Grati-Tuesday 24 April

Written by AHQ

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24 April 2018

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Hi all

The first message tonight is a little special. When I was at the Australasian Quilt Convention I was delighted to meet one of our recipients when he came up to me during the dinner to congratulate me on being recognised with the Lut Da Award. I asked him if he could send me a photo of himself with his laundry bag and he sent me the following.

Enjoy his message and the rest…. they always make me smile. How about you!
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I was the proud recipient of a laundry bag in Afghanistan four years ago. I have many memories of my first day in Afghanistan, but one of the most profound was receiving my laundry bag. This simple gesture cut through everything else. To me it meant someone cared and gave their valuable time and material to make a personal item for me. I am forever grateful to you and your band of volunteers who should be under no misunderstanding how much their gifts mean and the lasting impact it has. Besides being a thoughtful gesture, the bag was really useful and accompanies me today on work trips and holidays, after all, who doesn’t need a sturdy laundry bag!

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Hi Sue,

Thank you so much for the Hero Blanket I received. I really appreciate the support you provide to deployed troops.

Its funny watching the reaction from the soldiers when they receive one of these gifts, and the other day was my turn, thank you for that.

I have attached a photo of myself on the day I received the blanket. I have also attached a photo of myself and my training team.

Again, thank you so much for your support and for the blanket.

Regards,

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Jean,

Thank you so much for the Laundry Bag you sewed for me,

It is so nice to have such thoughtful people back home doing things like this for us!

It has been quite an experience so far and I’ve been fortunate enough to have deployed with great people here too.

We are due home very soon and I’m looking forward to sharing the experiences with my family and showing off my Laundry Bag!

Thanks again for your contribution and I hope you enjoy the rest of the year ahead!

Regards,

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Hi Jean,

I just wanted to drop you a quick email to let you know that I received the laundry bag that you made for me.

Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into it.

The sausage dogs on it were my favourite! Reminded me of my two sausage dogs at home Milo and Daisy!
Thank you again for the time you put into making my laundry bag. Is definitely nice when we receive mail here.

Thanks!

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Dear Sue

I would like to thank you for the fantastic quilt, the detail in the quilt is fantastic it’s very clear you have put a lot of time and care into this for me.

Once I am back home I intend to hang the quilt on a wall but also be able to take it with me again on another trip.

Back home I am an Air Force Security – Military Working Dog Handler. I have been with the RAAF for 5 years now; I am currently posted to a base in NSW. I grew up in Victoria, so to see that someone from my home state made this was even more exciting.

Id like to thank you for what you do, supporting us in this way is an amazing thing and I really am unable to thank you enough.

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Goodmorning Jenny,

Thank you so much for your letter. I really do appreciate the time and effort you have taken in both writing to me and crafting that laundry bag for me. It looks great 🙂
Once again, I thank you for the time you have taken to sew for me and write your letter. I wish you and your family all the best of luck for the future and hope that this email finds you well 🙂
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Hello,

I’d just like to say a big Thankyou to Michele S and all the Aussie hero quilters.

It’s really nice to receive something from Home and to know the effort that you are all putting in to let us know of your support.

I love my quilt!

Once again Thankyou so much, we really appreciate it.

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Hi Sue,

First of all, Thank you very much for your gifts! The quilt is fantastic and the treats have been a morale booster!

I think that is enough about work, I would love to tell you about my family! I’ve been married to my beautiful wife now for nearly four years and we have a gorgeous little girl who is nearly 18 months old. I also have to mention we have a very spoiled dog, who has been an absolute sook since I have been away! My wife is also in the Army and as a mother yourself, I’m sure you can imagine the effort she has to go through when I am deployed! This is now my sixth deployment overseas and it doesn’t get any easier, especially now we have our daughter. Although I am used to serving overseas, this deployment is a little different as this is the first time I have deployed as a father. Unfortunately I missed my daughter’s first birthday, first Christmas and her first steps! I’m hoping I will be home for her first words!

Sue, your efforts and the efforts of all the members of ‘Aussie Heros, is well recognised and highly regarded across the ADF. It may seem insignificant but any care package from Australia is always treasured and very much appreciated. I’m sure you guessed the quilt you made is in fact not for me but for my Daughter. I can’t wait to give it to her when I finally get home to Australia.

Thank you and best wishes,

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Hi Sue

Thank you very much for your amazing quilt. I am a dad with identical twin girls (3yo) and can’t wait to go over all the flowers with them. It has been hard being away from my family, but it is nice to know that total strangers are thinking of us (it is a beautiful thing).

