and from the medical staff…
Hi Jan-Maree,
I wanted to write and say a big thank you to every crafter who had input to the wall hanging and the 4 quilts we have currently received at the ANZAC Role 2 hospital.
Everyone who has seen the quilts has been awed by your kindness and generosity. And they have certainly brought some colour and life to our otherwise very dreary surroundings.
We have been touched by the kind sentiments written on the wall hanging. The embroidered patch with our hospital logo on it is truly amazing, and we love the designs which have been quilted. We have named our two wards, one with an Australian theme (the Bullwinkle ward), and one with a New Zealand theme (the Jacinda Baker ward). The two quilts which came via Julie Ann in Adelaide have found their way into our Aussie ward (we loved the animals!!), and the other two which came via Tess have a slightly more Maori feel in the quilted designs, so they have landed on the beds in the Kiwi ward.
Apologies for not writing the moment the wall hanging arrived, I was expecting the ones for the beds to turn up at roughly the same time as the first one. For some reason something went awry with mail to this location, and they got separated in transit. Thankfully they have all been reunited now, much to our delight.
I believe our chaplain has sent a photo of the quilt as it hangs on the wall in our tea room. I have asked him to send photos of the beds in the wards as soon as he is able. I am also in the process of trying to get you a photo of our team so you can see whose lives you are brightening. This comes with the usual dramas of operational security, so this may prove difficult.
Please accept my thanks on behalf of the medical and nursing team at the ANZAC R2E hospital on OP Okra/Manawa.
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It turns out that we have only provided enough quilts for ONE ward so they are currently shared across the two wards meaning that two beds in each ward have UGLY brown blankets on them.
Not happy JAN!!!
So make sure you check out tomorrow night’s post as i have a plan to rectify that with some great quilts perfect for the Jacinda Baker Ward. I will also tell you more about these two remarkable women because if you don’t know who they are, I think you should.
Here are the rest of the thank you messages.
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Dear Mrs Carter
Thank you so much for the lovely quilt. It has really brightened up my bed – I share with one other girl and she was lucky enough to receive a quilt too so we have quite a colourful room!
I’m one of around 30 officers onboard. This is my second deployment to the Middle East but first time in this area on a ship. My husband was in the Navy too and has also deployed up here; so, between us we’ve spent a fair amount of time apart over the past few years. It’s so nice to know that people know about our deployment and appreciate the work that we’re doing. As you will have guessed from my quilt request I love animals, particularly cats. I have two cats and three horses waiting for me at home. My husband and I have just bought 105 acres so there’ll be plenty of room to add more to our menagerie!
We’ve had quite a busy but successful deployment. Hopefully you will have seen us on the news or in the newspaper. We’re in the home stretch now and looking forward to getting back to our family and friends.
Thank you again for taking the time to make such a beautiful quilt and sending on your well wishes. All the best to you, your children and grandchildren.
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Dear Julie
I have just received your Quilt. It is absolutely beautiful, thank you for the awesome blue colours, I will treasure it forever. We are all safe and well, the heat here at the moment is extremely hot, so I won’t be using the quilt here, but will definitely take it home with me when I leave.
I am grateful that you could take the time to make it for me. It has absolutely made my day. Thank you very much.
Kind regards
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Good morning Jan-Maree, Please excuse the lateness of my reply, I have been away from my location for the last fortnight. Upon returning yesterday, I found my quilt waiting for me on my desk. I opened the package and I was struck with what an amazing job the quilter did. Not only me, but others loved the excellent design and creativity displayed in my quilt (and all other quilts). I’m not sure whether to hang it up or use it! Please extend a very special thank you to quilter Kitty who completed this quilt. She has mentioned in her card that she plans on visiting Canada next winter – she may need her own quilt! Thank you very much for organising these amazing quilts. Everyone here is very impressed with the amount of work and creativity that goes into them.
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I wanted to write you a quick email to say thank you very much for taking the time to create such a wonderful laundry bag! I am so very happy with the result – very impressive, especially considering you made the logo yourself (I showed my mum who has done a few quilts in her time and even she was impressed!)!!! I have already put it to good use and it’s also being used as a morale booster on my wall…it really adds to the ‘home’ feeling of my room.
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Hi Kay,
Thank you so much for my quilt & goodies. I love it. It really is perfect and exactly what I wanted. It really brightens up an otherwise very dull looking room over here.
I’m sure it will always bring back the good memories of my deployment & it will be something I can take with me on future deployments to get me through some of the harder days that you have while you’re away.
You are very lucky to live in the Victorian ski fields. I used to go skiing at Mt Hotham with my family when I was growing up. It really is a beautiful part of the country.
Thank you again for your hard work.
Kind regards,
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G’day Gwenda,
Just a quick email thank yourself and girls for the lovely laundry bags and quilts you send to us over here. It is really appreciated!
Please keep up the good work everyone loves what you’re sending over to us.
Thank you again and take care
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Dear Ellen,
Thank you so much for the gorgeous quilt that I now have to call my own. I really appreciate the time and effort that goes into making a quilt.
I had the biggest smile on my face when I opened the package. I adore it. It is such a simple yet lovely gesture. You mentioned that I was your first, you are very talented and I encourage that you continue to make others serving as happy as your gift has made me.
Receiving mail is the best part of my week to be honest. It is a nice way of connecting with back home and the smallest things can seem huge.
I have already learnt to appreciate what we have at home a lot more. This is my first deployment and it has been an eye opener. We are all very lucky to have such generous people back home willing to dedicate their time to doing something special for someone they have never meet, it is very selfless.
Again I would like to thank you and try to portray my sincere appreciation for the quilt.
Kind regards,
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I’ve just received my laundry bag and wanted to say thank you for the gift and the letter. I’m sure you can appreciate that receiving mail/ care packages like yours is a welcomed injection of morale.
Once again a sincere thank you for my gift and for the work you and your busy team are doing as part of Aussie Heroes. We are very fortunate and grateful for the support you give us.
Wonderful stuff!