50,000 kilometres for 100 years of Legacy
The Legacy Centenary Torch Relay ended on October 12, with torch-bearers carrying the Legacy flame through Melbourne on the final leg of its six-month journey.
CAPTION: Legacy torchbearers Emily Lahay and Commander 4th Brigade, Brigadier Michelle Campbell during the last leg of the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay in Melbourne. Story by Captain Mark Blackman and Captain Kristen Daisy Cleland. Photos by Corporal Michael Currie.
The torch arrived at the Shrine of Remembrance after being carried more than 50,000 kilometres by more than 1400 torch bearers, all of whom had a connection to Legacy or the Defence community.
A focal point for the communities it passed through, the torch relay marked the milestone of the organisation that started 100 years ago when Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige founded the first Legacy club in Melbourne.
Its origins are from the words to a dying soldier in the trenches on the Western Front during World War 1 – a promise to look after the missus and kids.
These words would lead to the establishment of one of the most important organisations for Australian Defence Force members and their families. Legacy continues to support 40,000 partners and children of veterans who gave their lives or health serving Australia.
To honour the milestone, Army, Navy and Air Force personnel escorted torch bearers from the first leg in Pozières, France, to the last leg in Melbourne.
The Governor-General Gen (retd) David Hurley and Linda Hurley received the Legacy flame at the Shrine of Remembrance, and lit the cauldron to signify its return.
Chief of the Defence Force General Angus Campbell presented a certificate to Legacy Chairman Eric Easterbrook at an official event at the Melbourne Cricket Ground later in the evening to mark the end of the torch relay.
For more information about Legacy, or to make a donation visit www.legacy.com.au
CAPTION: Escorted by sailors, soldiers and aviators of the ADF, Legacy torchbearers pass the flame at the Shrine of Remembrance during the Melbourne leg of the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay.
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