Grati-Wednesday 15th October 2025

 

Happy Wednesday Friends!

 Grab a cuppa, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude!

AHQ Thank You Dinner is only 10 sleeps! 

Don't forget to buy your tickets. 

***

Good morning Jan Maree,

 

I would like to give you a big thank you for the quilt I have received, made by Sue N. I have used it regularly especially in the winter months. I know many including myself are very happy with the quality and effort that has been put into each and every product.

 

Kind regards,

***

Dear Beverley F,

 

I wanted to say a very heartfelt thank you for the beautiful quilt you made for me. It truly means a lot to receive something so personal and thoughtful while I’m on deployment here in the Middle East. You managed to capture so many of the things I love, and having them stitched into a quilt I can keep with me brings me a real sense of comfort and connection to home.

 

I also really appreciate the letter you had included. It was wonderful to read about your life and hobbies, and made the quilt feel even more special knowing the care and creativity that went into it. It’s not just a quilt to me, it’s a reminder of the kindness and support from back home, and that makes a huge difference.

 

Thank you again for the time, effort, and heart you put into this gift. I’ll treasure it always.

 

With gratitude,

***

Hi Bel P,

I hope you and your family are well. Thank you very much for the laundry bag, they made their way to me this week. I won’t say anything about Geelong given today’s outcome.. but at least now we can both be united in our resentment of Brisbane haha.

 

I think it’s great that your sewing hobby is able to bring joy to so many others. You should definitely make something for yourself! Maybe a Geelong item.

 

Thanks again,

Bel P
and from the same recipient,

Hi Lisa N, 

I hope you are well. Just wanted to let you know that I received the Lord of the Rings quilt that you made me and I love it! This will add some much needed colour to my living quarters. 

 

Thanks again!

Lisa N

***

Hi Ellen N,

 

Thank you so much for my beautiful quilt. It is absolutely stunning, and the colours brighten any room. I have it currently draped over my lounge and it makes me very happy.

 

It was lovely to read your letter, hear about your connections to the ADF, and your family. Caravanning with your kelpie sounds wonderful, I bet you’ve seen some amazing places.

 

I joined the Air Force in 2018. I have changed roles several times. I really enjoy this role and find a lot of satisfaction in sharing our stories.

 

I am now 31 married and we have a beautiful little (chaotic, full on, kind, hilarious) son. He is 2 years old, with curly bright red hair – he keeps us on our toes. We also have two dogs, Lord Scruffington (Scruffy) the Mini-Schnauzer, and Lord Reginald (Reggie) the Spoodle who was supposed to be a mini but is suspiciously huge. 

 

Thanks again for my beautiful quilt Ellen, I really love it. I hope you have a happy and safe remainder of 2025.

 

Kind regards,

***

Hello,

The other morning we were given a washing bag from your organisation.

This morning I have done a load of laundry and discovered a letter in the bottom of the bag. 

Please pass on my heartfelt thanks to Liz C (St John's Church group) for her excellent sewing skills and a big thanks to your organisation for making this happen.

Sincerely 

***

Dear Bobbie S and the Mystery BOMers,

I am a recent humbled recipient of one of your quilts. I had the privilege of being presented the quilt at a Black Tie Dinner for my RSL sub-Branch who so kindly reached out to you and your organization. To say I was completely lost for words is an understatement. My quilt will hold pride and place in my home and I am sure will lead to many memories and stories. 

To say the work that was involved in the making of my quilt is truly amazing.

You, along with the other Ladies The Mystery BOMers, Philomena H and Joan B hold a very special skill and I can tell by the quality that every stitch has been done with love and purpose.

I would just to give you a brief synopsis o f my time in uniform. As you may already know, I retired from the Australian Regular Army in January. I am still on the "books" in a reserve capacity.

During My career, I have had many highlights and some sad times also. My time in a green uniform actually started in 1978 when I joined my Colleagues' Army Cadet Unit. This was to set the tone for my life and shape my early decisions. 

My career started in the Corp of Signals and after two postings, I decided to Corp transfer to the Royal Australian Engineers . This was a great decision. From here, there was no looking back. I posted to 17th Construction Squadron and over the years have served in all ranks over numerous postings. 

During my time in the Army, I have travelled extensively both within Australia and Overseas. To say I look back fondly of my time in the ARA is an understatement. I now enjoy my time with my Wife

and fellow Veterans at the sub-Branch.

Once again, I cannot thank you enough for the quilt and for the sentiments that go along with it and knowing the esteem that myself and other recipients are held in by others.