Thanks again,

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Good Afternoon Carol

I would like to thank you for my quilt. It’s amazing. I’m currently deployed on Operation Manitou on HMAS Warramunga. I am a Clearance Diver on-board and I’m responsible for all boarding evolutions and I am the Explosive Ordinance Technician for this deployment. We deployed from Sydney in October last year and return to Sydney at the start of July. It has been 30 – 40 degrees here, so the Quilt has come in handy on the ship in the heat. I just returned from a short break in Stockholm, Estonia, Poland and Prague, they give us a break during a 9 month deployment. It was really cold in Stockholm and Estonia, there was snow and ice everywhere. But I can’t wait to get back home to Australia.

Well once again thank you very much for thinking of us, whilst we are deployed from our family and friends. I hope you had a wonderful Easter.

Greatly Appreciated and Kind Regards

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Hi Philomena,

I just wanted to let you know that I received my amazingly beautiful quilt today. Thank you so much – it is fantastic, and reminds me of the times I spent in the water on a Hawaii posting, and summer moments at a good old Aussie beach. I had to laugh at one piece of material with the words ‘shark bait’ on it. When I was swimming in Hawaii off the North Shore, I came face to face with a shark. After nearly dying of fright, it left me alone and swam away, but my best friend’s eldest son now calls me Shark Bait. Actually they all do!

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know how appreciative I am for such a beautiful, personal and thoughtful gift. I will get some photos taken, and email them to you and post them on Jan Maree’s page.

Thanks again – you have made my day!

Warmest regards,

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Hi Jenny

Thank you so much for the quilt. I can see that it took a lot of your time and effort to create it. It gave me a good laugh when I saw it and my mates thought it was great too. I think my little fella back home will love it on his bed when I get home. I don’t think he will understand the meme but I’m sure he will see the funny side of a dog dressed as spiderman
Hes only 3yo.

You guessed right, I do love dogs. I joined the Royal Australian Airforce when I was 19yo as a Military Working Dog Handler. After 13 years of being a Doggie my body just couldn’t do it any more. Most of my fiends have had many injuries and surgeries from the rigours of being dragged along and attacked by 40kg dogs. I’ve now moved into the policy and administrative side of security in the RAAF. Its a nice needed change but miss the dogs.

I was very fortunate to Deploy in 2008 with my Dog to Timor. It was probably the highlight of my career so far. Deploying with dogs is not something that comes up very often due to quarantine issues and host nation sensitivities etc.

I’ve been overseas this time for 6 Months. I cant wait to get home. My wife(a serving RAAF member also), has been very busy selling our house and moving all of our things and two kids to our new location in Adelaide. She’s had a pretty long and stressful time so I’m sure she cant wait for me to pick up some of the load back home.

The people over here really appreciate what you and the other Aussie Hero Quilters do. Thank you again
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Dear Shel,

I hope this finds you and your family well.

I recently received your Quilt and I want to thank you for taking the time to make and send something to me that is so wonderful.

I have been over here in Iraq for just over four months now and to have a little piece of home here is great, and it will have a pride of place amongst my memorabilia when I get home.

Once again – thank you.
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Dear Jan-Maree,

Thank you to you and all the team involved in making my Gun Captain themed Aussie Hero Quilt (made by Sandy) and Laundry Bag (made by Jean). I received them just the other day and I absolutely love them both. The quilt now has a permanent place on my rack and I am making good use of the laundry bag.

It is a fantastic thing that you and your team do and it has definitely brought a smile to my face and given me something extra to be thankful for and will keep me going until our return to Australia.

Warmest regards,

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Hey Sharon,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag that you made for me. It will definatly keep all my clothes more private. I am looking forward to getting back to Aus and being able to go fishing and diving again. It’s good to hear the kids get excited about helping out. Hope everything is still going good in Aus and thanks again for the laundry bag it is great.

Take Care.

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Hi Jo,

I want to thank you so very much for the quilt you made for me. I could not be happier with what you have produced.

In response to your question, I chose the fleur-de-lis purely as it represents my favourite sports team, the New Orleans Saints.

It is always a morale booster on-board when quilts come in as everyone loves to show them off and compare the designs. We also all appreciate the time you take out of your life to make these for us, it definitely makes being away from home for such a long period that little bit more bearable. Once again, thank you for taking the time to make the quilt, I am most grateful.

All the best,

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Dear Beth,

I am an infantry soldier deployed to Iraq as part of Task Group Taji 6. Myself and all the other soldiers over here greatly appreciate the effort your local community puts in so we can enjoy a little piece of home when we are so far away. It always brings a smile to everyone’s face to know we have kind people back home thinking about us. To you and anyone else who is interested in what my role is I’ll give you a quick explanation. I am part of the force protection element assigned to Task Group Taji 6. It is my job to ensure other defence members over here with me are protected from any threat of attack by local Islamic State forces whilst they are training Iraqi Security Forces to assist in the defeat of ISIS. I love my job and I love serving my country, it is an honour to represent you and all other Australians working towards a better future. Once again thank you for your support and the beautiful quilt I will treasure it for the rest of my life.

