Dear Jacqui D,

It was with great pleasure that I received your parcel. The quilt is stunning and has clearly been made with a great deal of thought, care and dedication.  It is a keepsake which will brighten up my bedroom and will travel with me through the rest of my career.

Receiving a gift such as yours is a significant morale boost for those of us serving away from home.  It is a reminder to us that Australians acknowledge the work we are doing, the sacrifices we make, and the sometimes difficult conditions we endure. This reminder is reassurance that our efforts do not go unnoticed, and I sincerely thank you and all those at Aussie Hero Quilts who put in the time and effort to create handcrafted pieces for those of us on operations.

I hope this letter finds you well, I love the fact that you and Bobbie S selected my request and were about to chat about your creations.  Discussing craft projects with friends is something I also enjoy and it allows us to remain connected across distances.

Again, thank you very much for my beautiful laundry bag.  Please pass on my thanks to the others at Aussie Hero Quilts who commit many hours to each service person they quilt for. 

Yours sincerely

(Photo by SGT B D)

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Dear Wendy B,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag, I absolutely love it. It has exceeded my expectations and I will treasure it forever. It was lovely to read about you and thank you so much for volunteering do sew these for us, I know everyone who has received a quilt or laundry bag treasures them.

I am currently posted to Brisbane, and have served since 2011. I am just about to have my second child and then separate from Army later this year, my partner is also Army and he will separate about a year after me and we will move to our 44 acre property to enjoy some family time raising our two children, along with our 7 year old Border Collie. I have deployed to a few places but never put in an order for a quilt or laundry bag so when I saw the call out for those who have done 10+ years service I was excited and so pleased I did. Considering I am leaving Army, I wanted a memento for my kids to enjoy and remember mum was a Soldier too! 

I hope that you can fulfil your travel dreams with your husband in the future, once our crazy world settles down a little ha ha. I would love to do the same in the future!

Thank you again!

Dear Heather G, Ellen M and Sylvia B,

 

Firstly, I hope this email finds you well – hopefully just as well as my package found me this morning.

 

I am extremely grateful for the hard work and hours you have put into making me a truly extraordinary Quilt.

 

Also, thank you for your kind letter. It’s good to know if I’m ever in the area I have three lovely ladies that I owe an afternoon Tea on a Tuesday.

 

I’m guessing you might want to know a bit about the person who you made the Quilt for, so a bit about me:

 

I joined the RAN in Feb 2016 as a Maritime Warfare Officer. I spent my first year training and went to the South West Pacific on OP Render Safe at the end of that year. I then went on to the Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra for University, before continuing my training in 2020 as an MWO. Midway through 2020 I deployed on OP Resolute for Border Protection and last year in May I fully Qualified as an MWO, posting to HMAS Choules as an Officer of the Watch. I’ve been on Choules over a year now, and will move forward next year as either an instructor on our MWO Course or start my career specialisation as a Mine Clearance and Diving Officer. I moved to Australia in 2002 from Zimbabwe, so it’s appropriate to give my service to the country that has given my family and I so much (plus my mum is very proud).

 

Once again, thank you so much for your quilting efforts, the tartan design will go nicely with my Bagpipes (yes I play the Bagpipes – I learnt while at ADFA). The Chocolyn Laughalot Ladies have made my day!

 

Kind regards,

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Good morning Bridget R,

 

I hope this email finds you well!

 

Thank you so much for the magnificent quilt you made for me. It truly is a work of art.

 

Thank you for sharing the news about your family. I too am married and have 2 boys. I joined the Navy in 1989 and for a variety of reasons have undertaken full-time and reserve service. I am now back in full-time and experiencing my first sea posting to HMAS Canberra. I feel so incredibly lucky to have this opportunity and it completes what was a massive void in my naval career. While I am on Canberra my husband and our boys have remained at our family home in Victoria – due to their work.

 

Thank you again for my work of art – my Wonder Woman quilt – it is absolutely awesome. I proudly make my bed each day with the quilt the final touch. It makes it the best looking bed in the Fleet.