Yours faithfully,

***

Good afternoon Clarissa L,

 

I wish to say a massive thanks for sewing me a laundry bag. The request for a new bag was brought to life a few weeks ago when our MSWO (Military Spiritual Wellbeing Officer, which is a relatively new branch within the Navy……basically a non-denominational chaplain) was doing her rounds of our office and noted that my current (at the time) laundry bag was looking….let’s say….very well loved. I’ve had it since 2019 and it has done many overseas deployments. She insisted on putting in a request for a new one, and eventually I caved in. I am very lucky she did, as you have done an amazing job on my bag. The colour purple, along with the skulls…let’s say I wasn't sure what I was going to get out of it. The band around the top with the farm animals just tops it off.

 

I am currently based at HMAS Cerberus, and it is keeping me very busy. My career up until this year has been based out of Cairns before deciding for a change. My wife and I moved down here with our 8 yr old son, whilst my two older step daughters stayed with their father in Cairns. Overall I am approaching 13 years of service in the RAN with no plans to leave any time soon.

 

Once again, thanks for making me a new laundry bag. I wish you and your AHQ buddies all the best…..and keep up all the wonderful work that you do.

 

Regards

***

To the amazing team at Aussie Hero Quilts and to Bev U,

 

I want to express my heartfelt thanks for the incredible quilt and laundry bag you crafted for me during my deployment in the Middle East. The moment I opened the package, I was struck by the creativity and care stitched into every seam — a stunning blend of African vibrance and steampunk flair that felt uniquely mine.

 

Your work didn’t just provide warmth and utility; it brought colour, character, and a sense of home to a place that often felt far from it.

 

The African patterns reminded me of the strength and rhythm of community, while the steampunk touches sparked imagination and adventure — a perfect reflection of the duality we live while deployed: grounded in duty, yet always dreaming of home.

 

Thank you for your time, your talent, and your generosity.

 

You turned fabric into connection, and your support means more than words can say.

 

With sincere appreciation,

***

Dear Anne H,

 

Thank you so much for my quilt and laundry bag! They are amazing!! I love them very much and they are even better than I could have imagined. I snuggle up under my quilt every night and sometimes for a lunchtime nap too, and my laundry bag has been put to work even though it is almost too nice to use for laundry.

The mail did take some time to reach me but I’ve also been slow to reply, my sincerest apologies.

I cannot believe how lucky I am that you had the most perfect fabric for my quilt. The magpies are exactly what I was thinking of, the lifelike one being especially great. I love the other side of the quilt and the embroidered stars did not go unnoticed. It must take you a very long time to make these quilts; the effort and attention to detail is so appreciated. It’s Perfect! As it is my first quilt I know I will cherish it forever.

102 is a lot of quilts and a lot of time sewing!! All I can say is that I’m glad that you bid for mine!

 

Tasmania looks stunning and your home sounds wonderful. I have never been to Tasmania but it is definitely very high up on my road trip list. I hope your children and grandkids look after you well; they sound like they bring you lots of happiness. I hope to have such joy from a family of my own in the future. I know they’ll ask about this quilt and I’ll be able to tell them about the kindness of a stranger (you) selflessly volunteering their time for others.

Thank you for your generosity and I look forward to giving back to AHQ in the future.

I wish you all the best.

 

Kind Regards,

***

Good afternoon Bridget R,

I have recently received my amazing Quilt. You have done a fantastic job. I was quite emotional when I received it. 

You nailed it! Thank you so much. 

As a veteran of 19 years in the Army and having deployed multiple times throughout my career, this was the first time I was lucky enough to be offered the opportunity to receive a quilt. The amazing job you and others do for us veterans is something you should be very proud of! 

I will cherish my personalised quilt, you have made for me. Thank you again. 

I wish you the very best for your future endeavours and your quilt work. 

Best wishes to you and your family. 

Kind regards 

***

Cheers Catherine D

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

🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻🌻

Request List 14 October 25

 Hi all

Raffle tickets will be four for $10 OR 10 for 20.  In addition, every volunteer attending will be given one free ticket. Your names will already be written on the raffle ticket list before the dinner and winners will be chosen using a random generator.

Ticket sales for the Bus trip and the ADFA Visit are closed but if you would really like to attend and still want a ticket, please contact me (Jan-Maree) otherwise we will assume everyone who wants a ticket has one.

Don’t forget to book in for breakfast with Jan-Maree if you are interested and the Friday night event. You will be sorry if you miss this one.

Please note ticket sales for all other events close on at midnight on 16 October. Again, contact Jan-Maree if your plans change and you would like to attend after the date as she may be able to help you out.

Finally, if you still need to book accommodation at The Rex you need to hurry up as they have just told me that they still have a couple of rooms left. Good luck!

