Get Ready for the Legacy Centenary Commemoration Torch Relay in 2023

by Digby Ross

The Legacy Centenary Torch Relay is a six-month campaign to pay homage to and acknowledge veterans’ families, saluting their sacrifice. Legacy has its roots in a battlefield promise, from the trenches in Pozieres, on the Western Front in World War I. A promise from a soldier to his dying mate to “look after the missus and the kids” is one that has been revered since the first Legacy Club was established.

Honouring the promise to the thousands of veterans, Major General Sir John Gellibrand formed the Remembrance Club here in Hobart to help widows and children left behind. Records show and reports in the Mercury establish that the Remembrance Club Hobart was formed in 1922. Lieutenant General Sir Stanley Savige, another returning soldier, visited his mate Gellibrand in Hobart and saw the work of the Remembrance Club. He was inspired to establish a similar club in Melbourne in 1923 named Legacy. This year, to commemorate the centenary, the Legacy Relay begins on 23 April, 2023, in Pozieres, France where the torch will be lit at an opening ceremony at the military cemetery. On 25 April, 2023 the torch will arrive at an Anzac Day Ceremony at the Australian War Memorial at Villers Brentonneux. From there the torch travels to Menin Gate in Belgium for a Last Post Ceremony and on to London Legacy. This starts a total of 45 Legacy Club stops. It will be flown into Albany and travel via Fremantle to Perth.

The torch will travel over 55,000 kilometres through 100 locations, carried by 1,500 Torch Bearers. In addition to paying homage it aims to raise $10 million for Legacy.

The torch will be carried from Adelaide to Darwin then down the Queensland coast via eight Legacy clubs through Brisbane and then through NSW 19 Legacy Clubs.

The torch is in Canberra for the National Legacy Week Launch in the last week of August, then via 11 Clubs in Victoria before flying to Launceston. Legacy Week was started in 1942 as the War Orphans Appeal to raise funds for widows and children of soldiers who did not return.

From Launceston the torch relay visits Ouse, the birthplace of Sir John Gellibrand, then onto Hobart. From Hobart it flies to Melbourne to pay homage to the birthplace of Sir Stanley Savige. The torch is carried along the main streets of Melbourne on Friday 13 October, 2023.

Around Australia Legacy currently supports 40,185 widows and widowers, 1282 children and youths, and 107 beneficiaries with disabilities. Legacy is inviting people to register as volunteers to assist with the local torch bearers. Applications for torch bearers have closed but you can cheer them on when they visit here.

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Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

Bits and Pieces- June 2026

Hobart Happenings

by Steph Williams

Bits and Pieces – May 2026

Bits and Pieces- May 2026

Stay up to date with everything happening at the Hobart Magazine.

Worker shortage is currently universal, there isn’t an industry that’s exempt. For Kelvin Smith, four years ago he decided there was a very obvious solution to the shortage facing the construction industry, and all that was needed was a little time, empathy and a helping hand. Integrate Workforce is a Hobart-based labour company with one requirement: a refugee/ migrant background. He’s also the outdoor piano man in his free time.

Landscape artist and creative Elliott Nimmo is enjoying discovering Hobart’s vibrant art scene and local environment after relocating here from London to pursue his art.

Even though Tasmania is known for its mild summers, it doesn’t take much to get sunburnt. Tasmania experiences extreme ultraviolet (UV) levels, but contrary to popular belief this isn’t due to the hole in the ozone layer, which is actually south of the continent.While higher UV levels often occur at the same time as higher temperatures, the two are not linked. Instead, UV levels are determined by the angle of the sun in the sky: the higher the sun, the higher the UV. In December and January, the position of the sun over Tasmania gives the state a UV index of 11 or more on most days, which is classified as “extreme” on the UV index. Tasmania’s lack of humidity and generally clear skies contribute to the stinging feeling of the sun. UV can reflect off buildings and water, making it possible to get a higher dose of UV from these reflected rays, even in the shade.

Setting up shop during a pandemic was a risky move, but if the crowd at Dāna Eating House (Dāna) on a Friday night is anything to go by, it’s one that’s paid off. With tables of diners chatting and laughing over drinks, the music and conversation buzzes off the monstera-leaf-green walls. Low-hanging rattan lights and worn wooden floorboards give the newly opened South-East Asian fusion venue in Hobart’s CBD a relaxed vibe.

A Holyman flagged ship hasn’t steamed up the River Derwent since 1984 but the company’s name still proudly adorns its former offices at 5 Morrison Street, Hobart.

Widening the Tasman Bridge to allow 3.5 metres on each side is a big win for walkers and cyclists.

Need a laugh? Check out @theinspiredunemployed feed on Instagram.

Rain, hail and shine, the school crossing guards are always there to help with a smile on their face.

It’s hard to believe it’s not standard practice to have a working phone in every aged care room - shared phones make private conversations impossible and increase the risk of spreading COVID-19.

Just when you think your cousins are alright. NZ Opposition Leader Judith Collins took aim at Tassie during her recent (unsuccessful) campaign, calling us Australia’s “poor cousin.” She also seems worried about us nabbing tech businesses, “It’s a lovely part of the world but do you necessarily want to go there with your high- tech business? Possibly not,” she said. We beg to differ!