DARRAWEIT Guim resident Kellie Petersen last week carried the torch for the Shepparton leg of the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023.
Organised in celebration of Legacy Australia’s 100th anniversary, the relay began in Pozieres, France in the lead up to Anzac Day this year and has travelled around the world – including a visit to King Charles in London before landing in Perth in May.
Legacy is a non-profit organisation serving to support the families of fallen or injured servicemen and was founded five years after the conclusion of World War One.
Ms Petersen, whose husband Noel is a veteran who was medically discharged from the army due to injuries sustained during service, successfully applied to participate in the Shepparton leg as part of the relay’s final stages.
“It makes me really proud and I told my husband I was doing this for him and all the younger veterans,” she said.
“It’s raising funds for Legacy and I think it’s very important to raise as much as we can for them, because they support the families and wives of veterans.”
The relay is set to conclude in Melbourne in October following its sixth-month journey, with multiple participants taking turns to walk the torch south from Shepparton.
Ms Petersen said she walked with her two children Charly and Toby, who are also Legatees.
“I’m pretty excited to do it, pretty proud to just be involved in Legacy,” she said.
“[Legacy supports] myself and my children … it’s great that they can be involved in it too.”
For more information on the relay, visit legacytorchrelay.com.au.
