Noelle's Story
October 29, 2026
When her husband Thomas passed away suddenly in 2003, Noelle was left grieving and facing an uncertain future.
The early days of her grief were lonely, until she found Legacy.
"For the first time in my life, I felt alone," she says. "The people at Legacy were welcoming and friendly, but most of all I valued their compassion and understanding."
One of the most difficult parts of losing a partner, especially as the wife of a veteran, is having to explain your story to strangers who don’t understand your experience.
When Noelle was invited to join Legacy's Younger Widows Support Group, she found connection and friendship with a group of women who understood exactly what she was going through without needing explanation.
"I found a wonderful community of women – many of whom had lost their husbands too. In short, I found a comradeship of my own," says Noelle.
Alongside the emotional support, Legacy also stepped in the help ease the burden of administrative process for Noelle, helping her access the War Widows Pension and a Gold Card.
"I am totally indebted to DVA and Melbourne Legacy for all the support I received in 2003," Noelle says.
Legacy was there to guide Noelle through an incredibly difficult time. Practical guidance eased the pressure of pensions and paperwork, while the friendships she found in her Widows’ group reminded her she wasn't alone.
Over twenty years on from when she first joined the Legacy community, Noelle is still a regular at Legacy House, now as a Legatee.
As Noelle found her footing, she wanted to help Legacy ensure other widows were able to receive the same lifechanging support she did.
"I became a Legatee because I wanted to give the same care and reassurance that I valued to other widows," she explains.
It was through helping others that Noelle rebuilt her own life, finding purpose in giving back what had been given to her.
In 2010, Noelle was inducted as a Legatee. Since then, she has supported widows through the same transition she once faced, visiting them at home, helping them complete Legacy enrolment forms, working through pension and Gold Card applications, and connecting them with local widows' groups. Just as importantly, she listens. "Sometimes, it isn't easy, but it is just so important to sit and listen."
Her own experience makes her easy to talk to.
"Being a Legatee and a widow, the widows aren't afraid to come and ask me things. I can support them, and if they need me, I'm only a phone call away."
Noelle helped Mary, a widow struggling to afford treatment for macular degeneration, when Legacy stepped in to cover the gap her Medicare benefit didn't reach. Their friendship lasted until Mary passed away in 2020. Mary often sent Noelle home with cuttings from her garden. "Each time I see the flowers my thoughts go back to Mary," Noelle says.
She also helped Joy, a new widow, apply for the War Widows Pension just before the first COVID-19 lockdown. The claim was successful within a week of being lodged, and Noelle remembers that she and Joy were both ecstatic.
In recognition of the difference she has made, Noelle was later awarded an OAM. But for her, the real reward is simpler. "I get satisfaction from seeing these ladies adjust to their new situation as a 'widow' following the loss of their loved one." Of her volunteering, she says, "I feel I get more out of it than what I give in. It's incredibly rewarding."
Noelle’s story began in 2003 and since then her relationship with Legacy has given her the chance to rebuild after loss. As the years have gone on her relationship with the organisation has changed but one thing has remained the same, the connection she shares with the Legacy community.
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