Happy Tuesday Friends!

We have many awesome gratitude messages this week including a thank you to a nine-year old and a thank you from one of our own! 

So grab a cuppa, sit back and enjoy some well deserved gratitude! 

…

Dear Hayley C

(9 year old granddaughter of Sue G)

This morning I received a lovely gift from our unit Chaplain, with a hand written letter attached.

I would firstly like to introduce myself and then explain what your lovely gift means to me, as a serving member of the Australian Army

I am a Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) within the Australian Army. This year marks my 30^th year in the Army and it only seems like yesterday that I joined.  I read your lovely letter and was able to reflect on those serving members that received Aussie Hero Quilts, and laundry bags whilst doing their bit overseas and back here in Country (Australia).

Your gift that you sent out for members of the Australian Defence Force is very graciously received and thoughtful. At age 9, I was barely cleaning my bedroom let alone making laundry bags and quilts to send to people. Your generosity and giving at a very early age, has made you a very special person who always thinks of others first.  You put others before self, a little like what we do as well and I truly than you for that.

I made a decision early on in my life, which was that I wanted to make a difference in the world we live in. I wanted people to know that I had their backs in times of need and be a protector to not only those that choose to live in our beautiful country, but to those that put themselves before others.

Hayley, you should be very proud of what you are doing, as I know your parents would be in you. Your gift is one that I will look after and cherish for the rest of my time in the Army, and when I retire it will take up its rightful place in the Laundry.

I currently work in Canberra, and the place where I work trains all our future Officers. Your parents would have heard of this place called the Royal Military College – Duntroon.  

I would like to send you a gift in return to show your appreciation of your selfless dedication to helping others.  You will find two shoulder patches that are worn on our disruptive pattern uniform. One is a highly visibility one, which is easily seen from a distance and the other is a low visibilility one that we wear when out in the bush hiking around, so it is not easily seen.  The other gift is the Commandant & Regimental Sergeant Major’s Coin x2, this is rarely given out and when it is, the recipient should feel very proud. This coin reflects the excellence that an individual displays, and recognises their leadership potential that they have inside them. These quality traits are what are inside you right now, you are a born leader who leads from the front and others will choose to walk with you because of who you are as a caring person.

Warmest regards

Hello Toni D,

 

I am currently serving in the Army Reserves and have been in service for six years now and enjoying every moment of it. I live in Tasmania and own 2 dog’s (Kelpie x Smithfield x collie and a border Collie x Kelpie)

 

I would like to say a big thank you for the laundry bag. It is amazing! and excellent quality. I love the design and can tell that you have put in amazing work to produce great products. 

 I was very surprised to receive it as I had no planned mail deliveries. So, when my colleague told me I had mail and it was on my bed you can imagine how confused I was. 

I have read your letter and I would to thank you and your family the service that you all are doing. 

 

From one dog owner to another I am sorry to hear about your dog’s medical condition but it sounds like she has a great camping life style. 

 

Once again thank you!!  

Kind regards,

…

Good Morning Clarissa L

I just wanted to email thanking you for the Wonder Woman laundry bag! Thanks very much and appreciate it greatly. 

I have been in the Navy for 8 years now, this is my 5^th deployment (and probably my last). I have served on HMAS Melbourne, HMAS Newcastle, HMAS Brisbane and now HMAS Hobart. I am a CIWS maintainer (if you want to see what that is YouTube ‘CIWS ‘), it’s pretty cool but a lot of work.

In February I went to the USA with my girlfriend and made her my fiancé! We got engaged in New York and it was one of the happiest days of my life. We both turn 30 this year so looking forward to getting married and starting a family. Other than my partner, my 2 biggest loves in life are food and sport, so looking forward to travelling on this trip and trying all the best food I can get.

Hope you are well and just know that we all appreciate the gifts you and your organisation provide.

Kind Regards,

…

Hi,

…

…

Dear Lorraine H (and Joan B)

I hope to see email finds you well. I am writing this email to thank you for the quilt that I received along with my husband’s (made by Cath H) the other day in the mail. What can I say but awesome awesome awesome job.  It actually pulled a few heartstrings. I often think I didn’t serve enough time in the Navy compared to my husbands 29 years. Having only done 10 years I often wondered whether I was even worthy to receive a quilt but I am honoured to have received one and feel privileged to know that someone did appreciate our service and more precisely my service. Thank you really doesn’t cut it but I am super proud to have received it. 

My quilt will be special and hold lots of memories for me. I have it on the foot of my bed and I’ll keep it there. I’ll look at it and often think wow I did that and I came out the other side. I had a family whilst in the military. 

I’m currently working as a PA at a Catholic College for disengaged youth. This has certainly been an eye-opener and my heart is sad for the young people that are in our college due to the trauma that they have experienced. When I first started there, I came home and I hugged my kids and husband and thought that the things in our lives that we thought would big deals were not big deals compare to what these young people were dealing with.  What I have learnt from working with these young people is that they don’t judge. They don’t care what you look like, what you smell like. 

I have a great boss who is on the same page. Work can be stressful at times and difficult with a sad aspect to it, but I know that I tried to do the right thing by these young people and then I am there because I am the why and these young people need me. 

