Grati-Tuesday 1st Aug 2023

Written by AHQ

1 August 2023

Happy Tuesday Friends!

It’s that time of the week again, and this time we are in August!!!

Again, the following is an amazing collection of letters of thanks from some very well deserving recipients.

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

Dear Bridget R,

 

I cannot express in words the gratitude I felt when I opened up the package and saw the quilt that you and Bobbie S (and her group) worked so hard to make! It is truly wonderful and I am just left speechless in the presence of your generosity. The work that has gone into this is really amazing and I am in awe of your skill in making this. To say I love it is an understatement! Its brilliant! The silhouettes are fantastic!

 

It sounds like your family is doing great which is wonderful to hear, and its great that you have your family with you. I never appreciated that when I was young until I left home, and had to do it on my own. Like yourself, I have two of my own children although mine are a little smaller, a boy and a girl also (8yo girl and 10yo boy) who are at home in Sydney with my wife. Like you, my wife is an RN, and the kids are in primary school still, although preparations have started for high school for my eldest. I do miss them as the needs of the service have meant that I am based out of Perth when I am not at home. I get home as often as I can, but the life we choose is the life we lead.

 

I have attached a photo of the quilt to let you know it got here safely. I cannot thank you enough for this wonderful gift and this has been such a wonderful thing to have done for.

 

Wishing you and your family the warmest of wishes, and all the very best

 

Yours aye

 Good afternoon Jo, 

 

I’m writing to pass on my most sincere thanks for the creation of this Australian Hero Quilt and kind words in your letter. Your creativity and execution, of what was an elementary request at best on my part, is incredible and I am extremely thankful to you. It has taken prime place in my whiskey room, and will be a treasured memento long in to the future.

 

I am certainly proud of the efforts we made whilst deployed in the UK on OP KUDU II. My Soldiers and NCO’s distinguished themselves through an incredibly high standard of instructional delivery, of which, Australians everywhere can be proud of. In conjunction with the other Training Teams, they were able to impart the skills, knowledge and attributes required to fight and win in a high intensity conflict.

 

The men and women of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who we had the honour of instructing, were some of the most motivated, dedicated and driven soldiers that I have worked with during my 10 year career. Their commitment to the cause and unrelenting pursuit of excellence was commendable and has stood them in good stead since returning to Ukraine. I hope for the sake of Ukrainians everywhere, that this conflict comes to a peaceful resolution soon and sees Ukraine maintain her independence for many years to come.  

 

As the Ukrainians say; Slava Ukraini (Glory to Ukraine).   

 

Thank you again and all the best to you and your family.

 

Yours faithfully,

Good Morning,

 

I received my quilt yesterday whilst I was on duty, very happy with the quilt and the design, I appreciate the time and effort that is put into them.

 

Regards

Dear Cath H,
 
I hope this letter finds you well. I cannot express how grateful I am for the beautiful hero quilt you made for me while I’ve been overseas with the ADF. Your thoughtfulness and talent shine through every stitch, and it truly brings me comfort during my deployment.
 
I was delighted to learn more about your life and the wonderful pets that share it with you. Hope, your therapy dog, sounds like an incredible companion. It’s amazing that you trained her yourself. I’m also impressed by your feathered friends, Aloha and Zoe. They must add a lot of joy to your household.
 
It’s wonderful to hear that you and your golden retriever, Hope, have been providing therapy and support to others. Animals truly have a remarkable ability to bring comfort and healing to those in need.
 
So let me share a bit about my own life with you. I have a French bulldog named Hugo, who will be turning 10 years old in November. He is my loyal companion, and I miss him dearly whilst I have been deployed. Additionally, I have been with my girlfriend for 11 years, and she is the love of my life. Our relationship has been a source of strength and support throughout my military career. I have been serving the Royal Australian Navy for the past 17 years,  I have served on ships HMAS Newcastle, Success, Darwin and Supply and at establishments Watson, Kuttabul and Cerberus. My girlfriend also used to be in the Navy as a steward, but she decided to leave the Navy after eight years of service. 
 