 

Kind regards

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Good morning Pennie T, 

 

I apologise for responding to you so late in the year, it has been to say the least very busy for me. I promoted to SGT at the end of last year and hit the ground running since the start of the year, learning something new every day. I have been in the Army now for 20 years. I originally started out in Catering corps as an Army cook, after 11 years of that it was time for a change so I corpse transferred to Transport corps as a Cargo Specialist which involves forklifts and cranes both on land and at sea.

 

I am currently posted to HMAS Canberra, one of the Navy’s Landing Helicopter Decks, I really enjoy my job and plan on serving for quite a few more years to come. So far this year we have supported Tonga with disaster relief and we are currently sailing around Hawaii for RIMPAC 22. I was fortunate enough to enjoy 2 weeks alongside in Hawaii, soaking up the local culture and spending an abundance of money on gifts for family back home.

 

I have a son who I miss very much when I away from home, he is my best friend and an absolute pleasure to be around, I couldn’t be a more proud Dad. When I do have time off I spend as much of it as possible with my son, we enjoy water-skiing, jet-skiing, AFL and of course taking the Indian out for long rides.

 

I thank you so much for my laundry bag, your work and talent is nothing short of amazing and you have defiantly captured the feeling that I get when riding my bike within your choice of fabrics. It absolutely warms the heart to know that there are Angels like yourself out there that do appreciate the men and women that serve in the Australia’s armed forces. Gifts like this really make the hard times seem so much better, especially when received whilst deployed.

 

Thank you again Ma’am for the time and effort you have spent on making this wonderful gift for me, I wish you all the best with your wind down plan.

 

Kind Regards,

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Dear Bobbie S,

 

I’d like to send my thanks for the amazing laundry bag that you made for me. I really appreciate the personal touches you added to it, makes it all the more special. It did come in very handy overseas and I got a lot of use out of it. I’d also like to give thanks on behalf of everyone that serves and gets the honour of having someone like yourself take the time out of their day and go to such great efforts to make works of art that we can use. Send my appreciation to your family, I also come from a family with a lot of people who have served in the navy, both grandfather and father and my brother is still currently serving in the army, so I know the sacrifices that families make for people like myself to do what I do. So thank you and the other ladies for the wonderful work you do, it makes going overseas and doing our job easier and it’s nice to know there are people back home thinking about us.

 

Cheers, 

Dear AHQ, 

I just want to pass my appreciation for my quilt. I was overwhelmed and very humbled to receive such a beautiful gift. 

Thank you so much to everyone involved and what a great thing to do.

Good morning Ruth S,

I hope this email finds you well.

I just want to write this short note to you and to the association to express my sincere appreciation for the Laundry bag that you gave me.

Thank you so much for the service that you continue to offer to us and it’s my sincere prayer that the Lord will continue to bless you.

Good Afternoon Anne H,

 

I just received your quilt and yes it’s for ME! Ha-ha

My rack is dinosaur themed and my favourite colour is green, I LOVE your work its beautiful.

HMAS Choules is currently in a maintenance period so we haven’t been to sea in a while, unfortunately I’m

 due to post off at the end of the year, but I think the ship will be stopping in Hobart in the future. I’ve heard Hobart is a great port but due to COVID we’ve never pulled in during my time on board!

 

Thanks again

Good morning Lyn R,

Please accept my heartfelt thanks for the beautiful quilt you produced! It is so intricately constructed and has far outshone my expectations.

I must admit, when one of the girls told me that Aussie Hero Quilts had offered to produce some goods for our crew I was otherwise unaware of the work they, you and the organisation do. However, having had a bit of a chat around the office and reading a few articles, I thought your work seemed so lovely that is was an offer I couldn’t refuse. I’ve not previously received a ‘care package’ or the like and opening the packet last night filled me with joy for the time and effort you and your peers put into every quilt.

By way of a little background, I grew up just west of Brisbane. While hockey is certainly my favourite sport to play, it’s not the best one for spectators. Around the age of five or six I got into watching rugby league as the Broncos and the QLD Maroons were going through a strong period in the early 2000’s and I’ve loved the game ever since. Sadly, the Broncs have been struggling for the past decade or so, but we’re sitting fourth on the ladder at the moment, so maybe there’s a little hope around the corner. My family still live back home, so I snapped a pic of your quilt and sent it to the family. My mum was quite lost for words and the old man was equally impressed. Although he’s somewhat less of a Broncos supporter than me.

