On Tuesday 10 June 2025, we hosted a Volunteers Thank You Lunch at Club Parramatta, bringing together some of our dedicated volunteers. The lunch was an opportunity to thank them for the time they give to support war widows through phone calls, handwritten cards, and social club gatherings. 

CEO Renee Wilson opened the event by thanking our volunteers and acknowledging the value of their contribution. “Time is the most precious thing we have,” she said. “In giving this gift, others feel valued, cared for and supported.” 

Renee shared messages from members who have felt the impact of this support: 

• From receiving handwritten Christmas cards, a member said, “I was so happy to receive the card … I have been very ill for 2 years, and it brought me to tears to receive that card.” 

• About the Friendship Line calls, another member shared, “It has been a great source of comfort to me knowing other war widows are there.” 

• For Social Clubs, one member commented, “It’s helped me get out once a month to chat with other ladies, instead of staying home except for doctor’s appointments.” 

One of our volunteers, Di, shared that volunteers don’t always get to see the full impact of their efforts firsthand. Hearing the feedback from the women they support really highlights the impact of their contribution.  

Renee also provided an update on the development of the War Widows Program and the broader supports offered through the organisation. She introduced changes aimed at strengthening volunteer support, including the appointment of a new operations manager and social worker. Despite recent staff changes, she emphasised that the organisation’s goal remains unchanged: to grow the War Widows Program and ensure all volunteers and war widows are well supported. 

Stories from the friendship line and social clubs 

After Renee’s address, Wendy, a Friendship Line volunteer, shared an ANZAC Day story told to her by Diedre, a recipient she calls fortnightly. Diedre lives in the small town of Mandurama, with fewer than 400 residents. Wendy reflected on the many incredible conversations they’ve had, highlighting how special the Friendship Line is for both callers and recipients. 

Norma, praised the latest Autumn edition of The Guild Digest, describing it as “one of the best.” She appreciated the layout, especially the showing of the Field of Remembrance photo spread, sharing how delighted she was to see familiar faces featured, including herself. 

The lunch was also an opportunity for our volunteers to be together, to catch up and to get to know our team a little better.  

A lasting impact: thank you to our volunteers 

Every day we appreciate the help of volunteers ensure war widows are connected and that widows and families of veterans are seen, heard and acknowledged. 

For almost 80 years we have relied on the support and good work of the volunteers in our community to service thousands of war widows in NSW. Our volunteers have kept them connected, supported and included and provide them with the gift of friendship, time and support.   

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National Volunteers Week is approaching soon on 19 – 25 May and is a week-long celebration held annually to recognise and thank volunteers for their contributions to communities. Volunteers play a crucial role in strengthening communities, offering their time, skills and compassion to support others.

Here at the Families of Veterans Guild, we have a community built from the years of selfless support from volunteers who are able to sacrifice their time to uplift and help war widows, defence and veteran families. Whether it be coordinating a Social Club, supporting during events, attending events on the organisations behalf, making friendship line calls, birthday calls or raising a hand to help when the occasion arises, our volunteers efforts are greatly valued.

Every day we can appreciate the help of volunteers who allow us to ensure war widows remain connected and that widows and families of veterans are seen, heard and acknowledged. For almost 80 years we have relied on the support and good work of the volunteers in our community to service thousands of war widows in NSW. Our volunteers have kept them connected, supported and included and provide them with the gift of friendship, time and support. 

Our generous volunteers have had many significant achievements: they kept our organisation afloat and allowed us to expand. It all started with one war widow. One selfless woman with conviction and desire to change things: Jessie Vasey. Every day, we are grateful for her advocacy efforts and desire to help war widows. She volunteered her time and efforts to help without expecting anything in return. What began as a small group of war widows has grown into the large community it is today, demonstrating that even a small act of volunteering can evolve into something much deeper and meaningful.

To our Volunteers, we thank you. You give so much of yourselves so freely to the organisation, our cause and your peers, that ‘thank you’ doesn’t seem enough. You continue to live out the war widows motto “it is in serving each other and in sacrificing for our common good that we are finding our true life.”

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Anticipation has built over the months for many members excited and waiting for the unveiling of the wall of poppies at the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway. Through our recent Digests, newsletters and online posts, we’ve shared the Poppy Project and its collaborative, remarkable initiative, directed by Kokoda Walkway Board Director, Jennifer Collins AM.

This beautiful project has finally come to life with the hard work and skill of our members and the community, allowing all of your hand made poppies to decorate the tree in the memorial garden at the track, the memorial honoured to Bruce Kingsbury VC who was killed protecting the village of Kokoda in Papua New Guinea in WW2 and also a wall of poppies.

The heart of the project consisted of over 7,500 handcrafted poppies, lovingly created by our members and community from NSW, ACT, QLD, many of them being war widows and their families. These small yet powerful symbols of respect have come together to form an art installation that honours the sacrifices of veterans and their families.

A thank you to those who collaborated

The Poppy Project was supported by a network of club coordinators and Kokoda staff who provided participants with wool, patterns and reply envelopes to make the crafting process seamless. This project could only come to life and be this successful with the help of our members and the community across the states. Each and every participants unique poppy is accumulated with the thousands of others to create the memorial garden and wall of poppies.

