Hi Chris E,

Today I was the proud recipient of a laundry bag lovingly created by you .

You can rest assured that this bag, with its First Order Storm Trooper fabric, is now in the care of a Star Wars fan! The attached picture is in my cabin. Behind me is a Star Wars clock and calendar, and there are several other Star Wars items around me as I type.

I am aboard the Royal Australian Navy’s HMAS Adelaide – the largest ship in our fleet. She is a Landing Helicopter Dock class – just over 230m long. 

I have been living in Sydney (my Ship’s home port) for the last 18 months and have been away, off and on, for just over three months this year.

I joined the Air Force in 1991, have worked all over the country and have had three operational deployments overseas. The most memorable of which was following the devastating Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. I was part of a multi-national team that went to Banda Aceh (pronounced Bandar Arr-Chay) in Indonesia. The area was almost wiped out and we were part of the chain that delivered aid and support, and brought people back to much needed care. I truly believe we made a difference in helping the people of Indonesia recover following this tragic event. Banda Aceh is located with the red marker below.

I have been married for nearly 25 years, but we do not have children. My wife and I enjoyed cruising (when we could, pre-Covid) and have now discovered the joys of motor homing.

I am a born and bred Queenslander, so my team is the Brisbane Broncos; however I do follow the Lions in the AFL, and I have been supporting them since they were the Bears, prior to Fitzroy making the move up.

Thank you again for your kind gift and your lovely letter. It is an honour to serve you and our country.

All my best to you….

Good morning Lisa,

              Just letting you know I received a fantastic quilt from Bridget R and will send her an e-mail shortly to thank her.

              Attached is a photo of the quilt which is lovely and I have already placed it on my bed.

              Again thank you for all the great work that your group does in supporting us all when we are away from home it is much appreciated.

Warm Regards,

Good afternoon Sonia J,

 

 I am currently posted and deployed onboard HMAS Adelaide. I have just received your letter within the dobey (laundry) bag you made. I want to express my gratitude to you, your family, and everyone connected with Aussie Hero Quilts for all of your efforts.. I am greatly appreciative and now all our cabins have an incredibly wholesome feeling, not to mention all the colours to brighten up the room.

 

Thanks for the morale boost,

Good morning Su J,

I am just writing to pass on my appreciation for the quilt and laundry bag you have so beautifully put together for me. I was very impressed with the work done to source the Australian photographs and landings at Balikpapan in 1945.

I hope this e-mail finds you well and once again thank you for your voluntary work in supporting Aussie Hero Quilts. I know the morale that it brings to the soldiers, sailors, and aviators, which was why I reached out to Jan-Maree so my team has a memento of their time serving.

Gday Philomena H!

First off I’d like to apologies for the late thankyou email. I misplaced your letter in my locker when I got the quilt and only just uncovered it recently. Thankfully I didn’t misplace the quilt, which has been an absolute godsend for me. I tend to sleep better in cooler temperatures and with the quilt I’ve been sleeping perfectly! My bed only has the quilt and pillows on it and its all I need. Thank you so much for the time and effort that you put into sewing it for me, it not only helps me sleep, but with the Australian theme it really helps with when I get home sick as well.

As for myself I’ve been serving in the Navy for almost 4 years now. So far I’ve travelled to Singapore, Malaysia, India and my favourite Sweden. In my spare time I engage in a lot of road tripping in my jimny, camping and also more recently bouldering. I got my camping thrill from doing scouts when I was in school and a lot of the skills translated over not only to camping but navy life as well. I never got too far with scouting but it sparked my love for the outdoors.

I remember when I was a kid going to the Easter show and seeing all the quilts on display there. Of course being a young boy they never interested me much but now that I have my own sentimental quilt I can appreciate them much more now. You have an amazing talent creating such an amazing quilt and I cannot thank you enough, but I can definitely assure you that it will be taken care of a well-used. Thankyou again and I wish you many prayers for good health and safety.

Yours Truly,       

Dear Joan,

I was fortunate to receive a lovely laundry bag that you made today. Thank you so much for sewing this lovely bag, I know that receiving the laundry bags were a highlight to all of ship’s crew today. It was certainly a highlight for me.

My sincere gratitude to you and my best regards to your family.

Kind Regards,

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