Legacy Week asks communities to look beyond a badge or a bear and recognise the people whose lives are changed by that small act of support. For Wangaratta’s Kia Whelan, Legacy was not an abstract charity. It was the organisation that stepped in after her father Mark, a Vietnam veteran, died in a fishing boat accident when she was nine. It helped fund school excursions, tickets to community events and, through a scholarship, opened the door to an education that shaped her future. While their work is quiet, it can be life-altering. It supports children and partners of veterans who gave their lives or health in service to Australia, offering practical help when families are often facing grief, financial pressure and uncertainty all at once. Kia’s story is a reminder that service can cast a long shadow across family life and the impact does not end when a uniform is put away. Children still need opportunities, parents still need support, and communities still have a role to play in making sure those who carried the burden of service are not left to carry it alone. This Legacy Week (30 August to 5 September), Wangaratta residents will have chances to help, with merchandise available at local primary schools and Wangaratta Bunnings. Buying a badge will not erase loss, but it can help create possibility. It can mean a school trip, a connection, a scholarship, or simply the knowledge that a family has not been forgotten. That is worth remembering when Legacy volunteers are out in our community for next week.
