Part of the reason Aussie Hero Quilts was started way back in 2012, was a way to give back and say thank you. Sitting here, blessed to be minding one of the admin chairs, reading all the heartfelt messages coming in each day for the thousands of quilts and laundry bags, that have been lovingly designed, crafted, and packed off to our servicemen and women all across the globe, it is safe to say the work Jan-Maree started continues to achieve that.
Sharing from Jan-Maree's Facebook, it is my pleasure to share here, the
very special surprise, some of you reading along at home were apart of, mastering a beautiful gift for Jan-Maree herself.
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Well it has taken me longer than I wanted to write this post but a short stay in hospital and a few nights of broken sleep have slowed me down so apologies for the delay.
Two weeks ago I was surprised by a knock at the door and there stood Commodore Robert Plath, Deputy Fleet Commander, and his staff officer.
It turns out they were on a secret mission which became apparent when they entered and presented me with a beautiful handmade quilt.
Masterminded by Cath Harvey ably assisted, I am told, by Phillip Henry, Inge Cairns, Tina Close and Sue Niven and others whose details I do not have, the quilt is an absolute work of art and almost too good to use, but rest assured it will be used.
One side features three embroidered photos of my gorgeous fur babies with my gorgeous Charlie front and centre.
The other side features a fabulous quote that perfectly sums up my attitude to life and also a poem written by the wonderful Barham Ferguson, another co-conspirator.
All I can say is a heartfelt thank you for such a treasure. it will accompany me to hospital later in the year when I head off to Westmead for my Stem Cell treatment. From what I understand this will be a few weeks in hospital when I will need to do whatever I can to keep my mental game strong and having this quilt with me with the inspiring words, the photos of my furbabies and the love and encouragement in every stitch, will go a long way to steeling my resolve to come out the other end as strong as possible and ready to tackle the next stage of my recovery.
JM xx
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Facebook Post from Phillip Henry
Jan-maree Ball....it was a pleasure to be involved in, firstly, keeping it secret from you, and second, to be involved in being part of “returning the favour” for what you do for our service men and women. The organisation you have created has provided quilts and laundry bags to us while we serve on Operations, away from our families for long periods of time. You also provide the quilts to our people undergoing hardship, mentally or medically. Thank you for all that you do, to you and all the team at Aussie Hero Quilts and I hope this quilt, just like the ones you make for us, provides some comfort as you go through the next few months medical battle. Xxx
