Pens for Remembrance Day 2020

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My first 30 for Remembrance Day 2020. Another 70 in progress

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Received these on Tuesday from Swan Hill Woodworkers Club Inc. Lynton tell me they were made by a 90 year old gentleman who is still a very active member. He even enclosed a spare refil with every pen.
Thank you very much they are much appreciated. Thank you to the club for its continued support




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Another 26 for Remembrance Day 2020.

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12 pens just received from Trevor Sommer. Many thanks Trevor much appreciated. Total is now 90 received

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Just received 15 lovely pens from Bob Kettle. Thank you Bob for your continued support it is much appreciated. The total in hand is now 105

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My next 31 pens all editors except one fountain pen. Total on hand now 156 and growing.





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20 beautiful pens received from Phil Murray yesterday. Thank you, Phil, look forward to the next 20 you are making

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Anderson. These pens were made by her 95-year young father Graeme Pettigrew. Thank you Graeme that is wonderful glad to have you on board. Many thanks for your pens I am sure the troops will love them. We now have an age range from 15 to 95 making pens for the troops both male and female. Well done.

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5 for today, first casting I have done in years. Top two Remembrance Day themed on labels bottom three Chiyogami Paper

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Another six for today, top five Remembrance Day themed lower one Chiyogami Paper. Total pen in hand here 222, where building.

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Just received these beauties from Bob Kettle. Thank you Bob for your continued support, much appreciated

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These beauties just turned up from Mik Lawrence plus some blanks to spin. Thank you, Mik. Great looking pens

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An article from the Copper Coast, thank you, Brian Penny

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Some more pens I have made

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Another 10

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80 pens just received from Phil Murray, Thank you, Phil. Also a big thank you to the sponsors Julie Ashwood, Tom Lappin and Katie and Jacko much appreciated

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Fourty pens delivered by Dave Edwards from Cessnock Woodturners this morning. Due to Covid and the club being closed Dave made all fourty. Well done Dave.

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Seven pens received from Warren Hockey of Cessnock Woodturners

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My six for today, Xcut Mulberry, Figured myrtle, xcut blackwood, Chiyogami paper, Mulberry burl and blackwood

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Just received these beautiful pens from Phil Murray. Many thanks top Phil, Ken, Liz and Gary

First Photo
Just completed my 200th Pen for 'Pens for the Troops' Rosewood timber sent down from QLD by Ken Baque. Batch sponsored by Liz Flynn from the A.C.T. BIG shout out to you peeps!

Second Photo
Another batch courtesy of Gary Feil

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Twenty beautiful pens have just arrived from Brian Penny. Many thanks, Brian.

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20 Wonderful pens arrived from Kevin Young. Thank you, Kevin.

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My seven for today

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Another six for today

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Received these beautiful pens from Bob Kettle and Grumpy Grandpas in Queensland. Well done guys

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Also just in From Mik Lawrence
100 special bullet pens and 100 poppies crocheted by Noeleen Wyld. Many thanks once again to Mik for his fabulous pens and a big thank you to Noelene. Fantastic effort

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Pens have arrived from Peter Lucas there are ten from Glenn Healey, 10 from Manningham Woodworkers that arrived in late for ANZAC Day but have made it for Remembrance Day. There is also a magnificent 140 from Peter. Well done you all concerned thank you for your continued support

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10 lovely pens have arrived from Smiljan Kostic. Thank you for your support

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Please if you have pens to send I do need them bu the end of September if possible

kind regards Sam

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Just arrived 12 wonderful pens from Nick Ellis. Many thanks, Nick for your continuous support. Nick has been here since the beginning of P4TT 12 years ago

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574 more pens headed out to various deployed places tomorrow. Thank you all

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In memory of Steve Baker, these pens have been made and will be sent for Remembrance Day as from Steve's Woodcraft. Sam Supplied the kits. The picture is a little dark raining here today. Timber from the left are: Eucalyptus Burl, Lignum Vitae, Kwila, old Red Gum, Figured Myrtle, Xcut Blackwood, Beefwood, Spalted Red Heart Brown Mallee Burl, and Rock Maple. Added what may be a better picture.

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That's even more special, some truly treasured pens

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Another ten received from Bob Kettle. Thank you Bob for your continued support mate, well done

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A small selection of the 75 beautiful pens from James Llyod Murray and Wax on Wood. Well done James thank you for your continued support for pens for the troops

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10 beautiful pens arrived yesterday. Thank you Guy Hartley much appreciated

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Fourty lovely pens arrived on Friday from David Jarman. Thank you David for your continued support.

