Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait on 2 August 1990, Australia deployed 1871 ADF personnel to the Gulf region as part of the multinational response. My brother Darren and I both set sail that day. Darren was onboard HMAS Adelaide and I was onboard HMAS Success.
I remember my mother Janet MacDonald, making the frantic dash from Adelaide to Garden Island in Sydney to see both Darren and I off. I remember Prime Minister Bob Hawke arriving onboard to farewell the crews and mum chatting at length with him about her two sons. I remember seeing my family, particularly my three year old son Matthew, standing on the wharf waving goodbye as the ship slowly moved away. I was on the quarter deck, tears in my eyes and with no idea as to when I would be home.
Some 7 months later Darren and I did arrived home safely. But unfortunately, many Australian Defence Force personnel have not come home. The operation in Afghanistan has now seen 33 Australian soldiers not return to their family. Thank god for Legacy!
Legacy is dedicated to enhancing the lives of families of veterans and currently cares for 100,000 widows and 1,900 children and disabled dependants throughout Australia.
Legacy does however rely on donations from the Australian community through charity activities such as this. So put your hand in your pocket and help a Legacy family.
Andrew MacDonald
Thanks for sharing Andrew!
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