Happy Tuesday Friends!
Another awesome lot of gratitude coming your way from very thankful recipients.
Grab a cuppa or cool drink, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude!
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Hi Ellen N,I have received the quilt you made for me. I absolutely love it.I loved reading about your family that have served in the military and thank them for their service. I have travelled alot as a kid and have done a lot of 4WD around Australia. Been up to Cape York as well. Also been up to Arnhem Land and through the Simpson Desert.I have been in the Navy for 3 years now and have done one deployment soon to be two. Been loving it so far. But can be hard being away from family for so long.Thankyou again for making me this amazing wolf quilt.
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Hello Jan-Maree and the wonderful people at Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags!),
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Hi Clarissa L!
I’m not going to lie – your new bag has really made me feel guilty about not using my original 2016 Laundry Bag as much! That bag had travelled multiple countries, postings and hospital stays with me. However I think with this new chapter of my life that I am now experiencing, a new laundry bag will help me for my next adventures!
I cannot stress how much the Invictus Games has helped me. It allowed me to feel like I was part of a team and able to play sport again. The lead up to the Games was the most focused and determined I have been for a very long time and then, the Games itself, just saw me suddenly find a smile from deep within that I hadn’t smiled for a very long time!
I will be at the Dinner again this year and hopefully we can catch up. I love that our paths have continued to cross after all this time. Please know that you have made a significant impact on my life and I am so thankful for you and the rest of the AHQ pers.
Thanks,
Good evening Marianne R,
I had the great pleasure of opening your parcel this afternoon, and I absolutely love it. The colours and the design are fantastic and to be honest, far more than I expected.
The reason behind the designs is really two fold. Firstly, I have two oversized boys, my eldest is 21 (6”9) and my youngest 18 (6”11). Both competitive basketball players. One is currently in the US (where I just got back from) and the other is about to go. My youngest and I are both Houston Rockets fans, so the design is perfect.
Secondly, I am also from the UK originally and served 15 years in the British Army before transferring to the ADF in 2011. I have been a passionate rugby fan since I was 8 (now 45) and have followed Harlequins since then. I was fortunate enough to play for the British Army before my knee decided to give out and after multiple surgeries I decided to take up the whistle.
A bit more about myself. I have been married for almost 25 years and we are the very proud parents of two boys. We are a very sport orientated family and love watching Basketball, NRL and the Swans. We have had postings in Darwin, Perth, Melbourne and currently Sydney which we all love. Across my service, I have now accumulated almost 30 years in the British Army and the ADF combined and can honestly say I am still loving it. I have one semester left to complete my Masters in Business and will finish this in June this year (Hooray).
This has been my third item from Aussie Hero Quilts (with my recently received wash bag), which came at very good time, as my laundry bag from 2012 is now on its last legs. I think that I can without hesitation say, your support is exceptional and really does bring a smile to the faces of all members that receive such fantastic works of art (the Tim Tams go a long way too).
It was great to get to know a little bit about you and your family, including the Garage Girls. So please accept my sincere gratitude for taking the time to make my personalised Quilt, the nice gesture of the Tim Tams and the time to send a letter.
Warmest regards,
Dear Pennie T,
Just a short note to thank you for the fantastic laundry bag. The design and detailed work is amazing, and manages to capture the unique organisation I am honoured to lead.
It will certainly get lots of use as I travel around the area of responsibility; from Perth to Cairns and everywhere in between.
Please know your work, and the work of your fellow quilters, is greatly appreciated by the men and women of the Australian Army – it means alot!
Thank you, and all the best
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Good afternoon Bridget R,
I hope this email finds you well.
Apologies for the delay in reaching out. I have just returned from overseas after an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable Invictus Games experience in Vancouver, Canada. I wanted to take a moment to express my sincere appreciation for the beautiful laundry bag you made, which was gifted to me by the Aussie Hero Quilts team before I departed for the Games last month.
It was evident how much thought and effort went into creating it and please know it was both cherished and put to good use! My time at the Games was truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience and these memories are something I hope to treasure for many years to come.
After the Games, I was fortunate to travel to Banff and Lake Louise with my parents and husband before he and I continued on to New York City and San Francisco. Returning to Melbourne’s 35-degree heat after four weeks in the Canadian and U.S. winter has been quite the adjustment!
Thank you again for this special memento and for the wonderful work you do in supporting the men and women of the ADF through Aussie Hero Quilts. Your kindness and generosity are truly appreciated.
