international opportunities, with my most exciting being last year going to a NATO exercise and riding in a helicopter over the Norwegian Fjords to the HMS Prince of Wales Aircraft Carrier where we were able to watch the launch and recovery of the F35 jets.

Thank you again for the gifts!

Kind regards,

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Good afternoon Ellen N,

I’ve just returned to AMAB and was met with an awesome surprise — the quilt you made for me. I can’t thank you enough. It honestly brought me a lot of joy and a real sense of comfort. You’ve clearly put so much care and effort into it — it’s a true work of art.

Reading your letter, it sounds like you live a life full of adventure, and your family — both past and present — sounds amazing. I really appreciated learning a bit about you, and it makes receiving the quilt feel all the more personal and meaningful.

Thank you again for your generosity and the time you’ve taken to support deployed members like me. It means more than you know.

Warm regards,

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Afternoon Marilyn,

Thankyou for taking the time to make my laundry bag and writing the letter.

 

I myself do own a Nissan Skyline R33, and I'm sure your daughter loves her EVO as much as I love my cars. 

I have been in the ADF for 5 years this year, beforehand I did demolition and plumbing.

 

I have been to plenty of places - Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, Jakarta, Singapore, Darwin, Cairns and India to name a few.

Currently based in Perth, and funnily enough I am from Belgrave South myself, so just around the corner from you, small world. My family still lives in Belgrave South and I come to visit at least once a year. I agree that it is a lovely and peaceful place and happy to have grown up there.

Once again thank you for taking the time to make the bag, it's much appreciated.

 

Kind regards

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Hello Angela T,

 

I am a Petty Officer Aviation technician of 17 years’ service in the RAN based in Nowra. I’m grateful for the laundry bag and the letter which my wife was also pleased to read.

 

I have served multiple deployments throughout the Middle East and Asia. I’m currently preparing to deploy on HMAS Ballarat. My current role at the moment is as a maintenance manager/ maintenance planner for a Flight working on the MH-60R Seahawk helicopter. This will be my first deployment since having my first child who is currently 7 months old. My wife is also a Navy veteran who served as a medic. We have just built our first family home in Vincentia NSW so we're pleased to see a fellow veteran family from the South Coast.

 

Thank you for your kind words and your family's service. My dobie bag (navy slang for laundry bag) will match the Marvel doona cover my wife insists I pack for the sea trip.

 

Kind regards

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Hey Bel P,

I love them, thank you so much.

Absolutely gorgeous.

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Thank you very much and words cannot describe how happy she was to receive it. 

Quilt made by Bev & Geoff C, (Recipient on the right)

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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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