00:00 (gentle music)
00:02 - Actually, I was recruited on the 28th of August, '42,
00:09 and then on the 7th of January,
00:12 I was given my final farewell.
00:14 And that was 1945, four years, more or less, I think.
00:20 - 46. - Three and a half, I think.
00:22 - 46.
00:23 - 46, 46, I'm sorry, yep.
00:26 Yeah, it was '42 to '46.
00:29 Well, we used to go hand in hand,
00:31 and he was always behind me.
00:33 We sat in the same class, the little school at Sassafras,
00:36 where there were no more than 30 pupils.
00:39 But we were always great mates,
00:41 we stuck together all the time, no matter what.
00:44 And he was blonde and blue eyes,
00:47 and I was brown as a berry, always.
00:50 So we didn't look like twins, in colour or anything else,
00:54 but we were very great, friendly mates.
00:56 All our lives, we never, ever had an argument at all,
01:01 probably 'cause I did most of the talking.
01:03 What legacy did for me?
01:05 Well, there's always someone rings me up,
01:09 they want to know I go here, there, and everywhere.
01:12 I don't go out, I'm not a social person very much,
01:16 but legacy, they're always there.
01:21 If there's anything odd, anything like this odd,
01:25 there's always someone making sure that I'm okay,
01:27 all the time.
01:29 I feel very cared for, it's very, very nice.
01:33 Fine, that'll be fun, love it.
01:43 I like all those sort of things, being outside.
01:47 I actually sat in a car last time,
01:49 and they kept the door open, as I was drawing there,
01:52 and I had two flags, and then,
01:55 nobody, everyone was just standing still like that, straight.
01:58 So I struck the flags out and waved at them,
02:01 and everyone just jumped to life,
02:03 and they all started waving flags
02:04 and running after the car that I was sitting in.
02:08 So I thought that was rather good, I stirred the public up.
02:11 And fortunately, as part of that,
02:12 I was selected for an overseas posting to the UK,
02:15 which is where my, I guess, my operational service came in.
02:18 So I did three tours in Afghanistan, flying helicopters
02:21 for Commando Helicopter Force,
02:24 which is the unit in the UK that I was based with.
02:27 And we were based in Helmand Province,
02:28 flying day and night in all weathers,
02:31 flying troops and resupply,
02:32 and all sorts of interesting missions.
02:35 So that's the main bulk of it.
02:36 And then I came back to Australia, did some study,
02:39 went on to fly the MRH-90 helicopter,
02:42 and then retired in 2018.
02:44 I've been a Legatee since late 2018,
02:49 and I really enjoy it because you get to actually work
02:53 with the families of veterans.
02:56 And we do everything, gosh,
02:57 we've done everything from house visits,
02:59 just go and have a cup of tea,
03:01 to helping guide the widows and widowers
03:04 with regards to finding out their entitlements
03:07 or their pension requirements.
03:09 There's in-home support that we can give them.
03:12 And I'm also part of the Legacy Youth Committee,
03:14 and we work with the youth.
03:15 So we support them through financially
03:18 with school activities or extracurricular activities,
03:22 as well as we generate our own activities
03:25 to get them together to have a bit of fun.
03:27 So yeah, we do a whole range of support for,
03:29 like I said, older widows and widowers,
03:31 and also the young Legacy Youth.
03:34 After my service in the military,
03:38 I realized how important it was
03:39 that I had my family supporting me through,
03:43 you know, not just my operational tours in Afghanistan,
03:45 but also my whole career.
03:47 So, you know, 17 years of training,
03:49 of moving around, of going away on exercises and ships,
03:53 and the family support was really important.
03:55 So when I got out,
03:57 I wanted to give back something to the community,
03:59 and Legacy was a really good fit
04:00 because I could then work with those families
04:02 who had supported their service men and women partners
04:06 throughout their career,
04:07 and hopefully help them
04:08 and make some sort of difference in their lives.
04:11 So I'll be a torchbearer for the torch relay coming up
04:15 late in August here in Canberra.
04:17 I think I might be doing it down the Anzac Parade.
04:20 We're not confirmed yet,
04:21 but that's where I think I'll be doing it.
04:22 And I think it's an important event
04:24 because it's been, you know,
04:26 it's been a hundred years
04:27 that Legacy has been supporting widows and widowers
04:30 and their families.
04:32 And this relay is just a way,
04:34 a really important way to raise the profile of Legacy
04:37 and I guess gain more support,
04:40 and also let people know what we do,
04:42 because I think sometimes these organizations
04:45 work in the background
04:46 and people don't know what they're doing.
04:46 So this is a great way to bring Legacy
04:49 and its positive contribution
04:51 to the veterans family community to the forefront.
04:54 So I'm really keen to be a part of it.
04:56 - We're going to see a succession of 55 torchbearers
05:00 carry the Legacy torch down Anzac Parade,
05:03 across to Russell, through the Defence Academy,
05:05 through RMC, to Russell, to Old Parliament House,
05:09 to New Parliament House, to Legacy House in Deakin,
05:12 and we'll finish around about 3.30 at Government House.
05:15 And we're doing this because 100 years ago,
05:18 Legacy was founded in Melbourne
05:21 to support the families who had suffered so terribly
05:24 in the First World War.
05:26 Now, a hundred years later, they're all gone,
05:28 but there is another generation of veterans
05:31 who need Legacy support.
05:32 And today, Canberra Legacy supports
05:35 more than 800 members of veteran families
05:38 in the ACT and in Yass and in Burra.
05:42 (soft music)
05:45 (soft music)
05:47 (soft music)
05:50 [BLANK_AUDIO]
