While Australians commemorated Anzac Day, Legacy's Centenary Torch Rally was making its way from France to London.
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The Torch Relay commences its journey across Australia at Albany, Western Australia, on Wednesday, May 3.
Dierdre Landells OAM is always amazed when people don't know about Legacy because she grew up with it.
"I was a beneficiary of Legacy pretty much from the day I was born.
"My father died a few days after my birth so I grew up with Legacy calling in on us," Ms Landells said.
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Ms Landells has been a member of Narooma's Legacy group for 16 years and is the immediate past president of the Wollongong and South Coast club.
It extends from Wollongong to Bega and is one of 44 Legacy clubs across Australia. There is also one in London.
Honouring the promise
Legend has it that Legacy came about in the trenches of the Western Front, in Pozières, France, during WWI.
A soldier said to his mate "I'll look after the missus and the kids".
Legacy was formed in Melbourne and Hobart in 1923 to honour that promise.
It supports 40,000 partners and children of veterans who gave their lives serving Australia through its more than 3,400 volunteers known as Legatees.
"Legacy ensures that the children can get an education and a fair go," Ms Landells said.
"We become friends with the veterans' partners, help them get their pension entitlements and do whatever is necessary to protect them from isolation."
It also sponsors an annual Kokoda trek for Legacy beneficiaries aged between 16 and 24.
How the public can support Legacy
In recent years it has broadened its reach to the families of service personnel who have given their health through service and can no longer support their families.
"Service personnel come back damaged from almost every conflict," Ms Landells said.
"While we don't help any young families in the Moruya to Bermagui area, other groups such as Nowra look after young veterans and their families when they decide they cannot look after their family."
The Torch Relay will reach Wollongong on July 25 and finish in Melbourne on October 13.
During the six-month campaign the torch will travel over 50,000 kilometres through 100 locations, carried by approximately 1,500 torch bearers.
The general public can support Legacy through its annual appeal, Legacy Week, in the last week of August.
The Narooma group is holding a charity golf day on Friday, August 18.
It is also endeavouring to have a Legacy mural painted on the toilet block near Narooma Bridge and hoping it can be completed in its centenary year.
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