Thank you, Cath, for the kind words in your letter. They brought a tear to my eye and reminded me of the unwavering support we receive from people like you. Your generosity and thoughtfulness mean the world to us veterans.
 
Once again, thank you for everything you do. Your quilts are a true labor of love, and they bring so much comfort to those of us serving overseas. I sleep with mine every night, and it reminds me of the love and support I have back home. Please take care of yourself, and know that your kindness has made a significant impact on my life.
 
With sincerest gratitude,

Good Morning Wendy B,

 

 I would like to thank you for your gift of the laundry bag, and what you have provided has far exceeded my expectations.

 

And as for me. I joined the Navy 35 years ago and in that time I have served on a number of different ships. I have worked my way up through the ranks since then.

 

In 2017 I decided that I’d had enough of the role I was in and transferred over to HMAS Hobart.

 

In 2020 I was asked if I would remain at sea, where as you know I remain to this day. Well at least till the end of the year.

 

As you can imagine this life can be hard on families, but somehow I have remained married to the same wonderful woman for 29 years.

We have two grown children and two grandchildren. My daughter still lives at home, but works in the mines in WA’s norths, so we only see her every now and again.

 

Thank you for the lollies, I’ll save them for when I get home and share them with the Grandkid before sending them home.

 

Once again thank you.

 

Warmest regards

Good afternoon Melissa L,

 

Thank you kindly for making the laundry bag and the lovely note that came with it. It is exciting to learn about the people that take the time to make these for us. 

I love it! It’s a very nice touch adding my initials on there too.

 

A bit about me: I have been serving in the army for 8 years. 5 of those years I have been attached to ships (3 on HMAS Choules and almost 2 on HMAS Adelaide.) 

Some people are confused that there’s army members that spend so much time on a naval ship but it’s just the way our trade works.  

Fortunately the visit in Melbourne around ANZAC day was just loading food so we got to spend time enjoying the city. I am glad you got time off to see what the ships are like. I was able to catch up with my sister and show her around the ship.

 

Thank you again for making this. It is a work of art that will make me smile everytime I see it.

 

 

Kind Regards,

Thank you  Jan-Maree  and the lovely ladies Dorothy C, Lyn F, Kerry B, and Philomena H,

Your generosity, care and evident passion is appreciated. Hugs to you all.  20 years since my father passed, and this quilt will be passed to his Grandson  who referred to dad as Poppy, so the design is appropriate. Your support to the veteran and serving communities is greatly appreciated. 
Good Evening Kirsten O,

 

 

Thanks so much for the Quilt you sent me. I really appreciate the thought and effort that was put into it. Definitely exceeded my expectations.

 I’ve served in the Navy for 5 years now and have been posted on HMAS Sydney since 2021. In hindsight I think it was the better choice, constant air conditioning and showers, while not having to go out field and do pack marches.

 

 

Hopefully this message finds you well.

 

 

Kind Regards,

Hello Jan-Maree, 

 

Just a short message to say how pleased my father was when he received his quilt on his 100th birthday. Bev and those who helped are thanked wholeheartedly.

Dear Cath H, 

 

I knew from the first sentence ‘A fellow Goldie parent’ I was in for a cracker of a letter and boy did you deliver!

 

Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to make me a custom Aussie Hero Quilt and send it halfway across the world to the Middle East. I absolutely love it, the design, colours, patterns and details are amazing and I will cherish this for many years to come and pass it down the family.

 

It was delightful to read your accompanying letter, there’s something about people who have animals (especially golden retrievers) where you instantly know they’re a good human being doing good things in this world.

 

I love the initiative you started in your school about getting kids to think and act for someone other than themselves. I’m sure the lessons from that will stay with the kids long after they graduate. I strive to have kindness as a central tenant in life. Life is hard for everyone, the least we can do is try to fill each other’s cups up.