This initiative has demonstrated not only the enduring gratitude felt towards veterans but also the strength of community ties, as individuals from all across Australia worked together for this meaningful cause. Now every person passing through the track are able to stop and appreciate the beauty and hard work it took to create the wall.

The project has touched the lives of many, including one of our member Yvonne, a war widow, and her sister Jennifer, who together crocheted poppies for the installation. Their dedication goes beyond crafting as Yvonne connected with her local RSL Club in Old Bar, NSW, to share the story of the project and its significance.

During her search, she discovered Major Scott Babington, an RSL member who frequently leads treks along the Kokoda Track. Major Babington has since become an ambassador for the project, honouring the memory of four local men from the Manning area who gave their lives on the Kokoda Track. On his next visit to Papua New Guinea, he plans to place poppies on their graves as a gesture of remembrance.

A community united in Remembrance

The display of poppies will stand as a stunning visual tribute to those who served and their families. Each handcrafted poppy embodies not only the gratitude of those who created it but also the stories and connections formed through this shared effort.

Projects like this remind us that honouring the past is a collective responsibility and an opportunity to unite communities through acts of care and remembrance.

If you’d like to see the project, make sure to visit the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway to view the sea of poppies and poppy wall, knowing that many of your own handcrafted efforts are in that artwork.

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What is the Friendship Line?

The Friendship Line is a service that we offer to our members, especially those who live in rural areas or are socially isolated, to provide them with regular phone calls from our volunteers. The aim of the service is to extend a line of friendship and support to our members, and to keep them connected to our organisation and to other war widows.

Meet Fiona, a Friendship Line Volunteer

Fiona is one of our dedicated volunteers who calls 20 of our members every five weeks or so. She became a volunteer on the Friendship Line about five years ago, after her husband, who served in the Vietnam War, passed away. She said volunteering gave her a sense of purpose and a way of giving back to the organisation that welcomed her after her loss.

How the Friendship Line Transcends Generations

One of the members that Fiona calls regularly is Noni, who is 97 years old and lives in far north NSW. Noni’s husband served in World War Two, and she does not attend one of our social groups. She said she loves the Friendship Line and Fiona, and that they talk about everything and nothing, like old friends. They also exchange text messages, often about books they have read or movies they have seen.

Fiona said she enjoys hearing the stories of the members she calls, and learning from their experiences of service life and loving a veteran. She said the Friendship Line is different from other conversations because of the connection to a loved one’s Defence service. She said the Friendship Line transcends generations and creates a bond between war widows of different eras.

How to Join the Friendship Line

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer on the Friendship Line, or if you would like to receive calls from our volunteers, please contact us on (02) 9267 6577 or email programs@fov.org.au. You can also click here to become a volunteer. You can start with a small list of members to call, and you will receive training and support from our staff. Volunteering on the Friendship Line is a rewarding and fun way to make a difference in the lives of our members.

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For National Volunteers Week, Families of Veterans Guild invited all our Friendship Line, Birthday Calls and Social Club Volunteers for a lunch at the Chatswood RSL.

It was a great opportunity for our President, Queen Dunbar, our CEO Renee Wilson and our team to thank our volunteers for their priceless contribution to our community and our organisation.

The lunch was very well attended, the volunteers enjoyed getting together for a chat and a laugh. The food was lovely, the War Widows Program team provided great support and information to support the Volunteers. Members met fellow volunteers and discussed running Guild and Social Clubs and/or Friendship Line or Birthday calls.

Providing updates

Important updates regarding volunteering opportunities, The Digest, newsletters, and meeting schedules were shared during the event. Members were informed about upcoming activities and encouraged to get involved in various initiatives aimed at enriching both their own lives and the wider community.

Thank you

At the lunch, our CEO, Renee Wilson, provided a moving speech thanking our volunteers and highlighting the impact of their contribution in our community. We would like to extend this thank you to all volunteers who were unable to attend the lunch.

To our volunteers, we would like to say thank you for all that you do for each other, for other war widows and our organisation.

For more than 78 years we have relied on the support and good work of the volunteers in our community to service thousands of war widows in NSW. Together you all keep them connected, supported and included – you provide the gifts of friendship, time and support – the value of which cannot be underestimated. You give so much of yourselves so freely to the organisation, our cause, your peers that thank you doesn’t seem enough.

Across the state we have 83 volunteers without whom it would be impossible to deliver the War Widows Program. In the last 12 months, this is the collective impact you have had:

• • Held 630 war widows social/ guild club meetings.
  • Engaged 1,073 of war widows around NSW every month through your meetings.
  • Made 5,472 of phone calls through the friendship line.
  • Made 1,200 birthday calls to war widows aged over 90 years.
  • Supported 456 of war widows experiencing social isolation; and
  • Hand written more than 2,100 Christmas cards for members.

These are significant achievements – together you are impacting the lives of more than 2000 war widows in NSW – incredible!

At the end of her thank you speech, Renee added “When I think about the words of the war widows motto, particularly the words “it is in serving each other and in sacrificing for our common good that we are finding our true life” I think of you all. You live and breathe this motto every day in all that you do for your community and it is our honour and privilege to be of service to you.”

Lunch Pictures

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