Happy Wednesday Friends!

There are, as always, some awesome letters which definitely pull at the heart strings.

Grab a cuppa or cool drink, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude!

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G’day Clarissa L,

I received my laundry bag from you earlier this year, apologies for the delayed response!

Thank you so incredibly much for the laundry bag and all of the effort that you have put in over the years to bring a smile to the face of people you have never met. It is a very kind gesture and I am immensely appreciative of the laundry bag. Thank you for giving me a memento that I will hold on to for life.

As part of my course I have been living in on base accommodation again, oh the joys. Last week I was walking through the common room with my laundry bag and a few of the other students asked about it, it was very nice to be able to share my deployment story with them. I also explained AHQ and it was lovely to hear the excitement from the students about getting deployed and receiving their own quilt one day!

I am well aware of AHQ and all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes to make these beautiful quilts, not only through Dad (who said to say hello), but also because of my grandmother Jaquie D. I am not sure if you have met her but she is also a very proud AHQ quilter and she has shared lots of stories and photos of all of the wonderful work she has done. The work that you and everyone at AHQ does is incredible.

Thank you again for taking the time to quilt me a laundry bag, it is beautiful and will be cherished forever.

Kind regards,

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A lovely text message received from a recipient from a few years ago:

G’day mate, I received my quilt and laundry bag whilst I was in Iraq in 2017/2018. Very grateful and a significant memento that I used for months in country.

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Dear Marianne R,

Thank you very much for all the time and effort you put into making my medical quilt. I felt truly blessed when Pello presented it to me. I didn’t get the chance to properly look at it until the next day when I arrived home,

I’ve had a very difficult year, with my farm being burnt out in the January fires. I was on the fireground with the CFA for 51 out of 59 hours in three days during January, working until XXX township was safe. When I finally tried to return home at 2300h that Friday night, my farm was still burning. However, my 20 year old son had protected not only my house but also our two neighbours’ homes. He was meant to be safe in town, but like any army kid, he didn’t hesitate to step up and put himself in danger when he was needed.

In the weeks that followed, I remained on the fireground or in the Incident Control Centre Logistics Cell, helping with the ongoing fire efforts. I was then fortunate enough to connect with Operation Veterans Assist. They spent a day helping me clear trees on my farm, and I was later able to give back by working alongside them for five weeks, assisting other veterans and first responders in cleaning up their fire-affected homes and farms. After that, I returned to supporting the CFA in the Logistics Cell once again as a volunteer.

I will treasure your quilt from a very tough time in my life. Your quilt represents the love, compassion and caring nature to help support one another when we need it the most. I am truly grateful for your kindness and time spent creating something so meaningful for me.

Please also extend my thanks to your husband and father for their service, and to you for the support you provide them so they can do their job.

Thank you, truly, from the bottom of my heart.

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Hey Anne H,

I had received the parcel yesterday and I am still on the deployment in the UK.

Thank you so much for the Quilt. You have done a amazing work.

Little about myself: My family is from Myanmar but I was born in Thailand. My family come to Melbourne,  Australia in 2011. I am very grateful for the opportunities that this country has provided me and my family. This is one of my reason to join the Defence. At the moment, I am loving my career within Army, I reckon i will stay a bit more longer.

Thank you again. All the best for you.

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Cheers Catherine D

Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in. Wednesdays would be so totally boring without them!

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