I’m sitting now finishing off this note with the dog on my quilt.

I also showed my quilt off to my family members over Easter to which they were in awe of your work, you are very talented and please keep stitching.

…

Good morning Joan Hub, 

I am the recipient of your wonderfully made Broncos-themed laundry bag. I’m writing to show my sincere gratitude and appreciation for this gift. It made my Christmas!!

In my spare time, I like to travel, play all kinds of sports like cricket and touch football and explore hidden cafes. This year I’ve taken up running and am aiming to try to run a half marathon. 

Once again, thank you so much for the laundry bag from the bottom of my heart and have a wonderful Easter. 

…

Dear Kristie H, 

Thank you so much for sending me the laundry bag and the goodies. I’d just come out of a dental surgery and was given your parcel; it was a much needed morale boost and very much appreciated!

Thank you for your letter, it was fantastic to learn about you and understand the hard work you have put into making this bag for me. I’m very impressed by the hard work and camaraderie of the Aussie Hero Quilts Team. 

 A little about me, I am in the Army and this is my first deployment in my 12 years of service. I’m very lucky with the deployment; Egypt is a safe country to be working in and I get to work with many other countries so am learning a lot about their cultures. I usually work as a Logistics Officer, for this deployment I’m working in the Liaison Cell, which is interesting work in its differences to my normal job. I grew up in Victoria and during my time in the Army have been posted to QLD twice, NSW once, the ACT twice and Victoria twice – I’m slowly circumnavigating Australia! I am the second of four kids, two live in London and one in Sydney, my poor parents are in Melbourne without any of their kids but have the company of my dog Kevin until I return to Australia. 

Thank you so much for this gift, I will treasure it and it will continue to remind me of my time in Egypt and the generosity of people supporting us from home. It is always humbling to be reminded of the reason we serve and the support we receive from Australians. 

Kind Regards and thank you so much!

…

Hi Heather B!

  

I’ve just recently received your package; it’s amazing – very beautifully crafted! I could only imagine the work that must’ve gone into it! 

 

I’m not the strongest swimmer (I was never properly taught as a child and never really had lessons growing up), but I do love to jump into the water; I can swim a few laps breaststroke and backstroke, albeit both slowly – but, I can happily tread water for hours in full clothing, which is reassuring for survival at least. I was quite jealous during my recruitment training at how fast many of the other recruits were, but I aspire to slowly get better one day!

 

It has been a non-stop year for me here on the ship so far (as with the previous years too though I’d suppose!); as an MT (Marine Technician), we’re in charge of maintaining all of the ships services – from power generation and propulsion (Operating switchboards and tuning engines etc.) and life essentials (Making fresh water from sea water, sewerage treatment, refrigeration and air-conditioning etc.), to repairing all sorts of machinery in-situ (Ovens, washing-machines, fittings/fixtures etc.) along with good old watch-keeping (watching/maintaining ship services while other get a chance to rest). Essentially, anything mechanical that makes a ship function, we’ve got covered.

 

Being posted to an MHC class ship (Mine-Hunter Coastal) the on-board crew quite small at around 30 people or so – with that, the technical department is much, much smaller. With being in charge of so many important moving parts, we’re the first ones to arrive early onto the ship and the last ones to leave late; more often than not while at sea we could be doing 16 hours split over the day per person, 7 days a week; a very demanding job!

 

While I do very much miss my family most times and especially more so my partner while I’m out at sea (the biggest sacrifice to me personally – I miss her very much, on top of missing weddings/events/holidays etc.), the work is very rewarding – the comradery among our small team is great and the satisfaction from knowing that while we may be deep within the vessel most of the time (no sunlight in the machinery spaces), we’re achieving our ship’s mission and making life that little bit more comfortable for everyone else on-board.

 

I loved your letter, and your handiwork is incredible, thank-you very much for your time and effort!

  

Greatly appreciated,

…

Good Evening Ruth S,

 

Thank you very much for the amazing craftsmanship that went into the laundry bag you made for me. The time, effort and love that went into making it is evident and I appreciate it immensely.

 I will hold it dear and will forever be a memento of my first RAAF deployment.

…

Dear Toni F,

I recently returned from several weeks at sea to find your beautiful laundry bag waiting for me. I’m currently serving on OP Resolute in Darwin and am due to sail again on Sunday, so your parcel arrived at the perfect time (in fact it’s actually my birthday on Monday so it was a bit like an early birthday present!)

Thank you for sharing a little bit about yourself, it was lovely to read.

I’m a reservist combat engineer with the Army, however over the last few years I’ve been very active in my reserve commitments and have not been working in a civilian job. I’m currently in the process of auditioning for the Band Corps as a singer (unfortunately, they won’t take me as a violinist which is my primary instrument!) I hope that soon I will be able to transfer into the full-time Army as a musician and perhaps convince them that the violin should be included … you never know 😉 In the meantime, OP Resolute has been a great way to get some operational experience, learn new skills and meet lots of interesting people.

