In 2011 I heard about a soldier in a Sydney Rehab hospital who had received a quilt from an American organisation when he was injured in a Blackhawk crash.  I was really grateful that our American friends were so generous but I was really disappointed that there was not an Australian quilt for him.  That was one of the reasons I eventually created Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags).  I did not know his name at that time but that was No 2 Commando Sergeant Garry Robinson.

In October 2011 my friends and I sent off the first lot of quilts and laundry bags which arrived in dribs and drabs right up until Christmas.

By 1 January 2012 we became Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags).

A few months after we began sending quilts to our troops in the Middle East a Chaplain contacted me and we arranged to have Aussie themed quilts on Standby in various locations in the Middle East.  We called these Wounded Warrior Quilts and these were taken by the chaplains and given to soldiers who found themselves in hospital in Germany or elsewhere after being injured or wounded on deployment.

In October 2012 Garry’s wife, Katrina reached out to me as she had heard of other men from Garry’s regiment coming home with one of our quilts. She said she was so pleased that an Aussie organisation was now looking after Aussie troops. She mentioned that the quilt Garry had was a bit big to be used with his wheelchair.  I was delighted to offer Garry one of our quilts to see if the size we were making would work better for the wheelchair.  We sent him a red, white and blue quilt and soon after received a photo of it in use. We got the tick of approval from Garry for the size of our quilts and continued on sending them to folks on deployment, as well as providing Wounded Warrior Quilts to be held on hand for when needed.

Since those early days there have been many occasions when Aussie Hero Quilts has been able to quietly support the members of the Special Forces community.  Now fifteen years later it feels a like coming full circle to be able to announce that the Commando Welfare Trust is showing their support for us in the form of a generous donation.

Huge thanks to the CWT for your support.  Your funds will assist us in continuing our mission to support and care for veterans and their families.

Till next time… keep spreading the word and happy stitching! 

Jan-Maree xx