News for Aussies living in London 2008

Follow the link below to read the Australian Times. This is the only community newspaper for Australians in the UK, and is dedicated to keeping the Australian community informed of the news back home, and up to date with what is happening in London and the UK. With a focus on young professionals and expatriates living here, as well as content relevant to travellers and backpackers, the newspaper reaches all groups of Australians in the UK.

http://www.mailfox.co.uk/online.aspx?mid=4001933&cid=1004345330

Office bearers and structure

New President 2008

At the 60th Annual General Meeting of London Legacy held at Australia House today, Legatee Lindsay Birrell was elected President. He had previously held the position of Honorary Treasurer. For further information click here to access the latest press release.

Col Andrew Mathewson with Legatee Birrell and on the right Col Louis Coyle with Mrs Joan Spooner a London Legacy widow at the unveiling of a cabinet in the Defence Staff at Australia House London of her husband’s kit she preserved for 65 years. Alfred Spooner served with the 2/13th,was a Rat of Tobruk and a POW for 4 years.

Executive Committee and Trustees

President Legatee Lindsay Birrell, Hon Secretary Legatee Mrs Liz O'Brien, Hon Treasurer Legatee Mrs Vicki Genrich, Legatee Steve Martin, Legatee Fred Lewis, Legatee John Cormack.
 
Committee: Legatees David Woodcraft, Max Phillips, Peter Gibby, John Hill, Mrs Toni Elderfield, Frank Beeny, John Crowe, John Gwilt, the Rev Ed Bennett, Cal Younger, Brian Dewhurst,  
 
Assistant Hon Secretary Ms Justine Wilson-Webb
 
Our Patron is the Australian High Commissioner for Australia at Australian House in Fleet Street London. See photo were we hold our quarterly meetings. 

 
At the AGM held on the 10th January 2008 President Legatee Lindsay Birrell presents His Excellency the High Commissioner for Australia, Mr Richard Alston, a small gift as a token of our appreciation for our Patron who is about to leave his post in the UK to return to Australia.
 
We also call on the Royal British Legion to assist us with their vast spread, knowledge and support for such things as wheel chairs, British Pensions etc. We also rely on service charities who have in the past been most generous to our widows.

Widows

London Legacy currently has 64 widows enrolled and no dependants which we attend to.  These Legacy widows are spread throughout the UK, Northen Ireland, France and Belgium.   Consequently keeping in contact with them proves difficult from a geographical point of view.  When a widow first becomes eligible they are contacted via letter, telephone or e-mail.  A Legatee is assigned to this widow, and where possible will endeavour to make a personal visit.  If a Legatee cannot make a personal visit, London Legacy will make special arrangements to call one of our contacts with other agencies to carry out this task for us.

The assigned Legatee keeps in contact with his widows and reports on their health and wellbeing at the quarterly meetings.  One such example stretching over many years, was a widow whose husband was killed in action during WWll, and subsequently took a position as housekeeper with an English family.  She had no children or family in the UK and on her retirement through old age, the family set her up in a retirement home, London Legacy then collaborated with the family to support her over the years.  Due to ill health the UK authorities eventually wanted to transfer her into another nursing home which was at great distance from the family.  This would have left her totally isolated without personal support, at this point London Legacy collaborated with the family again and donated the additional funds necessary to keep her in the home at close proximity to this family.

When this widow passed away the family wrote to London Legacy to express their sincere thanks for our support over the many years and, having discovered that London Legacy was not funded by government, sent a cheque to help with London Legacy’s continuing work.  There are a great number of stories like this, which provides great satisfaction in knowing that our work has made a much needed difference.

Another function London Legacy provides is help and advice with housing, pensions and applications where possible.  We make contact with the Social Services Department to help where possible and use all the facilities they can offer.  We also have specialist financial and pension experts on our committee.

Each Christmas every widow is sent a Christmas card and a cheque for £75.  Some widows are in desperate need of financial assistance and this contribution may pay their heating bill or provide them with some small luxury at a time when they may be at their loneliest.  London Legacy is also here to help with widow’s smaller needs, for example if they go into hospital and need night clothes London Legacy is able to make a donation.  We particularly encourage visiting Legatees to call on a widow who may fall into the geographical area they are visiting.  It does give widows a great lift to be visited by a friendly face, and we encourage all interested to contact any member of London Legacy to be provided with further details of our services.

History 60 not out

WWll heralded the arrival of the Australian Sixth Division in England who trained on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire (the West Country), and were subsequently despatched to the Middle East for service.  Many servicemen consequently married British women during this time, and likewise a large number of RAN and RAAF personnel serving in Europe who were based in England married British citizens.  Post war, many UK servicemen and their wives emmigrated to Australia.  Upon widowhood these women received Legacy benefits in Australia, and upon returning to the UK, Legacy Australia was also there to help them.

Legacy in London was initially formed on the inspiration of the Moss brothers in 1947. The elder brother, John Moss, was a solicitor in WWI and the younger, Frank Moss, a civil servant during WWll. Their father was at one time Agent General for Western Australia, and although both Australian by birth were raised in the UK.  After the end of the war Frank saw the need for help to be given to the widows of Australian servicemen, and being aware of Legacy in Australia, founded the first Legacy club in the northern hemisphere.

In the UK during 2001, our Legacy club officially became an autonomous registered charity, re-wrote its constitution and took the name London Legacy (registration number 1085603).  One of the important changes also made during this time was that instead of Legatee membership consisting solely of returned servicemen, London Legacy became open to women and the general public, and also provided pension eligibility for widows from New Zealand.

Widows of Australian servicemen from WWI and WWll who are based in England are all eligible for Legacy benefits directly from Australia.  Because London Legacy is funded solely by donations and fundraising events in the UK, London Legacy is limited in financial assistance, however over the years, members have worked tirelessly in acquiring advice and information which can be of great assistance to UK residents and returning widows. 