My family is located in Far North Queensland and I grew up in a little place called Innisfail. Definitely a country girl! I have a beautiful little two-month old niece and the most amazing 20-month old nephew whom I adore and miss terribly. But hopefully, “Aunty T” will be all the cooler once they are old enough to understand some of the amazing stories I’ll have to tell!

While sometimes it does require sacrifice to do this kind of work, I am privileged and grateful to be able to serve my country – which I love so much – and it’s often very rewarding.

Once again, thank you so much for your lovely gift. I will treasure it.

Many thanks,

…

Hi Colleen S,

   I received your hand made laundry bag a month ago and it’s only now that I’ve come back to barracks and seen it on my bed waiting for me.  We’ve heard about it and seen some of the others that you and others have made.  We are all blown away by the detail and effort that goes into each one that makes it personal.  We couldn’t be more happier once we get back knowing that there’s a parcel waiting for us. 

It’s also great to read about the person who’s made these for us.  I’m so happy that you’ve lived a adventurous life.  Specially being a reservist back then. I can’t say if I’ve ever seen F as prefix to a serial number in my time. 

Just a little about myself. I’m also an Army reservist who’s been around for about 12yrs too.  I work for Brisbane City Council as a traffic signal (Electrician) technician.  Traffic light maintenance is what I specialise in.  You may also see me working around with “Slow down for SAM” electronic signs.  If you ever wondered what SAM stands for, it’s Speed Awareness Monitoring.  Not a name of a child that everyone thinks it is.  I have a wife and am a father of two boys, 18 & 21 years old.   Grow my own coffee beans in my back yard and also miss my Rhodesian ridgeback dog.

I’d love to buy you a coffee sometime and catch up so I can tell you more about how you made an effect on our lives on deployment.  

Thank you, 

…

Good afternoon Sue N,

Hope you’re well! 

Very sorry for the late response, we’ve been very busy supporting the Solomon Island government during their elections period. 

I wanted to say thank you so much for the quilt! Living in the tropics has most of us hiding away in the 17 degree air conditioning when not on duty & it’s definitely helping have the quilt you’ve made. 

I’d also like to say thank you for the laundry instructions on the card. As a 27yr old male who lives by himself, this helps greatly – as I throw everything together in the wash, 

Thanks again!

…

Hi Shirley D, 

I’ve just recently received your package; it’s amazing – very beautifully crafted! I could only imagine the work that must’ve gone into it!

My father had also worked at the same Ford factory in Geelong many years ago for a while, haha! I’m from Hoppers Crossing, not too far from Geelong and have family out Warrnambool and Bendigo ways.

It has been a non-stop year for me here on the ship so far (as with the previous years too though I’d suppose!); as an MT (Marine Technician), we’re in charge of maintaining all of the ships services – from power generation and propulsion (Operating switchboards and tuning engines etc.) and life essentials (Making fresh water from sea water, sewerage treatment, refrigeration and air-conditioning etc.), to repairing all sorts of machinery in-situ (Ovens, washing-machines, fittings/fixtures etc.) along with good old watch-keeping (watching/maintaining ship services while other get a chance to rest). Essentially, anything mechanical that makes a ship function, we’ve got covered

Being posted to a MHC class ship (Mine-Hunter Coastal) the on-board crew quite small at around 30 people or so – with that, the technical department is much, much smaller. With being in charge of so many important moving parts, we’re the first ones to arrive early onto the ship and the last ones to leave late; more often than not while at sea we could be doing 16 hours split over the day per person, 7 days a week; a very demanding job!

While I do very much miss my family most times and especially more so my partner while I’m out at sea (the biggest sacrifice to me personally – I miss her very much, on top of missing weddings/events/holidays etc.), the work is very rewarding – the comradery among our small team is great and the satisfaction from knowing that while we may be deep within the vessel most of the time (no sunlight in the machinery spaces), we’re achieving our ship’s mission and making life that little bit more comfortable for everyone else on-board.

I loved your letter and your handiwork is incredible, thank-you very much for your time and effort!

Greatly appreciated,

…

Good morning Clarissa L

I’m a Marine Engineer Officer currently on board HMAS Hobart.

I had the privilege to receive a laundry bag from AHQ and could not look past the unique design on the bag I got to choose – created by you! The Laundry bag is covered in little miniature superhero characters from the Marvel universe and was simple yet bursting with colour. For someone who always has to wear and stare at grey ships, grey clothes and white and black uniform on a regular basis – it adds a bit of colour to my life/and my cabin!

I’d like to extend my thanks to you and your family for your history of service to our nation and all of the sacrifices involved. You must be extremely proud of your family to have served over numerous conflicts and campaigns and you must be especially proud of your own Son. The sacrifices at home from family and friends is hard if not harder than the sacrifices service members make in defence of their country.

I also live in Sydney, with my Wife, two daughters (a cheeky three year old and a 2 week newborn) and Border Collie. All of whom I’ve recently left at home whilst going on deployment. Both my wife and I grew up in the Hills District, not too far from where you reside. We are lucky to be supported by our parents who love being grandparents to our daughters.

Thanks once again for volunteering your time and effort for making this bag.

Kind regards,

…

Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in.