The Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023 journey passed through Gosford on Saturday, July 15, on its way across the world from Pozieres, France to end in October in Melbourne.
The Central Coast is one of the 55 regions in NSW to see the relay pass through before moving on through Victoria and Tasmania, to end on October 13 in Melbourne, where the first Legacy Club was established 100 years ago.
The worldwide campaign to honour and acknowledge veterans’ families began its journey in Pozières, France, on April 23 with an official opening ceremony, then travelled to Belgium, and on to London before arriving in Australia and passing through Western Australia, South Australia, the Northern Territory and Queensland before coming to NSW.
For the Gosford leg, Brisbane Water Legacy President Patrick Gallagher was the first torch bearer, joined by war widow Mary Flemming for part of his leg.
The relay started at Brisbane Water Legacy Club and then proceeded over a 3.34km loop passing the Gosford War Memorial before returning to the starting point.
It featured 18 torch bearers including Legacy beneficiaries, legatees and Defence personnel.
Official torch bearers included former CEO of Legacy Australia Scott Warr and bearing the torch on its last Gosford leg was former Chairman of Legacy Australia Rick Cranna.
“I first joined Legacy when I came back from Vietnam in 1970 – one of the first three returning Vietnam vets to join,” Cranna said.
“My father was a legatee prior to that, following WWII, and my mother was one of the wives of legatees who collected funds back then – they were known as torch bearers.
“As a stock and station agent I was transferred to many towns in NSW over my career and would join the Legacy club in each town.
“I have been a member of around 10 clubs in NSW and one in Adelaide.”
Now retired at living at Terrigal, Cranna has been a member of Brisbane Water Legacy since 2007.
He was president of the club for two years and instrumental in setting up this year’s torch relay.
“To see it come to fruition was fantastic and we had great support from our military leaders,” he said.
“The idea of this inaugural relay was to see the torch visit every Legacy club in Australia.”
Cranna said Legacy had its beginnings on the battlefields of Pozieres, when a dying soldier asked a mate to look after his wife and children if he didn’t make it.
That soldier returned to Australia in 1923 and started the nation’s first Legacy club.
Cranna said the Gosford leg of the relay honoured 600-700 elderly widows currently under the care of Legacy on the Central Coast, as well as younger Vietnam and Afghanistan veterans and their families.
“There was some emotion on the day as the older ladies remembered their husbands,” he said.
“It is especially stirring to look after the children of veterans.
“When Legacy started there were thousands of children whose fathers had been killed in WWI and Legacy offered them camps, activities and educational opportunities.
“The same thing happened again after WWII.”
With many veterans of action in Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Gulf War, Cranna said Legacy would be going “for a long time to come”.
Terry Collins