War Widows Day 19th October

On the 19th of October, we came together to honour those widowed by war and Defence service and commemorated NSW’s first War Widows Day. We gathered to acknowledge and pay tribute to their sacrifices and those of their families.

That day was an opportunity to acknowledge the contribution and personal sacrifice made by the more than 15,000 surviving widows and widowers across NSW. The day also duly acknowledged the birthday of Mrs Jessie Vasey OBE CBE (1897-1966) founder of the Australian War Widows Guild in 1945.

We came together to thank widows, widowers and families for their commitment and dedication to their families and country. We came together to give thanks to the previous generations of women and men that came before us and paved the way for us to stand together, strong and united, with a vision of marking this War Widows Day for future generations to come.

A beautiful day honouring women and families

The public service at Anzac Memorial Hyde Park was attended by the Governor of New South Wales and AWWNSW Patron, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC, Mr Dennis Wilson, past presidents of AWWNSW, current and former Board Members, War Widows and their families.

The service included speeches by Australian War Widows NSW Patron, Her Excellency, the Honourable Margaret Beazley AC KC; State President, Queen Dunbar; and President of the Coogee-Randwick War Widows Guild, Margot Phillips; and Tricia Hobson, Board Chair, read a message from the Vasey family.

State President Queen Dunbar shared her personal reflections on becoming a war widow. She spoke about how her husband died as a result of his defence service, and how she found herself struggling to identify as a war widow.

She then spoke about how when she attended a contemporary War Widows forum, she met her tribe and found the most amazing group of women who have changed her life. Margot Phillips, whose husband served in World War Two, also spoke about her appreciation for AWWNSW and the wonderful friendships it has provided her.

Representing widows of her generation, she said, even though many war widows of the Second World War are no longer around today, she was pleased that they, and all other war widows, were receiving the recognition they so wholeheartedly deserve.

The service also included a musical tribute by Aaron Elvis Richardson who sang Fly Me to the Moon. He was later joined by the Australian Army Band to perform the Australian national anthem.

War Widow, Shirley McLaren, read The Ode of Remembrance, while the service finished with a member of the Australian Army Band playing the Last Post followed by a minute’s silence.
State President, Queen Dunbar, then led the official party in participating in the Star Ceremony, which was a form of personal tribute kindly offered by the Anzac Memorial in support of War Widows Day.

In the Hall of Remembrance, guests were invited to write the name of a war widow or widower on a star and cast it to honour and recognise their contribution and sacrifice in defence of Australia. Our State President led the ceremony by casting a star in honour of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, who herself was a war widow.

The stars were then collected and cremated, and the ashes will be carried on pilgrimages undertaken by history students to the battlefields on which Australians have fallen.
There were many emotions on display throughout the service. Queen Dunbar, Margot Phillips and Jess Taylor, who emceed the service, all fought back tears as they spoke of their late husbands.

But what was most evident on the day was that war widows are strong, resilient and incredibly supportive of one another.

We thank everyone for attending this inaugural event.

Thank you to the NSW Minister for Veterans and The Honourable David Elliot MP for also hosting a lovely reception at Parliament House.

We are incredibly thankful to NSW Government for recognising the importance of our War Widows and to have those recognised in perpetuity, in what is the first day that honours the significance of the sacrifices of veterans’ families.

It was a beautiful day honouring beautiful women and families.

Community support

War Widows Day was also marked with a commemorative limited-release wattle lapel pin.

Wattle is a symbol of Australian resilience, strength, remembrance, and reflection. This wattle was hand designed and drawn for AWWNSW by young design student Nidhi Bolar, for our 75th Anniversary in 2021. The wattle represents the spirit of the Australian people. It became a tradition during WW1 to press and send wattle to wounded soldiers, with fallen soldiers buried with sprigs of wattle.

Our wider community also supported War Widows Day through our ‘Buy a widow a coffee’ fundraising campaign. The generous donations contributed to our social connections program connecting widows and veterans’ families around NSW and Australia.

War widows have been part of the fabric of NSW, making a valuable contribution to our communities since World War One. While definitions of war widows have changed over time, one thing hasn’t, their sacrifices.

We have created a community of widows and veterans’ families that have helped so many, offering support, guidance and a group to lean on in a time of need. On War Widows Day we honour them. Their service. Their sacrifices.

The post Inaugural War Widows Day 2022 first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

This year there will be two official events take place in Sydney to mark this significant day, plus  other ways to be involved.

We know there are more than 15,000 war widows in NSW alone and as such, this is a day where we can come together as a community to remember those that have come before us and recognise those that are still with us.

With so many war widows living regionally, we know how important it is to ensure there are events happening on 19 October all across NSW.

We invite you to be involved in War Widows Day on 19 October 2022.

• Attend the AWW NSW service at Anzac Memorial Hyde Park
• Express your interest in the NSW Government reception at Parliament House
• Gather with a Guild or Social Club on the day
• Purchase a War Widows NSW lapel pin
• Buy a coffee for widow

AWW NSW service, Anzac Memorial Hyde Park

The first event is an Australian War Widows NSW led service at the Anzac Memorial Hyde Park. This service will at 3pm, 19 October. The service is open to the public with all War Widows invited and encouraged to attend, not just those who are members of AWW NSW. Register your interest here.

NSW Government reception at Parliament House

The NSW Government will mark the day with a reception at Parliament House from 5.00pm to 6.30pm. This reception will be hosted by the NSW Minister for Veterans, The Honourable David Elliot MP.

There is limited capacity and in order to ensure a fair and equitable system, a ballot is being held for invitations to the Reception. All war widows from across NSW are invited to enter the ballot for a chance to attend.

