'LEGACY IS MY FAMILY'

WAR WIDOW SHIRLEY PROUDLY SERVES THE NATIONAL CHARITY

- Maisy Rae

Support for veterans

W Whenever Shirley McLaren sits down to meet with her fellow Legacy ladies, there is a knowing look that's shared among the widows.

"They just know," Shirley, 92, tells New Idea.

"They know the problems associated with being alone raising children, losing their husband... it's very rewarding to be able to share that.

"We really are a family." Shirley has been involved with Legacy for more than 50 years. The charity provides social and financial support to 34,000 partners and children of Australian veterans. This week marks Legacy Week Appeal, and Shirley will be out doing her bit as a way of giving thanks for the "wonderful support" they've shown her and her family.

She reveals their presence was a lifeline when she lost her husband Roy McLaren to a heart attack in 1972.

Roy, a former RAAF airframe fitter, was just 39.

He and Shirley had three young children at the time.

"I was in contact with Legacy straight away - we were living in Melbourne and the air force said we had to move out," she says. "When we arrived in Canberra, I was appointed a 'Legatee' to look after us.