Happy Tuesday Friends!

Welcome to the first blog for October!

We have some great messages and photos today, so grab a cuppa, sit back and relax while you soak up some well deserved gratitude. 

Only 24 sleeps until the Thank You dinner.  

Hope to see you there!

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A visit to HMAS Arunta but Christine C.

I wanted to share with you my recent experience meeting the recipient of my quilt I sent off recently.

My recipient is currently serving on the HMAS Arunta and on the weekend they were in Melbourne for couple of days. She had made contact with me prior to their visit to invite myself and family members to meet her and have a tour of the ship.

It was so wonderful to have the opportunity as the ship was not open to the public. We had a lovely morning and I’ve enclosed a few photos that I have her permission to pass onto you.

She showed us the quilt I’d sent on her bed and I could see how much it meant to her and the joy AHQ stitchers give and what it means to recipients. I proudly wore my AHQ badge which some recognised.

Cheers

Hi Heather B,

 

Thankyou you so much for the quilt you made me – I love it! Many memories flood back…mostly good…and the challenging ones too. Lots of amazing experiences. A lot of time away from my family…my wife looked after our young family of 5 kids (now 6) for a year whilst I was in Pakistan! Time to settle, and we have found a beautiful place in North East Victoria. 

Transitioning from Army is tougher than I thought. I’m optimistic. Did some training and had a go at acting (NCIS-Sydney) and in a feature film next month. No red carpet yet!

The quilt is folded away; have to do some prep on the place I’ll hang it in my home. 

When I look at the quilt, it gives me a sense of pride in my service, and that I am very grateful to my wife and our kids for supporting me along the way. 

Sorry it’s taken so much time to write you this note.

Kind regards 

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Just wanted to share with you guys an appreciation photo to the volunteers who made my quilt and laundry bag for me. I have been in hospital for 2 weeks and have another 2 weeks to go and it is nice to have these to brighten up my room and spirits. Thank you 

This quilt was a joint effort. The quilt was made by Bridget but embroideries were contributed by Su J, Inge, Joan and Pennie. The laundry bag was made by Shirley D.

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Good Evening Pennie T,

Thank you for the lovely quilt and the kind words, it truly means a lot to know that there are people such as yourself out there. I send my apologies for not responding sooner as I have unfortunately been very busy trying to get our ship back to sea for our upcoming deployment and have not had much time to myself.

I love the entire design of this quilt and even took it home to show my daughters as they both love pokemon, needless to say they both loved it.

I am glad your grandsons have had a lot of enjoyment admiring the original 151 cards and yes some of those cards are quite valuable today depending on their condition. A grade 10 Charzard first edition can fetch upwards of $12,000 at auction which is a lot of money for a small piece of cardboard.

I hope this email finds you well and I look forward to enjoying your quilt for years to come.

Kind Regards,

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Dear Ruth

 

I would like to thank you for the laundry bag that you made and gifted to me for our 85 Transport Reunion in Darwin.

 

It is a lovely memento of our reunion and I appreciate the amount of work that has gone into it.

 

I have attached a photo of some of us when we received the laundry bag in Darwin.

 

Thanks again

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Good afternoon Joy H, Emma G and Aussie Hero Quilts,

I would like to thank you so very much for my amazing quilt and laundry bag, they are absolutely perfect and I love them. I have been using the quilt on the lounge in my down time to keep me warm whilst I cross stitch.

This is my first deployment since I joined the Navy in 2017 and I have loved every second of it. I am 37 years old. I am married and we have a 14 & 3 and a half year old daughter.

My husband is also in the Navy so I have had my fair share of experiencing what it is like to be away from each other for long periods of time.

The time and effort that you and all of the other volunteers does not go unnoticed. You are appreciated very much. 

Kind regards,

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Hi Melissa L!

 

You made me a laundry bag that had YTG 4X4 on it that ended up making its way around to a few states.

 

I’m so sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you, life’s been crazy!

 

I was stoked to come back from my deployment to the amazing laundry bag that you made for me. I’ve shown anyone who will give me their attention and everyone has been so impressed. I can’t believe how you managed to incorporate every single thing I listed, and somehow make it flow so nicely together!

 

I really enjoyed hearing about your family and what makes you ‘tick’. I wish you the best of luck for your future as foster parents, what an impressive thing to commit yourselves to!

 

I’ve just returned from a 4 month deployment and my ship is now getting ready to go into a maintenance period for a few months before we start making preparations to head to sea for about 5 months in January. My laundry bag will be having a pretty cool adventure! I’m a Maritime Warfare Officer, so I drive the ship. I love my job, I love the travel I get to do, and I’m so grateful for people like you who make it just that bit easier for us to leave our loved ones.

 

Anyway, thanks again! 

 

All the best,

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