Take care,
Thank you so much for the laundry bag for the Invictus Games. It is a beautiful bag but I didn’t appreciate how valuable it was until it came time to drop off my laundry at the laundry service. It was so easy for the bag to be found amongst all the nondescript bags that were there!
The Games went well. All the Australian competitors put in their best efforts. Some came away with medals; others with the satisfaction of knowing they did their best against strong competition. Moreover, I was so pleased with the way the competitors supported each other and came together as a team. This is probably the most important part of the Invictus Games experience for most competitors – finding that connection with other veterans who are dealing with their own injuries, illnesses and other challenges.
I am wrapping up my duties as with Team Australia for Invictus Game 2025 and am about to take a holiday. My wife and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary by going to Tasmania for a week’s holiday. We spent two weeks there on our honeymoon. We will spend a few days in Hobart, then down to Bruny Island and then on to Huon Valley before heading home.
Thank you again for your thoughtful gift
Kind regards
Dear Toni D,
Thank you so much for the laundry bag you sent up to me while I’ve been deployed in the Middle East.
I apologise for taking so long to write. Things have been hectic here. Please forgive me for my tardiness.
I was blown away by your generosity in giving your time, skill and creativity to put that bag together. It has been a real morale boost. My roommates have all commented on it and I’m sure I will be the envy of every other officer when taking my washing to the laundry in that bag in every place my service takes me after this deployment. I was at sea for a South-West Pacific deployment in HMAS Choules last year and was quite jealous of other officers who had laundry bags from previous deployments. (None compared to this one though!)
I loved how you incorporated the Australiana theme along with images of the fleet and the Navy crest embroidery. Including the Bahrain flag was a special touch. Thank you too for including the Roulettes. I’ve done some work with the Roulettes before and so this was a welcome reminder of some pretty impressive people I met from that team.
I’m a Navy Public Affairs Officer. I am married and have four children aged 22, 19, 17 and 10 along with our much-loved (and spoilt) moodle, Oscar.
My wife is the marketing, communications and community relations manager for a school in Nowra on the NSW South Coast, not far from the Naval Air Station at HMAS Albatross near Nowra.
Daugher (22) is severely disabled, so I remain grateful for the NDIS support that makes it possible for me to serve in the Navy.
Son (19) has joined the Navy and started at ADFA this year, having graduated from his initial officer training at the Naval College at HMAS Creswell last year before undertaking the first phase of his Maritime Warfare Officer training at HMAS Watson in Sydney.
Daugher (17) is studying at high school and looking toward a future in film and television production.
Son (10) is in Primary School and enjoys maths, music and jumping on his trampoline.
Oscar just loves being wherever we are, especially when it means a trip to the beach.
Like you, we enjoy camping. We have a Windsor Rapid 501 Low Line pop-top expander caravan. It suits us perfectly and we love getting away as often as we can. My wife did a lap of Australia with her family as a young girl and we would love to be able to do that at some stage.
Thanks again for all your creative handiwork with the laundry bag. It has brightened up my time over here and I will cherish it as a souvenir of this deployment and a reminder of your support when I am next at sea for future deployments.
Yours sincerely,
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Hi Gayle W!
Firstly, I am very sorry to be so late in responding to your lovely letter. We had some significant issues with the mail system over Dec/Jan and when your quilt arrived I was stuck head first into my work.
Thank you for the obvious love, time and effort you have poured into this quilt. It is a treasure and exactly like I pictured! It was so lovely to read about your garden and what you are growing, I am very much missing my garden at home. Just prior to deploying I had installed some new veggie garden beds thinking I would be growing tomatoes all summer long, but I ended up missing the whole summer growing season sadly!
I adore all types of ducks, there isn’t any story here really except I think they are the funniest little things and I get overly excited whenever I see baby ducks. I was a Canberra/South Coast NSW girl and grew up with chickens everywhere we moved, but I could never convince my mum to get ducks. Runner ducks are just my dream animal for pest and stress free garden companions! A nice plus is they walk funnily, but that is just a bonus.
Your amazing quilt has brightened up my afternoon and evenings, making my room so much more homely and bringing back some much needed green into my space. The desert being all brown and dusty has gotten monotonous, so it truly was such a bright spark at just the right time! I am leading into the end of my time out here, and your letter has made me so excited to come home and get to experience all the little joys you mentioned of time with family and at home in your element.
I hope you have stayed safe and well throughout Cyclone Alfred, and I wish you all the best.
Kind Regards,
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