This Remembrance Day, war widows, defence and veteran families spoke about the people they love and what service has meant for their families. Across the ACT, NSW, and SA, we listened, laid wreaths, and remembered together.
On Remembrance Day, Australians pause at 11 am to remember those who served and died. For war widows and veteran families, remembering also means telling the stories of what service meant at home. This year, sharing those stories was at the centre of how we marked Remembrance Day.
It was also a year of reflection for our community, as this year we mark 80 years since war widows in NSW first came together and created the Guild.
Hearing from families at our first Remembrance Lunch
On 10 November, the day before Remembrance Day, we held our first Remembrance Lunch at the Australian War Memorial (AWM) in Canberra. Supporters from the business, government, defence, and veteran sectors had the opportunity to meet war widows and veteran families.
The lunch gave our guests the chance to hear about service and loss directly from the families who live with it. In a short film, a widow, a mother, and the spouse of a veteran spoke about what service has meant for their families. Shirley McLaren OAM, a 94-year-old war widow and veteran, led us in the Ode of Remembrance.
The Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Susan Coyle AM CSC DSM, gave the keynote address. Lieutenant General Coyle served on our Board from 2021 to 2024.
Our Board Chair, Tricia Hobson, made a commitment to war widows and veteran families. Eighty years ago, war widows came together because those left behind by conflict wanted to be represented and heard. Building on those foundations, the Guild officially announced it is now taking on a national advocacy role.
That role means protecting and advancing the entitlements, recognition, and legacy of Australia’s war widows. It also means making sure veteran families are recognised and supported in their own right, and not only as an extension of their veteran.
Our thanks to Centuria for supporting the lunch and to the Australian War Memorial for welcoming us.
Wreaths at the Australian War Memorial
After the lunch, Meg Green AM and Rhondda Vanzella OAM, both former national and state presidents of our organisation, laid a wreath at the Australian War Memorial’s Last Post Ceremony on behalf of war widows and veteran families.
The next morning, Meg and Rhondda attended the Remembrance Day service at the Australian War Memorial with our CEO and a member of our staff. After the service, they laid a wreath on behalf of our organisation and of war widows and veteran families.
Stories shared at the marble droplets
After the service, two war widows and two mothers of veterans gathered at the marble droplets, which rest in the shade of old trees at the Australian War Memorial. The memorial is dedicated “for every drop shed in anguish.” Its plaque reads: “the droplets represent the blood, sweat and tears shed by those who have served and their loved ones.”
There, they spoke with a group of NSW school teachers. They talked about what the memorial means, about their veterans, and about why the stories of veterans and their families should be shared with school children.
The tears the memorial honours have been carried across generations of veteran families, and they are still being shed today. Remembrance Day gives families a place to share the stories of loved ones who died as a result of their service, and to have those stories heard.
The hands of two war widows and two mothers rested on a marble droplet, carrying the weight of their loss and grief. It is a weight they will never forget. By sharing it with teachers, they helped make sure the next generation will understand it too.
Marking 80 years at dawn in Sydney
In Sydney, red poppies were projected onto the sails of the Sydney Opera House to mark the start of Remembrance Day. NSW Minister for Veterans David Harris MP hosted a sunrise service, which included the sounding of the Last Post and the Ode of Remembrance.
Our President, Queen Dunbar, was invited to recite the Ode in recognition of the 80th anniversary of the War Widows Guild in NSW. War widows fought long and hard to be represented at commemorations. Having the President of a war widow–led organisation recite the Ode on this day is a significant step for our community.
Our sincere thanks to the NSW Office for Veterans Affairs and David Harris MP for the invitation. Brigadier Vince Williams CSC (Retd), President of RSL NSW, and Dominic Teakle, CEO of Legacy Club Services, also attended the service.
Later that morning, Queen laid a wreath on behalf of war widows and veteran families at the NSW Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph in Martin Place. Hundreds of people attended, including the Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, and NSW Premier Chris Minns.
Remembering with local communities across NSW and South Australia
War widows and veteran families from our community also attended local services across NSW and South Australia. Every wreath was laid on behalf of war widows and veteran families.
In Campbelltown, Kay Meredith and Judy Cole attended the RSL Remembrance Day service and laid a wreath.
In Chatswood, Joy Mooney attended the local service with one of our social workers and laid a wreath.
On the Northern Beaches, Northern Beaches Social Club Coordinator Pamela Goodhart-Dodd represented war widows and veteran families at the RSL ANZAC Village service.
On the Central Coast, our Executive Officer, Cherie, attended The Entrance and Long Jetty RSL service.
In South Australia, Maria Barclay, one of our South Australian social club co-coordinators, attended the RSL SA Remembrance Day service. During the service, fellow co-coordinator Diane Carr read a poem about the experiences of a war widow.
Why we keep sharing our stories
Since 1946, war widows have come together to support one another and to make sure the families left behind by service are seen and heard. Sharing stories is how that began, and it is how we continue.
When a war widow speaks about her partner, or a mother speaks about her child who served, the people listening come to understand what service asks of families. That understanding is how recognition grows, in classrooms, in commemorations, and in the decisions made about veteran families.
Thank you to everyone who shared a story, listened, or laid a wreath with us this Remembrance Day. If you are part of a veteran family and would like to connect with others who understand, find a social club near you or learn about support from our social workers.
Lest we forget.
