Two remarkable Canberrra women will be torchbearers in the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay which will take place through the streets of the national capital on Monday, August 28.
Navy veteran Merle Hare, 103, will be completing a leg of the relay, as will as fellow Navy veteran Kate Munari, the only female Navy helicopter pilot to fly in Afghanistan.
The relay celebrates 100 years of Legacy helping the families of veterans killed or injured.
Navy veteran Merle Hare, 103, will be completing a leg of the relay, as will as fellow Navy veteran Kate Munari, the only female Navy helicopter pilot to fly in Afghanistan.
The relay celebrates 100 years of Legacy helping the families of veterans killed or injured.
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NewsTranscript
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]