There are some incredible organisations out there and we love sharing their stories — Legacy is one of them.
Since 1923, Legacy has upheld their promise to give back to the families of Australian Defence Force veterans who have been injured or lost their life while serving Australia. Today, 43,000 partners and children of veterans are supported in education and not disadvantaged, left alone or torn apart by the effects of Post-Traumatic Stress or other physiological injuries. Vicki Penny and her 13-year-old daughter, Isabella, are just one of these families.
Vicki’s husband, Greg, was 18-years-old when he joined the Australian Army. Just before Vicki met Greg, he had a stage 3 melanoma removed from his face — and as he later told Vicki, Greg assumed the worst was behind.
Greg (aged 18).
For the first 18 months after they met, Vicki and Greg remained close friends. “Then one day, he met me at work, took me to lunch and told me that he loved me. It was so romantic!” Vicki says.
Not long after marrying, Greg and Vicki were expecting their first child, but the pregnancy was far from smooth sailing and their daughter, Isabella, was born eight weeks premature, weighing just over 1500 grams. “Greg was my rock through the whole pregnancy and during those scary early days with Isabella,” Vicki says. “He was such a hands-on dad and adored Isabella from the moment he set eyes on her.”
Tragically, when Isabella was three, Greg noticed a lump on his collarbone. Days after attending his GP, he and Vicki would be sitting in an oncologist’s office. The news was devastating. “Greg had stage 4 melanoma. A scan showed that he had 10 tumours on his brain and more in one of his lungs.” Sun exposure during his defence service was named as the cause of the melanoma. Seven months after diagnosis, Greg passed away — he was just 37 years old.
When Greg died, Vicki says she was numb. “I didn’t know what to do or who speak to. I was drowning in grief and struggling to hold down my job when someone suggested I contact Legacy … it was like a lightbulb moment. I instantly knew that they understood me, and what Isabella and I were going through.”
Vicki is especially grateful that she connected with Meredith as her volunteer Legatee. “I am really blessed that I was matched with Meredith — she was the exact person I needed to have in my life. Over the years, she has been an incredible support. She also lost her husband who was a veteran, so she totally gets me and Isabella.”
Meredith (Legatee), Isabella and Vicki.
Legacy has been an invaluable support, helping Vicki with all the things that Greg always dealt with, including paperwork, finances and living arrangements. Both Vicki and Isabella have been supported with education, with Vicki having completed her studies and now working in her dream job; Isabella has been helped to get braces; and the family is given tickets to annual events, including the Royal Adelaide Show and Christmas Pageant.
“Legacy helped me provide for my daughter when I couldn’t afford to do so. She can go to dance and swimming; she can hang out with kids her own age who have lost a parent,” Vicki says.
Vicki and Isabella at The Zoo.
But most of all, Legacy has helped Vicki who was left alone to raise Isabella, who is now a flourishing 13-year-old. This support has been life-changing for them, like it has been for many other families, as Vicki says. “He’s not here to look after us anymore, but he would be so grateful to know that we are not alone, and that Legacy is here for us when we need them. Their support saves lives. It saves people’s sanity. It makes a difference in which way people and families will move forward in life after they have lost a veteran.”
On Saturday 19 November, you can help Legacy to continue the support of families, like Vicki and Isabella, at their 73rd Annual Race Day at Morphetville Racecourse. While supporting Legacy, you’ll enjoy a three-course-lunch, five-hour drinks package, wine wall, live and silent auctions, Fashion on the Field and plenty more. Head here for all the information and to book.
