THE Legacy Centenary Torch Relay has finally arrived in Melbourne, six months after it began its journey in France.
The torch arrived on October 12 at the Shrine of Remembrance after being carried more than 50,000 kilometres by more than 1,400 torch bearers, all of whom had a connection to Legacy or the Defence community.
The torch relay marked a milestone for the organisation that started 100 years ago when Lieutenant General Sir Stanley George Savige founded the first Legacy club in Melbourne.
The torch’s journey began in Pozières, France, and then travelled through the Menin Gate, Belgium.
From there, it journeyed through London before returning home to Australia, where it landed in Perth this May.
Brassall mum Kristy Reeves carried the torch in June from Amberley District State School on her 9km walk to Cameron Park.
Ms Reeves’ husband, Benn, served in the RAAF at Amberley Air Base but died of cancer in 2001, aged 39.
“Legacy has been really wonderful to my family,” mum-of-four Ms Reeves said.
“There was so much paperwork to fill in when Benn died, and Legacy helped me with that.
“Legacy was amazing to my children, too.”
Legacy’s origins were sparked from the words to a dying soldier in the trenches during World War I, when asking a pal to promise to look after his wife and children.
Those words led to the establishment of one of the key organisations for Australian Defence Force members and their families.
Legacy supports 40,000 partners and children of veterans who gave their lives or health serving Australia.
The Governor-General Gen (retired) David Hurley and Linda Hurley received the Legacy flame at the Shrine of Remembrance and lit the cauldron to signify its return.
