THE stalwarts appear around this time every year, sitting at tables in shopping centres and train stations, selling badges bearing the single word: Legacy.
Volunteers hope we will remember the debt we owe to those who died in battle, and all they ask is a little loose change.
“You always know who is going to make a donation or buy a badge, because they put their hands in their pocket from about 200 yards away,” John Barber of Williamstown said.
Mr Barber is chairman of Legacy Western Branch, and said:“It’s usually those who have had a family association with defence, grandfathers or fathers who have served, that readily identify with it.
“The word Legacy comes from the legacy of those who survived the wars, the legacy they hold to the ones who lost their lives.
“We’ve all grown up with the effects of the world wars, whether we like it or not.”
There are 1800 war widows, 39 disabled dependents and many children in the western suburbs who rely on Legacy for help.
It’s an area supported by 10 volunteers.
Mr Barber said often, help meant just knowing that someone was there – a phone call away.
“A lot of the things we do are not expensive, but usually they are just important little things that people wouldn’t be able to do if we weren’t there.”
He said that as well as helping war widows and dependants, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs, Legacy also ran camps and clubs which gave people important points of contact.
He said Legacy Week was the main fundraiser of the year and, like many charitable organisations, fighting for public attention and a few extra dollars was an on-going struggle.
“Legacy relies on the continuing generosity of the public to do its work,” Mr Barber said.
Legacy raised $26,000 in the western suburbs last year, well up from $16,000 the previous year, but Mr Barber said he held higher hopes this year.
The badge sellers also get good support in selling badges from RAAF staff based at Laverton, and Mr Barber encouraged people to look out for the blue air force uniform this week, and find a few coins to send their way.
Legacy badge volunteers will be at major shopping centres and train stations throughout Hobsons Bay.
