Happy Wednesday Friends!

There are, as always, some beautiful sentiments in the following gratitude letters.

Grab a cuppa, sit back and relax while you soak up some well-deserved gratitude!

Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!!

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Heather B,

Thank you so much for all the time and effort you put into the quilt, I have just returned from my mid-deployment break and was very happy to see what was waiting for me. I love the colour and the images you have created; it is exactly what I had hoped for. I’m also glad that you had the chance to display your hard work for others to see and I’m sure they enjoyed seeing it as much as I enjoy now owning it. The commitment you have made to dedicating some your free time to create these quilts and laundry bags is quite impressive. As I said earlier you definitely made my day brighter as I am sure you have done countless times before when making your creations.

Since you were kind enough to share a bit about your life I’d like to tell you a little bit about me. I have served in the RAAF for 12 years now, I think I will continue serving for as long as I am able. In my 12 years I have lived in many different places, including overseas, so I’ve been around the traps a bit. My wife (also serving) and I do not have children yet but they are in our near future, we do however have a 6 year old Dachshund x Kelpie named Whinnie who gets all our attention, we love her and also cannot imagine life without her which makes being away even harder. Whinnie came with us overseas for 3 years so she is also a well-travelled hound. In my spare time I like to hike, travel and spend time with family.

You obviously have a very strong connection to the ADF which is always a common thread for a lot of people in our country. Your Uncle sounds like he experienced more in his early years than many do in their whole life, and then went on to live a whole other life after his service. Both my, and my wife’s, grandfathers served in Papua New Guinea in WWII, my grandfather was regular Army and fought on the Kokoda track and the battle of Port Moresby while my wifes grandfather was part of the Coastwatchers and then Z special unit, Australia’s first commando force. Having those connections makes our service feel that little bit more special and I am sure you feel the same way with so many family members serving.

I’m glad that you have found so many physical, mental and spiritual hobbies in retirement (for both of you I assume). I do believe that keeping active and engaged is the key to not only a long life, but a happy one as well! My wife was planning on travelling Germany to see the passion play in Oberammergau but had to cancel because of Covid, ironic because the play celebrates the township being spared (kind of) from the bubonic plague in the 1700’s. They only perform the play once every 10 years so she was quite upset to miss that. We made up for it by going to Germany and seeing the township and a lot of Bavaria and Hamburg (where she has family). We have not been on the Ghan but I would like to see friends in Darwin then take the trip back to Adelaide where both of our parents live.

I have attached a picture of me with the wonderful quilt. Thank you again, not only for this quilt but for the letter you sent and all the things that you do to support the ADF and veterans.

Kind Regards,

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G’day Jacqui D,

I received a laundry bag made by you today. I read your letter and saw your email at the bottom so I thought I’d reach out to say thank you.

Merry Christmas, all the best.

Regards,

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Hello Heather B!I hope this message finds you well. I am a proud recipient of one of your many laundry bags. I was berthed in Sydney when the laundry bags arrived. By the time I got to the mess to claim one there were few left but the one put aside for me, was yours! Don’t worry I washed all the grease and oil of my hands before claiming your masterpiece. I couldn’t think of a fabric more suitable than the one you chose, Arafura’s ships crest is a spotted eagle ray and the bag is covered in them.I am back at home now in Perth WA after sailing back from Sydney. I am enjoying some much needed family time with my wife, two boys 6 and 8, and my dog Indy a 12 year old King Charles Cavalier. I have recently posted off Arafura so your bag will be at home in our family caravan which we use as often as we can until I join the ship again. I too enjoy the water very much, I am a keen surfer and diver. We spend most afternoons at the beach, and the mornings I guess. I grew up in Victoria but spent most summers at a little town called Peterborough on the Great Ocean road where I learnt to surf, dive, sail. I joined the Navy at twenty and have been in for nearly fifteen years now. I have served on HMAS Sirius, HMAS Canberra, HMAS Arafura and my favourite STS Young Endeavour.I hope you enjoy your trip on the Ghan, I have done quite a few trips through the outback and loved every one of them. We are planning to visit my father in law next year and caravanning across from Perth, through Alice Springs and up to Goomeri.Anyway, I hope you and your family have a great Christmas and thanks again for the bag and all the work you do with the needle and the whistle for that matter.Kind regards

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Hi Jo H,

I’ve just received the amazing laundry bag that you took such care to make.

