Here is this week's collection of tales about our Travelling 15th Anniversary Laundry Bags.
Enjoy!
This message from one of our recipients is short and sweet
but I want to take a moment to give a little more background. LTGEN Frewen
received his quilt whilst he was the Commander of the Joint Task Force 633 in
the Middle East 2017-2018. A couple of
years later we all had to deal with COVID-19.
In June 2021 LTGEN Frewen was appointed to Coordinator General of the
National COVID Vaccine Taskforce. Whilst
in this position the nickname “The Vaccination King” may or may noy have been
coined by some. I do love a good surprise, so when LTGEN Frewen attended our dinner
in 2023 we surprised him with a personalised laundry bag featuring his nickname,
covid symbols and syringes among other details.
“Thank you Aussie Hero Quilts for 15 years of unwavering
care and support of our troops. You are true Aussie Heroes!” Lt Gen (Retd) J.J.
Frewen AO, DSC
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HMAS Choules and Supply Video
Today I am sharing the first of three posts from our Navy on the East Coast and northern Australia. The very first ship we looked after, from memory, was HMAS ANZAC (I think) back in late 2012. Since then we have looked after countless ships, from the largest to the smallest in the fleet. I have a mixture of messages with some photos from HMAS Coonawara to share.
I wanted to express 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 – it brings me a lot of joy and style to my cabin onboard the ship. I also enjoyed the bedazzled note that was included. 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.
Thank you,
DM Couch
LCDR, RAN
CO
HMAS Cape Woolamai (P-318)
It’s been great to be a recipient of AHQ a couple of times over my career when deployed. It’s always a point of conversation when someone sees my quilt or laundry bag, and Jan-Maree’s Anzac Biscuits always bring a smile to my face!
LEUT Ben Page, RAN
XO
HMAS Cape Pillar –STBD P319
I would like to say thank you for the laundry bag I received back whilst deployed to OP Resolute. It was amazing to see all the different bags that had been made for us.
Kind Regards,
James McFarlane
POET
I have received both an Aussie Quilt and Laundry Bag. Our children now use the quilt as a blanket which is a lovely connection. Thank-you.
Yours Aye,
Nick
Nicholas Paterson
CAPT, RAN
Patrol Boat CMR
I received my Parramatta Eels quilt more than ten years ago, and it still holds pride of place on the sofa in my lounge room. Through all of Parra's ups and downs over the years, it has been there supporting me every step of the way!
A massive thank you to all the wonderful volunteers at Aussie Hero Quilts. The care, effort and generosity that go into every quilt are truly appreciated. Your work makes a real difference, and the support you provide to serving and former ADF members is something very special.
Thank you for everything you do. It is greatly appreciated.
Arron Watson
WOMT, OAM
FDCEA-North
Sea Training Group North
Thank you, my Aussie quilts laundry bag was great it saved me 5 mins and heaps of anxiety every couple of days as I could rapidly identify my washing in the ships laundry. Thank you so much.
Kind regards,
Luke Devitt
LCDR, RAN
SO Eng
Patrol Boat Group
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When
we look after one of our ships the offer for quilts and/or laundry bags is
given to all members of the crew so that can mean approximately 400 of each for
HMAS Adelaide or HMAS Canberra, down to less thank a hundred for a patrol boat
or a submarine. 15 years ago we looked
after those on Op Manitou, the operation that took the navy to the Middle East
for some very successful anti-piracy and anti-drug running patrols. These days we look after our ships and boats
wherever they go.
When I was on HMAS Adelaide a couple of year ago, Aussie Hero laundry bags were provided to the vast majority of ship staff. This was a huge improvement to the issued clothing bag. I used my bag regularly whilst deployed. I would just like to sincerely thank Aussie Hero Quilts for their continued efforts in providing these bags to deployed ADF members.
Regards
MG
Butler
LCDR,
RAN
Thank
you Aussie Hero Quilts. I always travel with the laundry bag I received from
you nearly five years ago, and it is still going strong!”
Tom
TS
Williams
CMDR,
RAN
COS
HMAS
Coonawarra
Thank
you, Aussie heroes and volunteers! I received a laundry bag from you six years
ago while on deployment, and the gratitude I felt in that moment was
overwhelming. To this day, it’s still my favourite laundry bag, and I take it
with me every time I go to sea.
A.
Taylor
LS
Adv Med Assist
CSRG-N
I was
deployed and on a reunion trip home when I found my quilt waiting for me.
It
was very special to receive such an amazing quilt that was so thoughtfully made
and that included so many personal life and career references.
Regards
CPO
Stuart Malcolm
Bandmaster
Royal
Australian Navy Band Northern Territory
Thank you to the Aussie Hero Quilt teams for donating their time and skills to providing heartfelt gifts and messages of encouragement to our sailors at sea. It means a lot to the lads that people back home want to do little acts of kindness for them.
POMT
Leon Clark
I
have two Aussie Hero laundry bags that are reliably used for travel all over
the place with defence. My quilt itself has been a great part of my seagoing
life, and remains so to this day.
LS
Luke Eglinton
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Mail is such
an important morale booster when you are far from home. It is an important
indicator that, though you are far from home, you are not far from the thoughts
of your loved ones. Many take it for granted that everyone has someone to send
them mail but that is not always the case. Watching those around you receiving
their mail whilst you don’t have any is tough. There is nothing as special as
receiving a parcel that has your name on it, especially when you are not
expecting one. This is the third group
of messages from some of our Aussie sailors. Enjoy.
Thank
you to the Aussie Hero volunteers for the support they provided during my
deployments, especially during my first Gulf deployment back in 2012. The care
packages and gifts I received at the time were very meaningful and deeply
touching. Till now, I have kept my quilt as cherished memorabilia at home. They
were among the first gifts I received while deployed, at a time when my family
did not yet fully understand what it meant to be a sailor serving away from
home. The packages were really a touching thing for me, and I will never forget
that day when my shipmates received gifts from their love ones at back at home
and I was surprised I got one. The support from Aussie Hero reminded me that
the work we were doing was valued and appreciated. Most importantly, it made me
feel that I had not been forgotten. During a challenging period of service far
from loved ones, that gesture of kindness and encouragement meant more than
words can express. It provided comfort, boosted morale, and reinforced the
sense that Australians back home were standing behind us.
Ernesto Sanchez Jr, CSC
LS
Imagery Specialist
.
I received a quilt while on HMAS Success on a Middle East
trip in 2013. It was a tricky request – A mandala. Much to my surprise, one of
the expert quilters actually stitched together a detailed and intricate Mandala
pattern with an amazing amount of detail. It still gets regular use in my house
and is a great reminder of our trip away. Thanks Aussie Hero Quilts!
AB Mat Tickner
I was a recipient of a hero quilt back in 2014 on my
first deployment to the Middle East and would love to say a big thank you. It
was fantastic to receive the amazing care package whilst I was so far from home
without any family to send anything. It gave me the energy to continue the
deployment and made me feel like the sacrifice I was making was appreciated by
people back home. To this day I still use my quilt and DOBY bag and treasure
them dearly.
Kind regards
Mitchell Bourne
LS Medic
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