My forays into AFL have been pretty limited. I do recall following the Lions somewhat closely during their finals run around 2001-4, but certainly fell of the wagon not long thereafter. At that time, AFL was a much smaller sport in QLD compared to both codes of rugby, but is certainly clawing back some ground and is becoming quite popular. My partner is a Victorian and a St Kilda fan. She’s not been able to convert me yet, but I guess time will tell.

I’ve never been down to Tassie, might be a bit cold for my liking, but much of my family have been down a number of time for work and leisure. The old man often speaks of how beautiful the countryside is and is still trying to convince mum that they should retire down your way.

I hope your motorhome holiday is everything you’re expecting. I’ve only had one prior experience when our family did a couple weeks driving around NZ. I think it’s a great way to get around and tour at your own tempo. The weather up there at the moment is certainly quite good. Mum and Dad were saying it’s a bit warmer than usual for this time of year and most of the rain seems to have dried off. I’m unsure of how far up you plan to go, but there are heaps of quaint small towns up the coast that offer lovely views and a really relaxed environment. We often spend time up in Rainbow Beach (just south of Fraser Is), it’s a bit off the track, but is a fun small beachy community.

I’ve only been on ships for the past 18 months. I joined the Army as a transport officer, expecting to work mostly with trucks and the like, but HMAS Choules keeps a small permanent crew of Army personnel to manage cargo and waterborne transport. It’s a new experience to me and very different culturally to regular Army. But the people on-board are very welcoming and the food is good. By happenstance we had the Spirit of Tasmania up here in the dry dock last week getting a fresh coat of paint, I expect she’s back down running her regular route by now. I must agree though, I’m defiantly more keen on planes than boats.

I’ve spent a bit of time if Canberra, completing my uni and military studies there a few years back. I was a bit reticent when I arrived, but have grown to really appreciate the city. A bloke at work was telling me yesterday that if the PM were to open his office doors and the front door of Parliament House were open he could look out straight onto the War Memorial. Apparently it’s intended to allow the PM of the day to reflect back on the efforts and sacrifice our the people that have grown our nation. I thought it was quite a cool fact and really reflects the thought that went in to planning and building the city. The memorial is such an excellent facility. I enjoyed joining some of the tours taken by the volunteers, each one is different with interesting acetates and experiences offered by each guide.  I’m quite keen to head back to Canberra if work were to give me that option. I hope you enjoy your volunteer weekend there, your efforts are certainly appreciated and the impact you and AHQ make to the services should be celebrated.

Lyn, please again accept my thanks for your efforts and know that I’ll treasure and get good use out of you quilt for many years to come.

Kindest regards,

Thanks,

Good morning Wendy V,

I hope this email finds you well!

Thank you so much for the magnificent laundry bag you made for me. It is fantastic! It does brighten my day and very distinctive and unique amongst the other laundry bags.

My family (husband and 2 boys – young adults) still live in Victoria, while I am in Sydney serving on HMAS Canberra. This is the first time I have been away from my family, usually it was my husband who was absent for work. It is made easier as the boys are adults, I miss them like crazy – but not their mess 

I originally joined the Navy in 1989 changing between full-time, reserves and now again full-time. Going to sea was my ambition from the beginning and due to a variety of reasons it has taken me this long to get to sea – so I am absolutely delighted to be at sea serving on HMAS Canberra.  I am charge of the Ships Office – our specialisation is administration/human resources and we have a variety of tasks that keep us very busy. We left Sydney in June and are due to return in September 22. We have been participating in exercise RIMPAC 22 – a multi-national naval exercise that occurs every 2 years in Hawaii – how lucky am I! I am looking forward to getting home and seeing my family!

Thank you again for my work of art – my Wonder Woman laundry bag – it is absolutely awesome. 

Kind regards

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The following are some of our quilts which were presented to members of the Royal Commission into Veterans by the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, The Hon Matt Keogh MP during a recent visit to the Task Force.  I am told that all the recipients are overwhelmed to receive the quilt and it is a big deal in the Task Force to receive one.

Quilt by Jacqui D

Quilt by Bridget R

Quilt by Bridget R

Quilt by Michelle K

Quilt by Cath H

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