Kind regards

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Till next time… have a wonderful day…

keep spreading the word and happy stitching!

Jan-Maree xx

Bobbie S and the Mystery BOMers. Emb Joan Quilted by Philomena and added to by Bridget
LB Ruth S

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Good afternoon Hilary P,

I am writing to say thank you so much for the lovely quilt, laundry bag and letter!

I am amazed at the detail and thought you have put into the quilt for me and I can not thank you enough!It is something I will treasure for a long time and I will definitely be using the laundry bag on my next deployed or trip!

I really appreciate the time you took to write the letter noting how busy you and all the other volunteers are at AHQ. I hope the annual dinner in Canberra goes well. You all deserve to be celebrated for the work you do.

Even though I am back from my deployment now, I am honoured to know there are people like you out there, looking out for those of us away from family, friends and loved ones.

Thank you again!

Kindest regards,

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Dear Sue-Ellen S,

I’m in the Royal Australian Navy posted to HMAS Stuart and currently on deployment in Asia. I am 25 years old and I grew up in Melbourne and joined the RAN when I was 19 and I now live in WA. The other week I received the laundry bag you made along with your letter. Thank you so much for the laundry bag as its well made and the perfect size. I greatly appreciate the work you do with AHQ and at your local RSL (pulling beers is essential work ) and all others who volunteer. As a sailor a sturdy Dhobey bag (laundry bag) is very nice to have and makes life onboard just that bit much easier as the standard issue bags tend to rip and tear. I enjoyed reading your letter and hearing about your family military history. I hope your retirement is going well and I wish your sons the best.

Kindest regards,

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Hi Ruth S,

I just received my laundry bag that you compiled. It is fantastic, so thank you for your time and effort to make us veterans feel people care.

Again, thank you and take care

regards

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Good evening Sue-Ellen S,

I'm an electronics technician in the Royal Australian Navy, proud father to a rabbit named Pickles, and as of the other day, the even prouder owner of a majestic blue laundry bag covered in platypuses (or platypies... whatever the plural may be).

I must admit, I wasn't originally looking for a new laundry bag we get issued a fresh one with every new posting, after all. But the moment I saw that vibrant blue pattern and the platypuses (which happen to be my mother’s absolute Favorite animal and that felt a little bit like the universe was trying to tell me something), I knew I had to grab it right away.

Fun fact about the humble platypus: because they lay eggs and produce milk. So, if you're ever stuck in the bush craving an omelette a platypus is your one-stop shop!

On a more personal note, I hope your sons are doing well. Reading your letter, your pride in them and the work they do shines through so clearly. They are incredibly lucky to have such a supportive mother in their corner.

I personally have not attended one of the charity dinners for the Doby bag cause, however a ex of mine has in 2024, and apparently it was quite the shindig.

Thank you so much for everything you do with your local RSL. The support you provide isn't just vital to active service members, it's a massive morale booster for the entire veteran community.

Please make sure to enjoy a well-deserved pint (or several) after reading this. You’ve more than earned it.

Warm regards,

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Dear Hilary T,

I would like to express my gratitude to you for the beautiful laundry bag that you so skilfully created. I was gifted it after completing a deployment. The design and craftsmanship is impressive.

I am a member of the Australian Army Reserves and work as a signaller. I too originate from overseas- I am Scottish, and like you moved to Australia for better weather and more of an outdoor lifestyle for our children to grow up in. It has been such a beautiful country to live in and we appreciate all of the opportunities that we have been given. I joined the Reserves as a way of serving and giving something back. (I am a Sonographer in my full time job. )

I will be proud to use the laundry bag whenever I am away with Army and once again, thank you so much.

Kindest regards,

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Good Afternoon Clarissa L,

I'm a Soldier at the 2nd Cavalry Regiment and was very fortunate to receive a laundry bag sewn by yourself from Aussie Hero Quilts. I know I and everyone who received one was very grateful for your token of appreciation and to know that we're being thought of. It will be very handy as I'm about to step off on a six week task within Australia. Again thank you very much for giving up your valuable time to help ADF Personnel across the globe, it's greatly appreciated!

Kind regards,

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Dear Janice L,

Thank you so very much for my new laundry bag (its going to get a good work out) it is very hot on our current deployment.

I just wanted to tell you a little about myself. I’ve been serving in the Royal Australian Navy for 15 years now. During that time I have had the opportunity to work across Submarines, Supply ships and ANZAC Class frigates. (currently on HMAS Stuart) It’s been a challenging career, but one that I am proud of and enjoy. I have also been lucky to have some incredible experiences.