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Just received these lovely pens from Alan Andrews and Woodturners of Western Australia a small selection opened for photography Many thanks Alan much appreciated.

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Received these beauties from David Turner

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First, thank you in for Remembrance Day 2020 Well done Phil and the Hendry Family

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Good evening Peter,

Per Lucas received this yesterday

My name is Chris, and I am currently writing to you from Kabul, Afghanistan. I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you for your very thoughtful gift. We here in the Headquarters were overwhelmed with your generosity, and are immensely grateful after receiving such beautiful pens. Again, thank you for your time and thoughtfulness in sending them through, it most definitely put a smile on our faces.

All the best to you and your family for the remainder of 2020.

Kind regards,

SGT Chris

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Another thanks from the Middle East

Good Morning Peter,

My name is Captain Jacob, and I am currently serving in Afghanistan as part of the Australian contingent. I recently received one of your pens, and just wanted to say thank you.

We appreciate the effort you and others have put into making and sending us the pens. They are beautiful and useful in our daily work.

I hope all is well on your end, please keep up the good work, it is appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Jacob

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Good afternoon Kev,

Hope this email was forwarded to the correct email address

Firstly, I would like to thank you for the nicest pen I’ve ever had. You and your fellow turners do an awesome job and my detachment and I thank you and the organisation immensely. Funny how something like a pen means so much over here. Like kids in a candy shop when our Warrant Officer brought them out and I was lucky enough to receive yours (Tassie Oak)

I am not a solider but a proud Airman of the Royal Australian Air Force. We are deployed in the Middle East to provide tactical airlift all over the Middle East Region (MER). If only I as allowed to tell you more over an email I would but for operational security reasons I cannot. So basically our job is to maintain and service the C130 Hercules and to deploy with the aircraft wherever it goes to provide that technical inflight support in case of an emergency. We fly into some rather hostile environments and are given an intel brief prior to each departure. I don’t know why that is as the information given is never good (So Far So Good Though). However, we don’t nearly do it as tough as some of the soldiers living in and around the front line for the duration of their deployment. Our Airlift capacity provides these people with something as little as mail from loved ones at home to emergency supplies/evacuations. The C130 provides personnel movements to move them to other locations or bring them back to relative safety (So many questions I want to ask these guys when they come on board but they can’t tell me). On a good note I’ll never forget the relief/happiness on their faces when we travel to pick them up after an exhausting tour to transport them to a commercial airline to travel home.

Sorry again for not being able to tell you a lot about where we go but hopefully I’ve given you a brief insight of what our C130 Hercules is doing over here.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions and I’ll do my best to answer them

Thanks again, keep safe and hope that Australia is coping alright on the Corona Virus front.

King Regards

SGT Russell

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mail of thanks received for George Crone Bairnsdale and district Woodcraft Group.
Well done George
Good afternoon,
My name is SIG XXX and, as a serving member of the ADF currently deployed in Melbourne as Part of Operation COVID Assist, I was fortunate enough to receive a Jarrah pen created by Mr George Crone. I wanted to thank you, and express my sincere gratitude for the gift, as well as to pass along my personal appreciation for the gesture of support from Mr Crone, and the Bairnsdale and District Woodcraft group.
Kind regards,
Callum

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A lovely email Bob Kettle received from pens we sent to troops on COVID deployment.

Good Morning Mr Kettle,

I am writing to thank you for the lovely pen I have received through Pens for the Troops

I am currently the 2 IC of Charlie Company, 3RAR on Operation COVID-19 Assist in Victoria

This position is very different to my usual role of Navigation Officer, STS Young Endeavour, Royal Australian Navy

Kind gestures like yours are very heart-warming when we find ourselves away from our friends and family for extended periods.

Thank you again for the gift, I hope you are staying safe and well during this particularly difficult year.

Kind Regards,

Tracey

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Another thanks from the Middle East

Good Morning Peter,

My name is Captain Jacob, and I am currently serving in Afghanistan as part of the Australian contingent. I recently received one of your pens, and just wanted to say thank you.

We appreciate the effort you and others have put into making and sending us the pens. They are beautiful and useful in our daily work.

I hope all is well on your end, please keep up the good work, it is appreciated.

