Some partnerships are less a new beginning than a circle closing. In 2026, the Commando Welfare Trust (CWT) has donated to Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags), tying together two organisations that have been looking after the same community, in different ways, for more than a decade.
Where It Began
Aussie Hero Quilts did not come out of a strategy document or a marketing plan. It began in 2011, when founder Jan-Maree heard about a soldier recovering in a Sydney rehabilitation hospital after being injured in a Blackhawk crash. He had been given a quilt, but it came from an American organisation rather than an Australian one. Jan-Maree was grateful he had been looked after, and disappointed there was no Aussie quilt to give him instead.
She did not know his name at the time. It was 2nd Commando Regiment Sergeant Garry Robinson.
In October 2011, Jan-Maree and her friends sent off the first lot of quilts and laundry bags, which arrived in dribs and drabs right up until Christmas. On 1 January 2012 they formally became Aussie Hero Quilts (and Laundry Bags). A few months after quilts started going to troops in the Middle East, a Defence chaplain made contact, and the charity began holding Aussie themed quilts on standby at locations across the region. They called them Wounded Warrior Quilts, and chaplains gave them to soldiers who ended up in hospital in Germany or elsewhere after being injured or wounded on deployment.
In October 2012, Garry’s wife Katrina reached out. She had heard other men from Garry’s regiment were coming home with one of the quilts, and was pleased an Aussie organisation was now looking after Aussie troops. Garry’s quilt was a bit big to use with his wheelchair, so the team sent him a red, white and blue one to see if their size worked better. A photo came back of it in use. Garry gave the tick of approval, and that size became the template for every quilt made since.
It is a fitting origin story. A charity founded because of a Special Forces soldier’s injury is now, fifteen years later, being supported by the organisation set up to look after the Special Operations community he belongs to.
Why This Collaboration Matters
For Aussie Hero Quilts, this donation is not the start of a relationship with the Special Forces community. It is a continuation of one. The charity has said there have been many occasions when it has been able to quietly support Special Forces members, and having CWT support them in return brings the story back to where it started. Jan-Maree says the funds will help Aussie Hero Quilts continue its mission to support and care for veterans and their families.
Two very different organisations are working towards the same goal. One is made up of volunteer quilters and sewers around the country. The other is a financial safety net run by veterans for veterans. Both exist so that nobody who serves Australia, particularly in its most dangerous and demanding roles, feels forgotten or alone.
For SOCOMD veterans and their families, who carry both the visible and invisible costs of service, this kind of layered support matters.
CWT steps in with financial assistance when the system falls short. Aussie Hero Quilts offers something different but no less important, a handmade reminder that ordinary Australians have not forgotten their sacrifice. Together they carry the same message. Service and sacrifice should never go unacknowledged.