I have a wife and Family of 4 children (not including our dog JJ) back home in Rockingham, WA. We come from Brisbane but I had to move to WA when I started working on Submarines. One of the hardest parts of the job is spending time away from them.

The Navy is a big part of my life but my family keeps me grounded.

I hope this gives you a little insight into who I am. Thank you to Aussie Hero quilts and your self for the quilt.

Kind regards,

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Hello Hilary T,

I'm the recipient of the Bag you made and had sent to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment. I'm writing to thankyou for the lovely bag / letter and to express my gratitude for your support through Aussie Hero Quilts.

To let you know abit about the recipient of your bag, I was born and raised in Newcastle so I'm well aware of the beautiful country that is the Nelson bay area and try to take the opportunity to show it to my Cairns born partner whenever I get the chance, it just goes to show how close we probably were at one point even though we know live on the other side of the country.

I joined the Army in 2020 and commissioned through the Royal Military College - Duntroon in Canberra and was allocated to the Royal Australian Armoured Corps as a Cavalry Officer. Since then I have been posted to the School of Armour in Puckapunyal as an instructor then to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment in Townsville.

I thankyou again for your work and hopefully you know how much these bags were appreciated by everyone at the Regiment.

Kind regards,

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Hi Janice B,

I just wanted to email you and let you know I received my quilt and laundry bag.

I love them. I have read the Eragon series and recognised the Dragon right away. Not gonna lie, I squealed a little.
Also I did test the laundry bag and kept laughing.

My uncle was a submariner as well so we have a lot in common it seems! I loved reading your letter and about all your
adventures.

Thank you once again for my quilt and Laundry bad. I love them and appreciate all the effort you and your team put into
them.

Kind regards

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Hi Lois S,

Thank you so much for the beautiful quilt. I received it in perfect condition, and I wanted to let you know that it was exactly what I was after. The design, colours and space theme are fantastic, and I can see the incredible amount of work and care that went into creating it. The embroidered patches, ISS, Saturn V and Space Shuttle are particularly impressive, and knowing that they took around 250,000 stitches makes me appreciate it even more.

I also really enjoyed reading about your time in Florida and your visits to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral. Watching the launch of Discovery STS-120 must have been an amazing experience.

Like you, I have been to the Kennedy Space Center multiple times, and I honestly think it is one of the best places to visit in Florida. Every visit has been memorable, and as someone with an interest in space exploration, I never get tired of seeing the exhibits, launch facilities and history on display.

Thank you again for your generosity, time and effort in making the quilt. It will be something I treasure for many years to come. I truly appreciate the support you and the Aussie Hero Quilts community provide to veterans.

Kind regards,

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The following letter was published on the 26th August so it may be familiar. We have now received permission to publish the photo so I thought it was very tied in with the letter, it deserved a second publishing:

Dear Shirley D,

I hope this email finds you well.

I recently received the amazing laundry bag that you made for me through Aussie Hero Quilts while serving with the Australian Contingent in the Sinai as part of the Multinational Force and Observers. Thank you for the incredible time, care and generosity that went into making it. Receiving a parcel from home is always appreciated, but receiving something handmade by a complete stranger was something quite special and I couldn't be more grateful.

I also wanted to thank you for taking the time to write such a personal letter. I genuinely enjoyed reading about your family, your textile art, and the remarkable work you have done supporting Australian service personnel since 2015.

Of everything you wrote, it was the story of your father that resonated with me the most. During this deployment, I had the privilege of leading a battlefield study of Alexandria and El Alamein four our contingent, where we walked the ground, visited the Commonwealth War Cemetery and reflected on the actions fought there. Reading about your father's service with the 2/24th Battalion, and the sacrifices he made at both El Alamein and later in New Guinea, made me incredibly proud of his service and privileged to have stood on the same ground where he and so many other Australians fought. It also struck me that, more than eighty years later, an Australian soldier is serving in the same region while receiving a laundry bag made by the daughter of one of those veterans. That is a connection I will never forget.

I also wanted to say how much I appreciated the Egyptian theme of the laundry bag. It was clear how much thought went into making something that reflected where I was serving, and the pyramids, the colours of sand and the kangaroos could not have been more fitting for my deployment with the MFO. It has already become one of my favourite keepsakes from my time in the Sinai and will be coming home to Australia with me when I return.

I've attached a photo taken overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba at South Camp shortly after I received your parcel. I thought you might enjoy seeing where your laundry bag ended up.

There are many people who contribute quietly to Australia's military capability without ever wearing a uniform. Your generosity, talent and countless hours of volunteer work are part of that contribution. Although we have never met, your kindness reached me on the other side of the world and made a genuine difference.

Thank you again for everything you do for Australian service men and women. It is deeply appreciated.

Kind regards,