Thanks for taking the time and effort to make this very thoughtful gesture, it means a lot to have received it and your card as well. I will cherish it as a reminder of the support and appreciation people have for what we do.

I was the first person to get my laundry bag and so I had first choice of which to take, and I chose yours!

Thanks again.

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Good evening Bridget R,

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your effort and also for what you produced. It was awesome and I am very happy with it. It actually turned out better than I thought it would. I will be hanging it in my military room.

You sound as though you have a beautiful family that you will be hoping moves out of home soon (just kidding). Congratulations on both of your retirement. From what I know, the hardest part of retirement is filling in the time you would normally be at work.

As you have shared some of your life with me, I’ll do the same. I have served for 24 years and I plan on staying in for another few years. I have a wife that I have been with for about 16 years. I have a daughter that is about to turn 6 and starts year 1 next year.

Once again thank you very much for the quilt and also for the support. It goes a very long way especially with the younger soldiers during their first deployment.

I wish you and your family well and all the best for 2026. I hope your plans for the festive season go well and undisturbed.

Regards

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Good afternoon Clarissa L,

I am the lucky recipient of your beautifully made Aussie Heroes laundry bag. Thank you very much for taking the time to design and create a unique and greatly appreciated masterpiece for me.

The bag is absolutely brilliant, even better than what I had hoped for. I really like the added touch of my initials at the bottom of the bag, much easier to identify and I don’t have to spoil your wonderful design by writing my name on the bag, Thank you. Before receiving your bag, I was using an old netting bag that I have had since 2003, it no longer has a draw cord or any visible makes that make it my own, it can and has been lost on more than one occasion. No such worries with the new one, it will certainly stand out in a crowd.

Thank you for taking the time to write me a letter and providing me with a little bit of information about you and your family. I am glad that there are people like yourself and your husband who take the time to do things for other people. It is reassuring that our service is appreciated and that the Australian community is supportive of our efforts. Small tokens of appreciation like your letter are more than enough for us to know we are making a difference and that does make the separation from family and friends for extended periods a little easier to swallow.

I hope Randwick did better in the local Rugby comp than the Wallabies, and the remainder of the year is a relaxing and enjoyable time for you and your family. I wish you all the best for the new year, and I hope you continue supporting us with your fantastic creations.

From my family to yours, thank you and god bless.

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Good afternoon Aussie Hero Quilts, I recently received one of your amazing Hero Quilts from Karina T. I would like to pass on my thanks to Karina T for taking the time to create an absolutely unique custom creation for me, that wildly exceed my expectations. To Karina a massive “Thank You”. The quilt will become a regular with me for all future fishing and camping trips, hopefully the first one is not too far away. Thank you to Aussie Hero Quilts for providing a valuable and greatly appreciated service to deployed forces. Small gestures from your fantastic membership certainly help with the separation from family and friends and it is encouraging to know that there are people within the Australian community that value and respect our service. Time taken to design and create these fantastic gifts are greater than any medallic recognition we can receive, so to Aussie Hero Quilts I say thank you.Wishing the entire organisation a safe and merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year for 2026.

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A heartfelt presentation of a quilt to a deserving recipient by a previous recipient.

Bobbie Small and the Mystery BOMers Emb joan Quilted by Philomena

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Good morning Bobbie S and the Mystery BOMers,

Just a quick email to say a big thank you for the laundry bag that you made (love the Hercules on it). I’ve always been a little envious of my colleagues who received one in the past, and after 20+ years and multiple operations, I’ve finally been lucky enough to receive one.The time and effort you put into making these, along with the quality and care in the craftsmanship, really shows and is greatly appreciated.

Small gestures like this make a big difference to deployed personnel and remind us that we’re supported and thought of back home.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a safe new year’s.

Kind regards,

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Good afternoon.

I wish to thank you for the wonderful Quilt.

We presented it to him. He had no idea he was receiving it, I have spoken to his wife and she is amazed at the workmanship put into it.

Thank you once again for the beautiful work you do.

The blocks were donated, embroidery by Joan B, sewn together and quilted by Bev F.

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Cheers Catherine D

Until next week keep your letters, emails and photos coming in. Wednesdays would be so totally boring without them!

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