 

If Hope is a person with fur, then my Golden – Kobe, is definitely a land shark. He’s just over a year old and is still absolutely a puppy and so playful. He’s well trained as when my fiancé and I lived in Albury Wodonga we took him to every single type of puppy/dog training class from puppy to advanced. He is very obedient for his age but can be so cheeky and will sometimes decide he doesn’t want to listen JUST so he gets a bigger reaction and attention. I look forward to him settling down from his puppy stage after another couple of years.

 

In the previous paragraph, I mentioned my ‘fiancé’ which is exciting as it’s the first time I’ve written those words. Whilst deployed for 6 months we get a short 2-week break. I took my partner to Italy and proposed in Florence to which she said yes. We had the most amazing time and I’m really missing Kobe and my new fiancé and counting down the months until I get home. We also did lots of cooking classes which we thoroughly enjoyed and I can’t wait to cook pasta from scratch in my own kitchen.

 

I guess I should share some background for whom you’ve made this quilt for! Well, I was originally born in Wales and when I was seven years old my family moved to Bristol. When I was fifteen my parents got divorced and my mother wanted a better life for my older brother and I so decided to move us to the other side of the world…to Australia! I was very excited about the change; I came from England with blonde hair and blue eyes so all I needed was a tan and to learn how to surf on the Gold Coast and I had settled in quickly. Fast forward to the teenage years and a thirst for adventure had me signing up to the Army and off I went. I’m currently almost in my 11th year of service and have been posted all over Australia.

 

Throughout my career, all I’ve wanted to do is serve on operations, in the eleven years I’ve served this is actually my first deployment. I’ve always been in the wrong place at the wrong time and missed out. So this deployment, and receiving your quilt, are particularly special occasions for me.

 

I’m currently posted to Canberra with my fiancé. Our plans are to move to Brisbane after this posting as we want to start a family and be closer to our existing family for support. They say it takes a village to raise a baby so we are looking forward to having both of our families help out and be part of the experience. I’ve also heard the cost of daycare is ridiculous so any help from the to-be grandparents is appreciated!

 

My hobbies include endurance racing and I’ve completed multiple Ironman triathlons and even Ultraman; which is Australia’s biggest endurance event in Noosa and split over 3 days. Ultraman includes Swimming 10km, Cycling 420km and Running 84kms (double marathon)…I was pretty sore after that one! I’ve since lost the ‘fire’ for endurance racing but try and maintain my fitness and as Kobe becomes fully grown I will take him on many adventures. Kobe is a field golden compared to a show golden. Not many people know the difference and often think Kobe is a strange-looking golden retriever and then we have to explain all about field goldens and the original hunting-class bloodline. The short of it is basically he is 100x more active than a show golden and 10000x more of a menace!!! My fiancé and I agree we will get a second Goldy but a show Goldy once he has settled down.

 

My brother also had his first baby last year (he is 1 month older than Kobe which is how I remember). This officially makes me an uncle which is exciting news. The best thing about being an uncle is you get to hold the baby and enjoy the cuteness but you can hand him back when he makes an accident in his nappy!

 

I love the idea that every quilt tells a story and this quilt is now so enriched in both your history and mine. I also extend my thanks to Keryn for the quilting, it’s fantastic.

 

I’m so pleased with the quilt and the overall colour blue which is my absolute favourite colour. And I love that every time I look at it I see a new detail and am reminded about some aspect of my time here.

 

Thank you again for taking the time to show your support to the Australian personnel deployed overseas. Aussie Hero Quilts is an amazing initiative and you have the best hobby as you get to make people feel the way I do after receiving the quilt and reading the letter and that is a feeling money can’t buy. I hope you enjoy the few photos I’ve attached of Kobe, myself and my new fiancé around Italy.

 

with warmest regards,

 

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

Tuesday’s would be so totally boring without them!

💟💟💟💟💟💟💟

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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