PRIORITIES

1-10 are the priorities this week

The first 10 are for folk on deployment overseas so obviously we would like to get these requests completed. Post can be so unreliable to some of our overseas locations so it can take a while to get parcels to them so the sooner they are in the mail the better.

As always, the requests are listed in priority order.

Please let me know if you can help.

POST BY DATE

The post by date for all Requests on this list is 18 Nov 25 please, or earlier if you can manage this.  If you cannot make that date, please let me know. Do reach out if you have any timing issues and we’ll resolve one way or the other. In fact, if you are going to be late posting it please let me know BEFORE you post it.  Also, if this time frame is too tight for you, there are options, just email me to discuss, thank you.    

Request Information

When selecting a request, remember, you do not have to include everything they have asked for. Footy quilts do not need to have the logo or even the team’s name. Using the team colours is all that is required. Simple is perfectly acceptable.  A number of these requests have given you favourite colours as well as footy teams or other hobbies and interests. It is fine to make a quilt using their favourite colours but please include at least one of their interests. It is fine to keep it simple. 

If there is more than one request on this list that you would be happy to do, I suggest that you send me a list of requests and tell me how many you want to be allocated….i.e. one of the following please….  There are always a few requests that everyone wants to do (and I can never pick them) so if the first one you ask for is taken then I can allocate another from your list if I have a list. 

Any queries you might have, please don’t hesitate to contact via the AHQ email as per usual with any queries and we will assist you from there.  We may not know the answer, but it will be our pleasure to research and get back to you.   

A reminder, when you are ready to post the quilt or laundry bag you’ve created, please use the recipient’s name given you in any correspondence with the admin team.  This helps the volunteer admin team keep a track of what’s been sent etc. 

CPL Wanda Quilt  

TG 3456 

AFPO XX 

ADF 

Sydney NSW 2890

Also, please use the Aussie Heroes PO Box address on your parcel in the event the parcel is Returned to Sender - the PO Box is a safe place in the event of any mishaps with postage. 

Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags) 

PO Box 248,

Cherrybrook, NSW 2126 

Don’t forget to take a photo of your completed quilt or laundry bag to email to AHQ with the name of the recipient and we can include in the Weekly Dispatches blog and add to the tally of quilts and laundry bags sent off to the troops. I personally love viewing the photos of those projects dispatched – so inspiring. 

If you are using an AHQ supplied prepaid satchel, please kindly use the AHQ address for the return address– also for your own packaging – if a parcel is Returned to Sender it is likely we can expedite its journey to the recipient from Sydney.

Please also please hold on to the Tracking number (the pink sticker that you should remove before posting – we’ve experienced mail delays lately (haven’t we all?) and having the Tracking number is very reassuring to keep an eye on the parcel’s progress in arriving at its destination. 

Don’t forget, if you look at today’s Request List and need help choosing, please feel free to get in touch to discuss, we will be ready to reply and offer guidance by email. Our goal is to help you find a request that you will be comfortable with doing. If you need a crest etc we may be able to post embroideries / printed fabric images or email some of these to you. 

Helpful posting info here:

http://aussieheroquilts.blogspot.com/2019/07/information-post-for-those-that-sew-for.html   

I look forward to seeing the photos of completed quilts and LBs when they are ready to post off. 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE copy the ENTIRE line if you wish to nominate for a quilt or laundry bag.  

For example…. 

Marvel Theme. Ironman     M       LB      1 

This is really important to make sure that neither you nor I copy the wrong number which could lead to me giving you the wrong details for specific request.  If you find it hard to copy and paste, please copy the line out as above.  

Decoding The Columns 

The first column is the theme or preferences requested. 

The second column indicates the gender of the recipient. 

The third column is as follows. 

B=both quilt and laundry bag (feel free to nominate to JUST do the laundry bag if you wish) 

Q= just a quilt 

LB = just a laundry bag 

F= female 

M= male 

Please let the Admin crew know if you have any other questions....Just email friendsofahq@gmail.com  

Looking forward to seeing what you want to make this week. Happy stitching! 

