Legacy Widows

Legacy assists widows of deceased veterans who have served in a war or operational area or whose death was occasioned by hazardous service or training for war. This includes both of the World Wars, Vietnam, Korea, Malaya, Borneo, the Gulf War, the various peace keeping operations such as East Timor, and those killed in training accidents such as the Black Hawk helicopter and HMAS Westralia tragedies.

We currently care for more than 122,000 widows Australia wide. The major challenge is the care of widows of advanced years who now need special care and practical assistance in such matters as accommodation, medical, legal and general welfare and assistance.

We also assist our widows through facilitating widows' clubs, to help reduce the loneliness. These clubs run regular trips and activities such as bowls days, craft, picnics, guest speakers, fashion parades, luncheons and bus trips. These clubs have been the start of lifelong friendships and provide the widows with a great opportunity to enjoy the company of women with whom they share a common life experience.

In most clubs we also employ a number of Welfare Workers who visit widows on a regular basis to provide them with information on all issues of concern and give them the opportunity to ask questions or ask for any help they may need.

Legacy Children

Legacy is committed to the nurturing of the children of war widows, known within the Legacy Family as Junior Legatees. We help to make sure they have the opportunity to receive a quality education and provide opportunities for them to participate in recreational activities and socialise with other Legacy children.

Family fellowship weekends were initially started to bring mothers/guardians together with their children to encourage the development of support networks for the families that had lost loved ones. In a number of cases, mothers/guardians have continued to keep in touch and give each other the special support that comes from shared experience.

We currently care for around 1800 children and people with a disability Australia wide. We also provide a number of educational scholarships and awards to Legacy children to assist in secondary and tertiary education, many of which are funded by bequests or donations given specifically for educational purposes

People with a Disability

For Legacy widows and their children with a disability we provide recreational and educational outings to aid self development. Outings and activities include picnics, harbour cruises and bus trips.

Former Junior Legatees

Former Legacy children include sports journalist Gordon Bray, cricketer Richard Che-Quee, media personality John Laws, actress Maggie Kirkpatrick, former NSW State Treasurer The Hon Michael Egan, MLC, Ron Barrassi, AFL Football Legend and Tim Lane, ABC Commentator.