I hope you have all had a fantastic day yesterday for the cup. Did anyone pick any winners?
I did remember Cup Day was coming up sometime on Monday but forgot all about it yesterday. In fact when the cup was on I was sitting chatting to this fellow who came to collect his quilt. His request had come in a little too late so we arranged that he would receive it once at home. Esther made his quilt and, whilst you can’t see it in the photos, it not only incorporates Batman fabric but is also quilted in a Batman design. His response on receiving it was words to the effect that he was “blown away by it” and won’t the others be jealous! LOL
Well done Esther!
I did promise you that I would share some information about my upcoming trip with you. You all know that I am heading up to Brisbane for the dinner on the 30th but now it is time for me to fill you in on the rest of my plans.
I am heading up to Murwillumbah for a few days before Brisbane. I fly up Tuesday afternoon and Sue F will collect me from the airport and take me to her home to stay for Tuesday and Wednesday nights. Sue is not only an Aussie Hero Friend but she is also an Army mum and Lynn, Belinda and I made her son’s quilt. On the Wednesday I will go to Sue’s sewing group with her and I am really looking forward to meeting the ladies.
You will never guess who Sue and I are going to go and visit on the Thursday! Angela from Brisbane is going to join us and we are heading off to meet the Old Bags and the Dag for morning tea. I am so looking forward to meeting them and sitting and having a chat. I promise to take lots of photos to share with you all too.
After morning tea Angela and I will head off back to Brisbane where I will once again lay claim to the Chook Shed, Angela’s sewing room, and we will start to prepare for the dinner. I am sure we will fit in a trip to East Coast Fabrics and then the Saturday is the big night! Woo Hoo.
On the Sunday we are planning a Brunch at a local cafe for anyone in Brisbane who cannot make the Saturday night or anyone, like Michele, who has traveled to Brisbane and wishes to meet up again. Finally on Monday I return to Sydney. That will not be the end of my travels as a couple of days later I have to head off in the car for the 8 hour drive to collect my son from Boarding school.
I am planning a few posts in advance to cover some of the time while I am away and will keep up with emails and other issues as much as I can. This will be the longest time I have been away from home since starting AHQ so thank goodness for technology and wifi!
Normally today I would share photos of things that have arrived in the mail but we missed out on the thank you messages so here they are tonight.
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This first one is for Margaret and the Old Bags and the Dags.
Hi Margaret,
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Hi Joan & Robin,
I just wanted to say thank you for my laundry bag which I received a few days ago.
It has certainly brightened up my corner of the room, very handy, and of course it’s always exciting when we get mail!!
Your time and effort is very much appreciated over here. There are a lot of people getting around with lovely Quilts and Laundry Bags – it’s a bit of a morale boost and nice to know we’re being thought of back home 🙂
So thank you again. Look forward to coming back to our very beautiful, kind and generous country!
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Good Morning Joan and Robin,
Thank you very much for my laundry bag. I received the pattern of apples and it nicely brightens up my living area.
I have been away from home for only a month, so still have a few to go. The laundry bag will definitely come in handy with all the washing trips to come.
Thank you again.
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Good evening Joan and Robin,
I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to make the very bright and lovely laundry bags that you have sent over to the middle east.
I have been deployed for five months now and am due home just before Christmas, so my family are happy about that.
The weather is turning cold especially in the mornings and evenings. It sounds like the weather in Sydney is beautiful (less the fires I have been hearing about on the news).
This is my third deployment. I am enjoying myself, learning a lot, doing a job I have trained for, making new friends and catching up with some old friends. The food is great (Australian meals) and we also have access to a gym. I am in a logistics role (warehousing, transport, medical, maintenance etc).
Thank you again for taking the time. We really appreciate the support we are receiving from back home.
Kind regards,
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I just received my quilt and it AMAZING, thank you so so much.
Of course I wrote back and said that was fine but I needed some more info and this was the next email in part.
Dear Liz and Rob
Many thanks for the wonderful quilt and letter you sent to me which I received a couple of weeks ago it was a very nice surprise. I apologise for not contacting you sooner as things can get quite busy here at times. The other members of my unit have also recerived quits from AHQ and everybody remarks on how well they are made and wonder how long they take to make as they are very detailed. It is certainly nice to know that people at home are thinking of us while we are away as alot of what we do goes unreported.
I am a carpenter and I am here with several other tradesman and plant operators to help deconstruct parts of the base as Australia draws down its involvement in Afghanistan. I joined the army in 2007 because I wanted to use my trade skills as a carpenter to help people so I thought the army would be a good way to do that and so far it has been great. While I have been in the army I have been lucky enough to travel to remote parts of Australia to help local Aboriginal communities and to some Pacific Islands helping with various building projects.
Once again thankyou for your gift and kind words, I will be showing the quilt and letter to my family when I get home in a few weeks.
Regards
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Good Evening Joan (& Robin),
I am currently on deployment in the Middle East. Recently I received a laundry bag from Joan so I wanted to personally thank you for it. I love it! It is an awesome colour and the perfect size. It will prove to be very useful and I will treasure it for many years to come. I attached a photo of me holding it so I hope you are able to share it with others. There are many people, along with myself that really appreciate the work your organisation does. So once again thank you for my laundry bag and keep up the good work.
Cheers
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Julie-Ann,
many thanks for the laundry bag that you personalised for me, I have been showing it off with pride among my crew mates. I know too that XXXXX was also impressed by his as well. We took some photos yesterday of those on board who have received either laundry bags or quilts to send to Jan-Maree.
Many thanks again, when the photos become available I will send a copy to you.
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Julie-Ann,
I’m writing to express my sincere thanks for your efforts in sewing the laundry bag which I just received when we pulled in to XXXXX. It was a very nice surprise to get in the mail and definitely made my day. I think it amazing what you and AHQ do for deployed personnel and it’s acts of recognition which make long deployments like this that little bit more bearable. I know a number of other people on board who also received laundry bags and quilts and they all feel the same as I do. I will send a proper thank you letter and a token of my appreciation when we pull in to our next port however with mail delays and time at sea it may take a while to arrive to you.
Thanks again for your amazing gift!
Regards,
Christine C received this awesome photo of her quilt. Don’t the bright colours stand out in the surroundings!
Good Morning Joan and Robin,
I am currently deployed on my first deployment and I received one of your laundry bags yesterday. Its bright with bright stripes, I love it!
Just want to say thank you so much for making these for us it really does boost morale and puts smiles on peoples faces and they do brighten up our living spaces.
Thanks again 🙂
Kind Regards,
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Hello JM,
I just wanted to say a HUGE thank you for my Quilt as it has arrived. I hve already emailed Liz to thank her and her husband as well and I must say I have received many compliments most from NZ personnel saying wow that’s cool we have nothing like this for us. I also received a very warm beanie that due to the very low temp here has been on my head every night. Once again a big hug and thanks for all the efforts of you and your friends showing me and other troops deployed that great people at home care and understand what we go through so far from home and loved ones.
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Dear Liz and Brian,
Till next time……………keep spreading the word and happy stitching! JMxx 🙂
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