Grati -Tuesday 1 June 2021

Written by ahq_admin

1 June 2021

                                                                         Hey friends!

Well I prepared this blog a little earlier thinking I was travelling interstate for work, but alas Melbourne had other ideas and I will visit when things quieten down again with regards to COVID cases. All in all, I am feeling very fortunate here in the safe confines of home, but it would be nice to see some interstate friends and family again. A few more weeks.

For those who are facing lock down, I hope you are safe and well. 

The good news for me… I get to enjoy our weekly dose of happiness. What a delight reading these truly are.

Hope you are safe, well and happy wherever you are reading from this week. 

Enjoy Alex x

….

Good Morning Jo, Jean, Pam and Di,

I recently received an amazing Quilt from your team. I am currently deployed on Operation Accordion; I am located in the Middle East. 

The scenery here is very bleak and the base facilities could definitely use some TLC. The quilt that you have created for me has made such a difference to the appearance of my room. I think of it more like a piece of art than a quilt.

I really appreciate the work you have put into the creation of my new art work and it will go everywhere with me for the rest of my working career. I am totally amazed at the level of work that you all put in and really appreciate everything you are all doing to make our lives better than they would be.

Thank you for support.

Kindest Regards.

….

Dear Bridget,

I got a lovely surprise when I saw a parcel had arrived from Aussie Quilt Heroes. When I found out I was heading on deployment, one of the things I was most excited for, was an Aussie Hero Quilt. I am so appreciative of the great work that all you lovely people do.

I absolutely love my quilt. I have a minion doona cover on my bed, so it fits in well with my room.

A little about myself; I am 22 years old and am an administration clerk in the Navy. I love my job and I am so lucky to have been given the opportunity to deploy on this trip. I have been overseas for a few months now and a few more to go. So far, I have had a great time here.

I am originally from ACT, my partner is currently located there. We both work for the Navy and were lucky enough to be posted to ACT together this year, and the next couple of years. We are planning on starting our family when I return home.

My parents have a toy poodle who is very affectionate and never leaves my parents alone. They get annoyed when she shares their bed, but I think they would be lost without her. She is fully black so she is their little shadow,

We are all so privileged here to have such kind people to volunteer to make quilts, laundry bags and care packages for us. We all appreciate the hard work you and your family does.

Thank you so much again for my quilt. I really do love it!

Kind Regards.

….

Good Morning Hilary,

Thank you so much for the laundry bag, it’s brilliant.

I really appreciate you taking the time to make these for the guys and girls here. They are so much better than the old plain ones we get on arrival!

You’re not wrong, it’s getting really hot here, we are trying to minimise the time out in the sun and the aircon is on 24/7.

Once again, thank you so much for thinking about us all over here and making our trip feel that little bit more homely.

Regards

….

Good Afternoon Jo,

Thank you so much for the quilt. I absolutely love how it came together and my partner loves it as well.

Please thank all those involved with making it on my behalf.

Thanks again.

….

Good Evening Jan-Maree,

On behalf of our family, I wish to thank you and your team for such a lovely quilt. It was such a kind gesture.

Keep up your good work, we need more caring and supportive groups like Aussie Hero Quilts, to cheer up our troops and their families when times get tough.

Thank you.

….

Good Afternoon,

I have received my quilt today in the post. It is absolutely beautiful and perfect.

I will be in touch with the creator/artist via email to personally thank her.

You run a great organisation and its most appreciated by the members over here.

Thanks and stay safe.

….

Good Morning Rita,

First of all, I would just to thank you for all your hard work making so many quilts and laundry bags. Your work doesn’t go under appreciated and it definitely made a lot of us sailors smile when we got one in the mail.

Secondly, I would personally like to thank you for my bag. In this line of work, I am unable to have a dog of my own so I make sure that I have dogs in other aspects of my life.

We are currently in the United States, well at anchor as we are not allowed to step ashore due to COVID restrictions. This trip has been an interesting one, but we only have a few months to go until we are back home with our families.

Thank you again.

….

Hi Lyn,

Thank you very much for making the quilt and laundry bag.

I hope all is well

Cheers.

….

Good Afternoon Robyn,

Thank you for the beautiful Summer in Australia bag you made. I absolutely love the bright colours and cute lettering. Thanks for your thoughtfulness, generosity and also for your prayers. It is greatly appreciated.

I am currently on HMAS Ballarat, recently promoted to the rank of Petty Officer, and fulfilling my dream job as an Aircrewman. I fly in the back of the Seahawk helicopter and my job is to monitor radar, sonar and various other sensors. We do utility operations using a winch and cargo hook for vertical replenishment at sea, we can shoot machine guns from the back and should it ever be required I can jump in the ocean and act as a rescue swimmer / wireman.