Cheers, 

Jan-Maree

P.P.S.  Don't forget to check out AHQ on the Blog, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter

RAN crest, ANZAC class Navy Ships, FFGs AND FFHS (We can provide RAN crest and silhouettes of ships)	M	B	1
Red, RAAF Blue, Cricket, Airfield Defence Guard (ADG), Poppies, 2SECFOR  (We can provide RAAF crest and 2SECFOR crest)	F	Q	2
RAAF Themed Quilt with RAAF Aircraft.  Previous deployments and squadrons include 13SQN, 65SQN, School of Military Engineering, Officer Training School and OP ACCORDION (We can provide the RAAF and unit crests)	M	B	3
RAAF Crest, No 2 Security Forces SQN crest, Airfield Defence Guard, Blue Beret, PMV Bush Master, Army Camo Quilt, Mag 58 machine Guns  (We can provide the RAAF Crest and SQN crest.  We can also provide silhouettes of the Bushmaster and machine gun for applique)	M	Q	4
Green (especially sage green), Dogs (especially kelpies) and cows, Books, my favourites are fantasy (dragons, swords, magic)	F	Q	5
Rising Sun,  RAAOC, and OP Accordion crests, Light green/khaki Sydney, Ironman and running (We can provide the Rising Sun, RAAOC and OP Accordion crests)	F	Q	6
Navy blue, Mountains, Tri-colour border collies	M	Q	7
Interests include Harry Potter, Miniature Dachshunds, Fantasy Books (The Fourth Wing Book can be used as a reference)	M	Q	8
RACT badge,  Long Haul - Kenworth T909 / Water Transport, Operational Logistics Planner supporting Ukraine Logistics through International and Europe Logistics Network. I am deployed to a NATO Operational HQ called NSATU (NATO Security Assistance and Training / Ukraine)	M	B	9
Favourite colours: Red and black  Simpsons, Futurama, Legend of Vox Machina, Toy Story, Scooby Doo, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (do not expect all. In order of preference)	M	Q	10
North Queensland Cowboys	M	Q	11
Trucks & 4WD	M	Q	12
Brisbane Broncos	F	Q	13
Roger Ramjet on a dark Navy Blue Background.  (Can send a picture for inspiration)	M	Q	14
Jabba the Hutt (Star Wars)	M	Q	15
Warhammer 40K Black Templar Space Marine Black and White theme	M	LB	16
Initials on quilt, Photography, Outdoors, camping, beach,  NO PINK	F	Q	17
Army themed, Rising Sun, Army drones (black hornet, shadow, integrator, image can be provided) 1JPAU embroidered (We can provide the Rising Sun and 1JPAU patch)	M	B	18
Text - '1st Joint Public Affairs Unit 2002-2025 along the bottom.  Joint/tri-service colours: pale blue, red, and dark blue with the 1JPAU crest  (We can provide 1JPAU crest).	F	Q	19
Rising Sun,  AAPRS badge,  RuneScape bald character,  Silhouette of Australian animals  (We can provide the Rising Sun, AAPRS Badge and a picture of the RuneScape character for reference)	M	B	20
Bear in the big blue house TV show	M	Q	21
Warhammer 40,000 Space Marines	M	Q	22
Poseidon defending a sail ship from a Kraken	M	Q	23
Ancient Greek ships sailing across the waters with Poseidon	M	B	24
American bull dogs,  Ship cannons   Black, white and red colour	M	LB	25
Old School RuneScape  (image available).	M	LB	26
Half Formula 1 Ferrari theme with the number 01 - Other half Star Wars theme	M	LB	27
Half Formula 1 (no specific team) themed / Half MOTO GP (no specific team) themed. Predominately darker colours preferred.	M	LB	28
Blue/Black sunset	M	B	29
Leopard print Rastafarian, Surf, Snowboarding, Chicken joe	M	B	30
Motorcycles - Harley Davidson	M	Q	31
Navy crest with position underneath Green Propellor (We can provide Navy crest with text & silhouette of propeller)	M	B	32
NRL/Footy - North Qld Cowboys.	M	Q	33
Clearance diving branch crest Dive Shark Blue Ocean (We can provide the crest.)	F	Q	34
Retro Balmain Tigers theme	M	LB	35
Dim Sims and Cigarettes	M	LB	36
Khabib Nurmagamedov & Craig Jones & Jon Jones (UFC Fighters)	M	LB	37
Magic The Gathering Card game themed - dark colours	M	LB	38
North Queensland Cowboys. Propeller /ships (We can provide a propeller silhouette for applique)	M	LB	39
Dolphins NRL team, Navy Ships	M	LB	40
LEGO Transformers	M	LB	41
Muted colours - sage, sky blue etc.	F	B	42
Duck themed - green/blue checkered fabric	F	Q	43
RAAF crest with personal details Air force PTI crest Deployment info on embroidered patch Sunflowers, green leaves (We can provide the RAAF crest)	F	Q	44
