Arabella's Story

Family photos are filled with army greens and camo print, a persistent reminder of what her father gave in his time in the Australian Defence Force and the effect this has had on their family.

“We've always understood the importance of what my dad did. However, after a short term of service, he became incredibly ill - it both physically and mentally debilitated him, displacing what my mother pictured for the family she was trying to raise.” Arabella shares.

With three girls all under the age of three, Arabella's mother found herself thrust into an impossible role as carer, sole provider, and the one holding the family together through it all.

"After years of making do, at what felt like our lowest point, Legacy came into our life," she recalls.

It was 2018, and for a family that had been quietly struggling, everything was about to change. Arabella was just 11 years old. Her father was unwell, her mother was stretched impossibly thin, and the family had no stable place to call home.

"I remember back in 2018 feeling scared, isolated and worried for what my future would look like, we were struggling to find a place to live... we had no prospects of our situation improving." 

Legacy stepped in with the kind of support that reaches into every corner of a family's life. Providing practical support for essentials with financial assistance for food, rent, and school expenses, as well as gift vouchers so that Christmas could still feel magical, the same as it did for any other family.

Legacy also nurtured Arabella’s passion for the Arts, supporting her to thrive in this area. She had a passion for music, and it might easily have stayed a distant dream. Instead, Legacy helped fund music camps and lessons, turning what felt like a luxury into something real and achievable.

"Legacy's support has been far greater than any price tag could ever be placed on it, without Legacy’s support my family wouldn't be where we are now.” 

Legacy offered Arabella and her family a space to feel as though they were not alone. Through counselling and mentoring, they were able to share the emotional burden that comes along with caring for a loved one changed by their service.

While Arabella's mum found peers who had been on a similar journey, Arabella and her sisters found other kids just like them who understood, without needing an explanation, what it meant to grow up as the child of a veteran.

As Arabella grew up, her relationship with Legacy grew with her: from a family receiving support, to a young woman actively representing the organisation and the community it serves.

“At the beginning of 2023, my family was flown to Canberra to meet the former Governor-General of Australia, David Hurley. This event ignited my passion for legal studies but more importantly made us feel proud that our story was something worth listening to.

"Midway through the same year I carried the Legacy torch at the Melbourne Legacy’s ANZAC Commemoration for Students. As a proud leader of my community, it was so special to me that I was given this opportunity to represent Legacy at such a significant event.” Arabella shares.

At the end of 2023, Arabella joined more than 1,400 torchbearers in the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay, carrying the flame through the streets of Melbourne to mark 100 years of Legacy.

"Being a part of this event strengthened my gratitude for all that Legacy has provided for not only my family but the many that have come before"

That sense of gratitude has become a driving force in Arabella's own life, shaping her into a leader in her community and inspiring her to seek out ways to give back.

"As I get older, the more involved I get," she says, "in order to ensure these services reach the families that deserve to have their lives changed just like ours."

Arabella recently spoke at the launch of this year's Legacy Week at the Parliament of Victoria. Sharing her story with MPs and showcasing how Legacy's support when she was younger has impacted the young woman she has become.

Today, Arabella is studying at the University of Melbourne, surrounded by close friends in a course she loves. It's a future her 11-year-old self, sitting in the uncertainty of 2018, could never have imagined.

"Little me would have never dreamed of being at the University of Melbourne studying alongside my closest friends in our dream courses," she reflects, "but here I am — living proof of how it gets better, simply from getting the support we needed."

Arabella's story is, at its heart, a story about what becomes possible when a family in crisis is met with genuine support.

"As someone who benefited from Legacy, I can say from experience there is nothing more life-changing than providing a family with resources and support," she adds. "Every child of a veteran, grieving widow, and family impacted by the defence forces deserves a supported future."