Good afternoon Ann S,

Just wanted to take some time to reply to your letter and offer you my sincere thanks and appreciation for the Laundry Bag that you created for me.

It was lovely to read your letter and hear a little about yourself, including the story of your Dad being a WWII Veteran. Men like him have shaped and set the standard for soldiers, sailors and aviators today, and I offer you my thanks for his service to our great nation. I have never been to Young in NSW but have some friends who visit there often to see their relatives. Lovely to hear that you spend a great deal of time with your grandkids, they all sound so talented and wish them all the best for their futures.

I personally come from Western Sydney myself, specifically the Penrith area (hence the Penrith Panthers Laundry Bag) but live in Newcastle as I am posted to RAAF Base Williamtown. Funnily enough, I will be flying to Sydney tomorrow for 2 weeks of leave and respite before returning back to Egypt for my final 3 month stint. I am looking forward to seeing my family, girlfriend and mates over the next two weeks, especially watching my little Brother marry his fiancée down in Jervis Bay… it will be fantastic.

I have attached a photo of myself with the wonderful laundry bag you made for me.

Once again, thank you for your time and generosity and please know that all of us serving abroad greatly appreciate the work you wonderful volunteers of AHQ do for us.

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Hi Aussie Hero Quilts and Gayle W.

I am writing to express my thanks and gratitude for the lovely quilt that was recently delivered. Your organisation does such a great job, and I am very grateful to have been the recipient of such a beautiful piece of work. 

Gayle, thank you very much for your hard work and also for the letter you have sent to me with the quilt. I believe your work as a volunteer in the veteran community and in your local community has undoubtedly changed many lives and help many animals. Keep up the great work.

If there is anything else I can do to say thanks for your great work please let me know.

Kind regards

Evening all,

Just a quick note to say thank you on behalf of all of those who will receive your laundry bag/s in the not too distant future.

I received them the other day and have got them ready for distribution at a later date.

Your gift is wonderfully received and hopefully will be acknowledged by those serving on the next rotation of Op Resolute.

Keep up the great work.

Kindest regards

I received your laundry bag and treats about one month ago and I am sorry that it has taken this long to write to you, but my deployment has been a little disrupted.

Your letter was a real joy to read. I am in the RAAF and am the only Air Force member on Operation PALADIN; the rest are Army. So, I was very happy to hear that you have some RAAF connections in your family 🙂

A little about my role here. I am with the UN mission called UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation); it is the first peacekeeping operation in the history of the UN and has been going since May 29, 1948. We are unarmed military observers who are here to assist the UN in the supervision of the truce between Israel and Arab forces. We conduct daily patrols in vehicles along the Blue Line (the disputed area of separation between Lebanon and Israel) and I patrol with an observer from another country as well as a local language assistant (LA). People are tired of the conflict which has been going since October last year, and many want to return to their villages and their homes. I hope that this will be over soon and peace will return so that the country can get back on its feet again. It is a beautiful country with the mediterranean on one side and villages in the hills going East; it often reminds me of the Italian countryside.

I absolutely love the laundry bag and it is being put to good use when I am out on the patrol base, which is often! Also, the treats came at an excellent time and were shared with some of the other Australians, but mainly my teammates from Fiji, New Zealand, China, Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Chile. Thank you so much!

I arranged for the rest of the Aussies here to get quilts and laundry bags, as many of them had never heard of Aussie Quilts. I can tell you that those who have received them just love them. We are so grateful for the volunteer work that you do, and I can tell you that the bags and quilts are treasured not only as reminders of home, but something that reminds us of our deployment when we return home.

Once again, thank you Heather for the bag and the treats.

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