RAAF theme. Hobbies and interests include Triathlon and Snorkelling. Favourite colours are Pinks, yellows and blues.	F	B	45
UFC (Fighting theme) and Rock climbing	M	LB	46
RAN crest with personal details red, white and royal blue  A picture of a tall ship Music notes, I play the tenor saxophone in a local jazz ensemble  Theatre perhaps the comedy/tragedy masks.  North Melbourne Kangaroos AFL HMAS Stalwart, HMAS Brisbane (DDG) HMAS Parramatta - Commissioning Supply Officer. (We can provide the RAN crest and the ships crests)	M	Q	47
Mission: Impossible theme (link provided to google search for ideas for theme)	M	B	48
Air Force themed, RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge, Blue, White and red (We can provide RAAF crest, 464 Squadron badge)	F	Q	49
Air Force themed, RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge, Red, Dark Blue, Grey, Light Blue and White, (We can provide RAAF crest, 464 Squadron badge)	F	Q	50
Air Force themed RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge, Red, Blue and White, (We can provide RAAF crest, 464 Squadron badge)	M	Q	51
Air Force themed RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge, Red, Blue and White, (We can provide RAAF crest, 464 Squadron badge)	M	B	52
Air Force themed, RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge, Red, White and blue. (12 images available), (We can provide the RAAF crest and 464 Squadron badge)	F	Q	53
Air Force themed RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge, White, Red, Blue (We can provide the RAAF crest & SQN badge)	M	B	54
Air Force themed with RAAF crest, 464 Squadron Badge with Battle Honours, Squadron Logo, text as requested & photo.  Red, Blue and White (We can provide the badges, logo, text and image)	F	LB	55
Buenos Aires, Australia, England, White, red & black	M	Q	56
Movie: Buck Rogers	M	Q	57
Greyhounds, Cricket, Red & yellow	M	Q	58
Drums & Royal Australian Navy, RAN crest   (We can provide the RAN Crest and an image of the band drums)	M	Q	59
Drums   (We can provide an image of Band drums)	M	Q	60
Weights, gym & anchors	M	Q	61
Saxophones	F	Q	62
Bass Guitars / Speakers	M	Q	62
Joint Service Logo, Australian Flag, Rustic, earth browns tans and creams. Australian cowboy like theme with bull skull and horns (like the RM Williams logo), Boots, dusters and slouch hats. Pattern in western poncho type design. (We can provide the Joint Service Logo)	M	LB	64
Star Wars, Dragons, Dice, Blue, Green, Black	M	Q	65
Yellow/Green - Australia/Brazil	M	LB	66
Rock climbing	M	LB	67
Lord of the Rings	M	LB	68
Charlie Brown/Snoopy	M	LB	69
Torres Strait flag on a black bag	M	LB	70
Red and black - Fairies	M	LB	71
Black, Anime characters	M	LB	72
Blue, Lord of the Rings theme	F	LB	73
Snorlax (pokemon) any colour	M	LB	74
Gothic Theme	M	LB	75
Squids	M	LB	76
Tan/Khaki - Lumberjack	M	LB	77
Dark Blue Nautical Theme	F	LB	78
Geese	M	LB	79
Sky Blue, Manchester City	M	LB	80
Solitaire card game	M	LB	81
Japanese anime (Pokémon)	M	LB	82
Lionel Messi (Argentine soccer player - plays for Inter Miami CF) and Lebron James (US Basketball player - LA Lakers team)	M	Q	83
Marvel Superheroes	M	Q	84
A cartoon version of DDG 41 - HMAS Brisbane, with the phrase FUN 41 written above in big font, rainbow colours. Written down the bottom I would like the phrase 'reach for the skies' in the font papyrus	M	Q	85
South Australian Coat of Arms	M	Q	86
HMAS Brisbane with ocean themed sea monsters  (can provide the ship crest)	M	Q	87
Dogs (Australian Shepards and Border Collies)	M	Q	88
Liverpool FC	M	Q	89
Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Harry Potter, Dungeons and Dragons.	F	Q	90
Elsa & Anna from Frozen the Movie	M	Q	91
Viking wombats	M	Q	92
Disney's Moana or Lion King	F	Q	93
Navy crest, Image of HMAS Brisbane,  Moana HMAS Brisbane in text (We can provide the Navy crest and image of ship)	F	Q	94
Celtic/Nordic	M	Q	95
The Steel Cat (HMAS Brisbane nickname) with lots of Cats and Explosions  (have request clarification on what image they are wanting in regard to Steel Cat)	M	Q	96
Shrek	F	Q	97
Papua New Guinea flag and Bird of Paradise	F	Q	98
Penguins	M	Q	99
The Big Lez Show (Australian comedy cartoon-like web series)	M	Q	100