Kind Regards,

Jacob

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Remembrance Day 2020
P4TT Round Up
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Thanks to everyone who participated
We had a target of 1500 pens which was reduced due to the times
We reached 1586 Pens Donated
This covered all know personnel deployed overseas and some were also sent to the Troops on Covid Deployment
Great Effort Everyone!!!
Lets set the target at 1500 once again for ANZAC Day 2021
Still along way off but it will creep up on us quickly
I look forward to seeing the pens as they are sent in
Lest We Forget

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Hi Mik,

I just received one of your amazingly constructed pens that you make for the “Pens for the Troops” initiative. I just wanted to thank you for taking the time and effort to make these amazing pens and send them over for us all to use. The craftsmanship in amazing and the designs are all stunning, all the guys and girls who received one are really stoked with them.

Thanks again, it means the world to know that others are thinking of us over here.

Kind regards,

Dale

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Just received from Busselton Woodturners these 80 wonderful pens. Norm had slso advised me that Dunsborough Men’s Shed donated the kits. Many thanks to all involved your donations are much appreciated

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Two more emails of thanks

From Rotation 53B - OP Mazurka; Thank you for sending the Pens through to us on our deployment.
They have been very well received from the members of the Australian Contingent, hopefully, you and the other members have received thanks from some of the other members of this rotation.
We did have four spare pens and I handed these pens to members from two of the other contingents we work with, namely Canada and Fiji. They were grateful for the pens and for what your organisation does to support the troops when deployed. Their countries do not have this initiative but were grateful for what we have been provided from an organisation like Pens for the Troops.
Thank you again for sending these pens through and looking after us while we are away from our families and loved ones, it helps to remind us of a little bit of home. We also hope that you and your family and the other members of your great initiative have been safe during this time.
Kind regards,
Shaun



Dear ladies and gentlemen,


Thank you very much for committing your own personal skills and valuable time to your program. I recently received a pen from Mr Michael Sibley of Gippsland Woodcraft which is a fine example of the expertise the members of your organisation possess. I used Michael's own handiwork to write a letter of thanks to him which I have sent to him as an email attachment this morning.


I am deployed in Egypt as part of Operation Mazurka, which is Australia's commitment to the Multinational Force and Observers who observe, verify and report violations of the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, signed in 1979. This is Australia's longest-standing continuous operational commitment. I have deployed to Iraq in the past and I can say that this operation in Egypt is very unique. The Australian personnel here gain significant experience in working with a very large number of foreign partner nations, most of which we generally would not work with often, if ever. This can at times be challenging; however, it is beneficial exposure to a varied way to do things in an environment where there can be difficulty with things as simple as a language barrier. In addition, the operation allows exposure of Australia to those same large number of foreign militaries to enhance our national reputation.


There are less than 30 Australians here and we don't receive Australian mail very often, so the delivery of the batch of pens was an excellent surprise.


Again, my heartfelt thanks are extended to Michael Sibley for his handiwork and to the entire team of committed members of your organisation for your program in supporting us while away from home. The items crafted and donated by so many skilled tradespeople is very touching, especially when we don't even know each other. This fact only serves to make it all the more meaningful.


Kind regards,


Jacob









Dear ladies and gentlemen,


Thank you very much for committing your own personal skills and valuable time to your program. I recently received a pen from Mr Michael Sibley of Gippsland Woodcraft which is a fine example of the expertise the members of your organisation possess. I used Michael's own handiwork to write a letter of thanks to him which I have sent to him as an email attachment this morning.


I am deployed in Egypt as part of Operation Mazurka, which is Australia's commitment to the Multinational Force and Observers who observe, verify and report violations of the treaty of peace between Egypt and Israel, signed in 1979. This is Australia's longest-standing continuous operational commitment. I have deployed to Iraq in the past and I can say that this operation in Egypt is very unique. The Australian personnel here gain significant experience in working with a very large number of foreign partner nations, most of which we generally would not work with often, if ever. This can at times be challenging; however, it is beneficial exposure to a varied way to do things in an environment where there can be difficulty with things as simple as a language barrier. In addition, the operation allows exposure of Australia to those same large number of foreign militaries to enhance our national reputation.


There are less than 30 Australians here and we don't receive Australian mail very often, so the delivery of the batch of pens was an excellent surprise.


Again, my heartfelt thanks are extended to Michael Sibley for his handiwork and to the entire team of committed members of your organisation for your program in supporting us while away from home. The items crafted and donated by so many skilled tradespeople is very touching, especially when we don't even know each other. This fact only serves to make it all the more meaningful.