Registrations for the ballot are now open and will remain open until 5pm on Wednesday 5 October 2022. The ballot will be drawn on Thursday 6 October to select 100 war widows to attend the Reception.

War widows who have been selected as part of the ballot will be sent an invitation as soon as the ballot is drawn with specific details of the Reception including entry requirements to access Parliament House.

To nominate for the ballot to attend the War Widows Reception please complete the expression of interest form on this link:

Expression of interest registrations can be made here.

Please note, priority attendance will be given to war widows, and an invitation will be addressed to the name nominated in the form. Due to the capacity restrictions of the venue, we are unable to invite additional guests or family members, however should you need the assistance of a carer you will be able to provide this information in the form.

If you are unable to access the digital form, or do not have an email address and require assistance, please call the AWW NSW office on (02) 9267 6577 and a staff member will be able to assist.

The reception is a ‘closed’ event with capacity limits in the venue. Attendance at this event will be managed by the NSW Government, however we are able to pass on your expressions of interest in attending.

Guild and Social Club gatherings

A significant number of widows and widowers live outside of Sydney, which is why it is important to also encourage local gatherings and events to mark this day.

We know how important it is to ensure that there are events happening on 19 October 2022 across NSW.

We invite every Guild and Social club across the state to gather on this day, to hold a morning tea and to mark the day together as a community. We also encourage clubs to open their doors to other war widows in their communities (who may not be members) to be included in your gatherings on this day.

War Widows Day is about recognising and connecting as many of you together as possible and our AWW NSW team are ready to assist.

Register your community or regional event here.

Buy a War Widows lapel pin

Mark and remember this significant day in war widows’ history and purchase a War Widows wattle lapel pin.

Why Wattle? Wattle is a symbol of Australian resilience, strength, remembrance and reflection.

In 2021, young design student Nidhi Bolar, developed a wattle print for AWW NSW members. It featured in the August 2021 edition of The Digest during the 75th year of Australian War Widows NSW.

Click here to buy a War Widows Day lapel pin.

Buy a coffee for a widow

War widows have been part of the fabric of NSW, making a valuable contribution to our communities since World War One. While definitions of war widows have changed over time one thing hasn’t, and that is their sacrifices. We have created a community of widows and veterans families that has helped so many, offering support, guidance and a group to lean on in a time of need. On War Widows day we honour them. Their service. Their sacrifices.

Click here to buy a widow a coffee.

Your generous gift will contribute to AWW NSW social connections program connecting widows and veterans’ families around NSW and Australia.

The post 5 ways to be involved in War Widows Day first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

At the Premier\’s Vietnam Veterans\’ Day reception, War Widows Day was announced. Minister for Veterans\’, the Hon. David Elliot acknowledged the importance of recognising the more than 15,000 widows in NSW.

Former State and National President; and Vietnam War Widow, Ms Meg Green AM attended the reception and spoke of the gratitude in being recognised and the importance for our community and for the Australian Community.

\”This day is for all who have been touched and bereaved by the death of their spouses as a result of their Defence service.\”
– Queen Dunbar, State President NSW, Australian War Widows

Since World War One, war widows have been part of the fabric of NSW. Contributing in many ways to this wonderful community. While definitions of war widows have changed over time one thing hasn’t, and that is their sacrifices.

We are very grateful to have those recognised in perpetuity, in what is the first day that honours the significance of the sacrifices of veterans’ families.

19 October is significant as it is the birthday of our founder Mrs Jessie Vasey OBE CBE. Jessie started more than just an organisation to support war widows and advocate for their needs. She created a community and a movement. One that resulted in widows being included in the veteran system. At AWW NSW we look forward to extending this vision to all veterans’ families.

We know you will all be as deeply touched and moved by the NSW Government’s support and recognition of war widows and widowers as we are.

The post NEW DAY ACKNOWLEDGING NSW WAR WIDOWS first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.

Board Chair, Jennifer Collins; State President Queen Dunbar and NSW Life Member, Meg Green AM join forces to call on the government to increase pensions and provide greater mental health support to war widows and their families.

The State President spoke of her personal experiences working three jobs just to make ends meet following the passing of her husband, Adam. Meg spoke of her experiences and the impacts of the rising cost of living on older war widows. In Australia today, there are at least 600,000 people connected to defence services.

With more than 43,000 war widows and 175,000 veterans on some form of financial support, the impacts on our community are significant. There are around 40,000 younger veterans who rely on invalidity benefits due to permanent injury and more than 4,000 young widows and children who rely on income support, just to make ends meet.

While the Department of Veterans Affairs maintains that pension levels are sufficient and increase with CPI; and that mental health needs of widows and their families are being met through Open Arms; we remain unconvinced and will continue our advocacy on this matter.

• What else have we been advocating on recently?
• Treatment of war widows in aged care
• The recognition of veterans’ families in the National Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children
• Equitable access to the DVA Family Support package
• Access to Veterans Home Care Services for war widows
• Equitable access to NSW and local government concessions for war widows
• Application of concessions
• The unmet service needs of young war widows and their children; and
• Unmet needs of veterans’ spouses, particularly those in a caring role.

More recently, we were honoured to join the NSW Government to announce that the 19th of October will be known as War Widows Day in NSW.

War widows have been part of the fabric of NSW since Australians have been serving in the Defence Forces. Today, we are very grateful to have their sacrifices recognised in perpetuity, in what is the first day that honours the significance of the sacrifices of veterans’ families.

Photo: State President, Queen Dunbar and her son, Joshua. Photo credit: Sam Ruttyn, News Corp Australia

The post Rising cost of living for veteran families first appeared on Families of Veterans Guild.