Our history covers nearly 60 years of activity including our formation back in 1947.  It can be seen then that although we may not have the physical means of meeting all our widows face to face, London Legacy now has in place a system that provides every widow access to a specialised agency, and endeavours to provide as much further support for our widows to assist them where possible.

For more information on London Legacy in Europe - 60 years on click here to access the press release.

Australia House, Fleet Street, London - where London Legacy holds their 3 monthly meetings.

Dr Noel O'Brien- in appreciation

London Legacy -  in appreciation of Noel O’Brien’s long service April 2005

Back row, left to right: Fred Lewis, Facilities Manager Australia House, the late Dr Noel O’Brien, past Hon Secretary, RAN.
Liz O’Brien, Hon Secretary. Lindsay Birrell, President, HMAS Sydney 1956.
David Woodcraft, former President, HMAS Sydney 1964-66. Front row: Frank Beeny RN. John Gwilt, RN served with RAN.
Peter Gibby, RAF served with RAAF. Max Phillips Past President, RAAF, was visiting Australia at the time of the photo.

Alfred Spooner POW - Rat of Tobruk

Alfred Spooner from NSW left Sydney in 1940 on the Queen Mary with thousands of Aussie troops bound for the UK then the Desert of Libya.
His story and that of his wife Joan, was told at a special function in Australia House on 3rd September 2007.

For more information click on this press release.

Photo images of: London Legacy Legatees with Mrs Spooner at Australia House at the time of unveiling her husbands kit. Mrs Joan Spooner with Lindsay Birrell, with Air Commodore Steve Martin Head Australian Defence Staff, with Col Lewis Coyle and Lt Col Andrew Mathewson, Army advisors.Group photos with the new case holding Albert Spooner's kit and Mayor of Sutton Mrs Wallace and Her Ex Ms Frances Adamson.

Remembrance Day Monaco 2007

Legatee Lindsay Birrell carrying a standard at the Royal British Legion Remembrance Day service at the Statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Monaco 11th November 2007.
 

Anzac Day 2007 
 
Legatee Lindsay Birrell 
 
Thanks to a host of young, enthusiastic Aussies and New Zealanders living in London, this years' Anzac Day was especially moving with over 2500 turning out at 5am to attend the Dawn Service at the Australian War Memorial and the New Zealand Memorial. Amoungst those attending were 20 very special people who volunteered to help with collection boxes selling Anzac Pins and getting donations for the work of London Legacy in its 60th year of care for widows of Australian and New Zealand servicemen still living in the UK.
 
Another 5000 lined both sides of the Cenotaph for the 11am march past, and 2000 packed Westminister Abbey for the special Anzac Service.
 
There is a definite re-awakening of the Anzac story amoungst younger people who remember grand parents who fought in WW2 even great grand parents who fought in WW1. With 300,000 Aussie's and Kiwi's living in London with this revitalised Anzac feeling we can look forward to bigger Anzac Day events for the future.
 
This spirit is best explained by a chance meeting on a London train, I was talking to another colleague about our work for London Legacy on my mobile and on finishing my conversation a young lady sitting nearby spoke to me saying she would like to help London Legacy in its work as she was an Aussie working in London.
 
Her name is Toni Elderfield and she is now Co-Cordinator- Fundraising on the committee of London Legacy. 
 
After we met we agreed to get back in touch nearer Anzac Day, which she did and to cut the story short she found and motivated most of the 20 young people who became collectors. Her photo is shown giving the speach at the TNT Anzac Ball during the special part of the evening including the sounding of the last post, a very moving part of the night.see her photo on our website www.londonlegacy.org
 
 
All together this team raised over £4000 plus further pin sales and donations from TNT Anzac Ball, Anzac Sports Challenge, CPA European members, NZ ICA UK members, Australian High Commission and NZ High Commission staff, Austrade, Agent General staff from WA, SA, Q'land and Victoria, Australia Pie Company, ANZ Bank staff, Churchill Hotel, Victory Club, Walkabout clients, Stephanie Beitzel, Australian Womens Club members, Monash Universary London office, Australian Shop, members of Australian Business and the Britain-Australian Society and lot more that I haven't the space to name but they know who they are and are given a great big thank.

We have formed a Young London Legacy Committee to cater for a number of young professional people who want to support our work in the UK.
 

First row: First image- Mrs Toni Elderfield, giving the speach on behalf of London Legacy at the TNT Anzac Ball in London Anzac Eve 2007.Second image- Lindsay Birrell Legatee London Legacy laying our wreath at the New Zealand Memorial London Anzac Day 2007. Third image- Anzac Day Parade London 2007.

Second row: First image- Lindsay Birrell Legatee laying the London Legacy wreath at the Dawn Service Australian War Memorial London.Second image- Anzac Day Parade London Cenotaph Legatees from London Legacy. Third image- Laying of wreaths at the Cenotaph London Anzac Day 2007. Frank Beeny Legatee laying the wreath from London Legacy.

Third row: First image- Anzac Day march at the Cenotaph London 2007. Second image- Presentation to Lindsay Birrell, London Legacy of a cheque from the Chairman of the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (UK) Branch Chairman Bevan Killick at the Dawn Service Anzac Day 2007 at the New Zealand Memorial 5am.

The Photo

Unveiling a plaque to commemorate the soldiers who served and convalesced at the Woodcote  Para Military Camp and Convalescent Hospital in London  1914-19 on the 6th November 2007.

In the photo are from left to right: The Mayor of Epsom Councillor Jean Steer; Mr Max Phillips Past President London Legacy; The Chairman Royal Automobile Club Sir Ian Prosser.