Inverell Legacy office co-ordinator, Lyn Kitawal, outlined the changes and what they could mean to the spouses of those who served in the Second World War.

“Previously, to be eligible for Legacy support your partner had to have served overseas or in Darwin,” Lyn said.

“Now Legacy is accepting the blanket view for World War II servicemen, basically their thinking is that because the Japanese came so close to Australia the whole of Australia could have been attacked, so this means that Legacy will now extend the same benefits to the widows and widowers of those who served on the home front as well as to those who did so in war zones during World War II.

“We’re now calling for those partners of ex-servicemen from that conflict who may not have been previously eligible to get in contact with us and reassess their position,” Lyn said.

Partners of members of the Citizen’s Military Force were a good example Lyne said, as most of it’s members didn’t go overseas.

“We do a lot for our widows that other clubs don’t,” she said.

“We give out Christmas presents and provide heating subsidies during the winter and there are a lot of clubs that can’t afford to do that.

“Some clubs are much bigger so can’t afford to, some aren’t in a financial position to do it; we’re smaller and we get a lot of support from the local community,” Lyn said.

For anyone who would like to re-assess their eligibility contact Lyn on 6722 1945.