Raymond is no stranger to Legacy, in fact his ties are strong.
Growing up, Raymond lost his father, a WWII Veteran at the young age of 11 and Legacy was there to support him and his family. From attending the regular camps, the Wednesday night outings and the youth club get-togethers, Raymond has many great memories of his Legacy involvement.
As Raymond got older he became a camp leader and eventually, Chairman of the Youth Committee, before being asked to act as a Legatee in his early 20’s. At this time, it was unusual to see a Legatee who wasn’t a veteran themselves, however Raymond was recognised as a volunteer of value who would be perfect for the role.
“I loved my involvement with Legacy, so when I was asked to be a Legatee and support widows and family members of those who gave their lives in service, it was a no brainer.”
“Spending time with those who had lost a loved one, helping them with the little things, being a listening ear, sharing a cup of coffee, it was the least I could do for them.”
Today, Raymond’s father would’ve been 96 years old and although Raymond didn’t follow in his footsteps of serving, he spent four years in the Army Cadets and he has since developed a keen interest in the history of WWII, especially his father’s Battalion.
He’s spent countless hours digging through electronic archives and the internet to find out anything he could about his father’s serving days.
“Growing up, war wasn’t something we talked about at home. We didn’t talk about dad serving. I’ve researched most of what I know about his time in WWII comes from my research.”
Through persistent research, Raymond also discovered that in addition to the three medals his father initially received for his service, he was eligible for more. In his name, Raymond began the application process and now proudly has six medals, along with a prized photograph of his father (who Raymond bears an uncanny resemblance to) framed in his home.
Raymond looks back on his time involved with Legacy fondly and although his ties are further stretched nowadays, he still closely follows and feels very passionately about Legacy as an organisation.
“When I heard we were involved with the relay I thought it would be a great opportunity to give a little bit back to an organisation that gave so much to me when I was younger.”
Raymond is coming up on his 30-years of service with the business this month, having worked on the Submarines at ASC North, the Air Warfare Destroyer’s, Offshore Patrol Vessel’s and now the Hunter class frigates.
