Hi Beverly U,

I am writing to thank you and Philomena H for my incredible quilt. I absolutely love the vibrant colour and patterns. It’s really beautiful and I have kept it on my bed during this colder weather.

I really appreciate all the skill, time and effort that must have gone into making such an amazing piece. Years of cancer treatment has made me susceptible to the cold so I will definitely put it to good use. 

I wish you and your families all the best.

Thanks again,

 

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Good afternoon Sue B,

I just wanted to pass on my appreciation for the laundry bag that you sent me recently. I have been meaning to write you a letter, but we have been flat out over here and I have just returned from our two weeks of leave that we get in the middle of our deployment.

 

Your interpretation of the Kath and Kim theme was great. They are some of the funniest quotes of the series, and the ‘I do have a date – a sticky date!’ quote is particularly poignant as we are served an INCREDIBLE sticky date pudding every Monday in the Mess over here which everyone looks forward to.

 

I really appreciate the support provided by you and the rest of the AHQ team.

 

Cheers,

 

 

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Good Afternoon Ann S,

 

Thank you so much for my fantastic quilt!! You have done such a great job on it and I am very, very appreciative of receiving it whilst here on Operations.

 

Thanks for telling me a little about your family also. I’m glad you got to keep your Father’s medals and other personal belongings after he passed, it sounds like you truly cherish them for what they represent. I can only imagine what he must have gone through, we can only hope something of that magnitude never happens again.

 

That’s great news about your Granddaughter. I hope she enjoys her Gap Year and decides to go full time as a MO. It will be demanding but well worth it if she enjoys travelling. It sounds like all your children/Grandchildren are focused and achieving things in their own way. I have two (soon to be three) children myself, however they are young (six and two) so we have a few years to go before we get to see what type of path they will follow in their lifetime.

 

The bikers were correct, you were definitely on the right path. I’m looking forward to getting home and riding with my Club soon.

 

Thanks again.

 

Kind Regards,

Good Morning Helen W!

Thank you so so much for your lovely laundry bag! I love the green and flowers of the design it stood out to me instantly.

You’ve been serving longer than I have! I joined the Defence Force in 2019 so I’ve been in for 6 years now. I currently live in Sydney and visit my Mum and Sister up in Newcastle when I can. Otherwise I’ll be down in Nowra working with the Helicopters in HMAS Albatross. 

I’ve only just picked up crochet and am trying to make a granny square blanket! Glad you’ve got good friends in your sewing group, I hope you have a good yarn together. And a gym class 3 morning a week! And a yoga class!!! Super stellar work Helen.

I also have an uncle in the RAAF! We don’t get to see each other very often but being in the Navy has made me feel closer to him and that I understand him better. I’m sorry to hear about your uncle in the Army and what happened to him. I am glad you got to honour him when you took your trip. Knowing that you went and took the trip makes me feel honoured.

Lockdown was definitely hard and I’m glad helping others got you through it. Wish I had taken up crochet or sewing sooner it’s a hard skill to master and you definitely have mastered yours.

Thank you again for your laundry bag. Prior I was only using the plain mesh one they give out so I was ecstatic when they asked us for names. Every time I walk into my mess and see it I feel happy.

Please make sure you stay safe! We can’t do our jobs without the support of everyone around us.

Thank you for you time and service,

Dear Bridget R

I cannot thank you enough for the beautiful quilt you created for my husband!  I can’t believe that you made something that matches his likes and interests so well, clearly you put a lot of thought and love into it.

He has Alzheimer’s Dementia and moved into Aged Care late in January this year.  I took the quilt to show him yesterday and he loved it, he started tucking it into his bed straight away.  He was stunned that you had included so much of what he loves. He also showed it to some of his friends there and they admired it greatly, it started conversations about the sports he used to play and where he travelled. 

I asked him what he would like to say to you, he has been having trouble getting his thoughts and words together, but he managed it. He said that he couldn’t believe how someone who never met him could do this for him, and get it so right. He wanted you to know that his life eventually ended out alright, he married and has two children and is OK.

For myself, your gift has touched my heart too.  I cried when I opened it. My husband is now so different to how he was, and our family is all struggling with the long goodbye. Your quilt encapsulated the real, loving, thoughtful, intelligent man he always was and brought that version of him back to life and so many happy memories of him too.

My daughter and son would like to add their thanks too. 

 They are both in their late thirties, our daughter lives in Sydney and works in science, our son followed in my footsteps and became a primary school teacher.  We have a three year old granddaughter and a six month old granddaughter and a fifteen month old grandson. In years to come I can see us showing them your quilt and telling them stories about their grandfather.

Thank you again.

Best wishes

Embroideries by Joan B

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Good Morning Sonia J,

Thank you for the time and effort you put into making this beautiful dhobey bag. I’ve already put it to good use and I can honestly say it’ll go with me to any ship or base I post to in the future. I spied the beautiful colours and design out of the corner of my eye during selection and knew it was the one I wanted.

Everyone appreciates the love and care you all put into making these for us and it really does help brighten our day. They bring a bit more colour to an otherwise pale surrounding.

Thank you again and I wish you the best in all future endeavours 

Kind Regards,

I am emailing to say thank you so much for the Quilts that were made for the crew members of Cape Solander. The three quilts that have come so far are absolutely brilliant and definitely have a personal touch and bring character to the cabins on board. We are still waiting on a couple more, but when they arrive we will send back a photo with all of them together. We can’t thank you enough for all that you do, it truly means a lot to myself and my team.

Kind regards,

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Hi Bridget R,

 

Thank you very much for this cute laundry bag with your wonderful letter! 

 

First of all, it so nice to meet you and your happy family through your letter. I also have a 22 yr old son and he is looking for his life career as well. He is currently working as a part time medical admin while studying uni course online.

 

Secondly, heaps of thanks for sewing the laundry bag I have been dreaming for!  I have been looking forward to it since I first joined the ship in Jan 2024 and saw all these beautiful laundry bags of my shipmates!  The light blue is my favourite colour and the train is the top one favourite of my son! Looking at these cute trains reminds me of him as a little boy. It definitely warms my heart when we sails. By the way, it is pretty cold on the ship LOL.  The grey blue makes the trains standing out. And the top colourful bit is the perfect final touch. The name part is so handy and clear. It fits all my dreamed pieces for a laundry bag! I can’t love it more! Thank you for your beautiful work and your kindness to donate this to us!

 

Have a wonderful day!

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