Kind regards,


Jacob

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And another thank you
Hi Mik,
My name is Sam xxx and I am the grateful recipient of your ‘Remembrance Day 2020’ pen. It is a beautiful piece of workmanship, and I am very grateful for the time and effort you have clearly devoted to its crafting. This is the second pen I have used that has been made with a cartridge. They have become my preferred writing instrument as the additional weight makes them very nice to write with. It accompanies me to all my meetings and is the pen with which I sign orders and directives.
I am currently filling the role of Chief of Operations and Australian Contingent Commander on Operation MAZURKA, the ADFs contribution to the Multinational Force and Observers mission in the Sinai, Egypt. I am accompanied by 26 Australian soldiers, airmen and women and officers who contribute, along with the troops of 12 other contributing nations, to peace and stability between Egypt and Israel. This is the second longest running Australian deployment, with Australia making a contribution to the MFO since 1982 I am just over 9-months in to a 12-month deployment, which has been made quite challenging by the COVID pandemic.
My father's family is from Gippsland – they have a property just outside Glengarry. My grandfather served in WW2 and became a prisoner of war of the Japanese when Singapore fell, during which time he worked on the Burma Railway. He died many years ago, however I think of him and the hardship he faced often. Your pen is a small reminder of the sacrifice made by Australian men and women throughout our short, but eventful history.
Thank you once again for your kind generosity. I hope the rest of the year keeps you well and that you have a nice Christmas break with family and friends.
Keep turning and kind regards,
Sam

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Hello Bruce,

Thank You for your lovely crafted pen that I have received whilst on deployment.

I love the silver filigree at the top of the pen and the wood turning craftsmanship of the pen.

I will use it whilst working in my office doing my logistic paperwork whilst on deployment.

Thank You for the gift and I will admire it with pleasure.

Yours faithfully,

Rebecca

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G’day Norm,

I just wanted to drop you a quick note to say thank you – I was the lucky recipient of a pen that you crafted recently as part of the ‘Pens for the Troops.’ The pen is a lovely piece of work and I must admit that I’m a bit jealous. I’ve never been very good with my hands but am hoping to be able to dedicate some time to woodwork and carpentry when I retire in about 15 years’ time.

I’m currently on my fifth deployment to the Middle East and I daresay it will be my last. By the time I get home next year I will have spent more than three years of my life over here in the desert since 2008. I’ve worked with some amazing people and had some incredible experiences but I think it’s time to slow down a bit and make the most of my time with my kids (I’ve got five daughters) while I’m young enough to enjoy it. I’m a transport officer by trade and in my current role over here I’ve got a team of men and women who are responsible for making sure that personnel and cargo are moved all over theatre at the right time and in the right manner. It’s a challenging and rewarding job.

I’m posted to Adelaide at the moment – have you ever spent any time in South Australia? I think it’s a lovely part of the country and it’s nice to have four distinct seasons each year. I’ve spent a lot of time in Far North Queensland and you generally only get the wet season and the dry season up there. I spent three years posted to Victoria back in 2009 – 2011 but never took the chance to get over to the Gippsland region. I’ve been meaning to drive along the Great Ocean Road for some time so maybe next year I’ll be able to make the trip from Adelaide and keep going until I reach the NSW border. If I do, I’ll be sure to drop you a line and perhaps we could meet up for a coffee and a chin wag. I hope that you and your loved ones weren’t affected by the bushfires earlier this year – it was a horrible time for so many, wasn’t it? I spent a month with the Army on Kangaroo Island, assisting with the recovery efforts there and it was nice to be able to help people begin to get back on their feet.

Thanks again for taking the time and effort to reach out to us. It really does remind us why we’re here and brings a smile to everyone’s face. Good on you mate, take care of yourself.

Warm regards,
Alec

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Another email for Mik Lawrence
G'day Mr Lawrence,
I am Corporal Simon xxx, and I am a thankful recipient of pen 92/250 of the collection supplied to Pens for Troops initiative. Thank you very much for the kind gift and the reminder included on the card regarding the Whitelaw family and their tremendous sacrifice for our nation.
I am once again very thankful for the kind gift you have given me and my fellow soldiers, seamen, and airmen.
I hope your Remembrance Day is a pleasant one.
Kind regards,
Simon

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Email received for Mik Lawrence
Dear Mik,
I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude for the work you have done with Pens for the Troops. I am currently deployed and was fortunate enough to receive one of your beautiful pens for Remembrance Day 2020. The pen is something I will use frequently and will be able to take with me for the remainder of my Army career and beyond. I thank you for the time and effort you have put into not only my pen but all of those you have made; I truly appreciate it as, I am sure, many others do too.
All the best,
Matt

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Fourty pens just received from James Lloyd Murray, twenty from him and twenty from the combined efforts of Michael T Smith, Neil Parkinson and turned by James. Pen packs sent via Peter Lucas. Thank you to all concerned.

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Just received From Phil Murray. Many thanks to Phil and his sponsors well done.

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