Before I left on this deployment, my partner asked me to marry him! He also served in the Navy, but he chased his goal of becoming an Aviation Firefighter and has been doing that for the past 3 years. We live in NSW and when I return from this trip, we get to move into our brand new home we brought together.

The hardest part about deploying is the time spent away from family and friends, and the generosity we receive from people like you in terms of laundry bags, quilts and care packages, is greatly appreciated and really helps our morale on long trips like this where we are unable to step ashore (due to COVID) so thank you.

Kind Regards.

….

Dear Joan,

This week I was lucky enough to receive a very personal and special gift in the mail – the laundry bag you so skilfully put together for me! It truly put a smile on my face and I was so impressed with your work. The cat material was perfect, as was the craftsmanship, and I am humbled to receive such a generous gift from you.

I am currently serving with the United Nations in Africa, in the Aviation Safety Unit. I have been here for six months, with a few to go before I return home. My role here oversees the safety of the contracted aircraft in the Mission. We’re very busy given the developing nature of the country and the associated aviation industry.

There is approximately 25 aircraft in the Mission coming from all over Europe and Africa. Given the lack of reliable road network, they are very busy and fly all over the country and are critical in allowing the mission to deliver it’s mandate to the people. I am the only military person within my office and my colleagues come from Europe, United Kingdom, Africa. They’re all very professional and very interesting people. It’s been a privilege to mingle and work with such a diverse range of people from all over the world. But more special is the opportunity to be part of a mission that is assisting. Africa finding it’s feet after years of conflict and it’s new found independence in 2011.

Back home, I am an Air Traffic Controller based in RAAF Western Australia. My girlfriend works in ACT, and I am hoping to be posted there when I return. COVID has prevented us taking leave during the deployment so it will be nearly nine months between seeing one another. I have a gorgeous little Siberian cat.  

My parents are retired and live in NSW as does my sister. Incidentally, in somewhat of a proud moment, my sister – a geriatrician, starred in a recent TV series. 

You should be very proud, I am very touched to receive a gift from someone like you. It’s very comforting to know that you support your Defence Force and value it’s contribution to international missions.

Once again, I sincerely appreciate the generous gift you have sent. I will very much treasure it – it will serve as a great memento for the time I spend here.

….

Hi Jenny,

I hope you are well. I am one of the recipients of your beautiful bag. Thank you for all the support that you and your team has given us. It is the little things that give us strength to do what we do.

Being part of COVID Assist team in NSW, I have been using the laundry bag everyday for our washing.

Background on myself; I came to Australia in 2006 from a Refugee Camp in Asia which drove me to join the Defence Force to serve and give back to this wonderful nation and it’s wonderful people.

Kind Regards.

….

Dear Lyn,

Thank you so much for your hard work and for my beautiful quilt and laundry bag with wonderful birds on them! I enjoy making crafty things myself, but I’ve never learnt how to use a sewing machine and couldn’t imagine being able to do something like this. And I’m so impressed you squeezed both of them into that tiny box, thank you!

I really wanted to send you a return letter in the mail as I feel it’s more special to receive, however considering my mum hasn’t even received the mother’s day card I sent in April, I didn’t want it to take an age to reach you.

I am from South Australia. We moved all around there. 

I hope Autumn in Australia is pleasant for you right now, It is getting so hot here but I don’t have long left thankfully. 

This was my third year posted to Queensland, and while I don’t enjoy the place itself much, there are many more willy wagtails than I expected, and it has been so wonderful to hear and see them around all the time and brighten my days a little more.

I feel so special that you have been collecting these fabrics and were able to share them with me for a piece of my journey overseas and I have indeed found great comfort in the quilt so far. Having something pretty to look at and brighten up my room made with such love is so humbling to have with me.

Thank you again for your beautiful efforts and lovely letter. I wish you well and send you love and hugs back in Australia.

Many thanks

….

Dear Lynn,

Once again you have blessed us and all who will come to the RAAF Chaplaincy Centre with the beautiful quilt.

It will be hanging in pride of place for all to see as they first enter the centre.

You my friend, are phenomenal. As you have mentioned in the letter, the quilt that you did for me whilst on deployment in 2015 hangs in my office.

Many thanks and blessings to you and your family!

….

Signing off for another week. Hope you have enjoyed this burst of happiness and joy from our wonderful recipients.

Have a happy and safe week friends and happy stitching! 

Alex x

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