When Kay Aburn's husband, a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) personnel, died at 39 years old she dismissed the idea of seeking help.
But 24 years on, and Ms Aburn doesn't regret the support the Legacy Newcastle club gave her and her daughter, Blaze, who was nine years old at the time.
"It was good to have a thing where you knew you could ask for help, Legacy were always the first ones there, even just to talk to," Ms Auburn said.
From September 1 to 7, the Legacy Week appeal is raising money for the families of fallen or seriously injured Australian veterans.
Kevin 'Greg' Aburn had flown with RAAF for 26 years when he died from bowel cancer, triggered by exposure to aircraft chemicals, Ms Aburn said.
She said Legacy supported her with social groups for widows and her daughter with equipment for school, and holiday camps.
"You get to be around people who are in the same situation but you're not talking about it all the time, you have a bit of a comradeship with these people," she said.
"I found they have been just amazing with us, and even for mental things for my daughter as well," she said.
Part of a family
Newcastle Legacy vice president Lindsay Allen said the local branch currently supports 702 widows and 23 disabled people who were dependent on veterans.
"We consider ourselves part of a family. We are looking after widows and orphans to try and fill the gap that has been left by the loss of a parent," he said.
The charity helps with social, developmental and financial needs including support groups, department of veteran's affairs claims, payments for those on low incomes, and welfare visits and phone calls.
Mr Allen's grandmother first joined Legacy after his grandfather died in 1950 from injuries suffered back in World War I.
"When he came back, he'd lost an eye, half a lung, a fair bit of muscles and flesh from his leg was missing," he said.
While his grandmother did not need financial assistance, Mr Allen said this was not the case for many families today.
"People today might find they are isolated from their family because they live interstate or in some cases live in other countries," he said.
Helping with the 'little things'
Past Newcastle president, and volunteer for over 20 years, Lorraine O'Connor said children missed out on a lot of things when losing a parent.
"We give the children pocket money or after school activities or laptops for senior students," she said.
"A lot of times the department of veterans' affairs doesn't do the little things like that."
For many families, it was about helping them find the right resources for them, she said.
Evelyn Brown, 82, joined a Legacy widows support group in Swansea when her husband died in 2011.
She felt the social outings had really brought her out of her shell.
"From the first day I met all the ladies, I was just so overwhelmed with people just caring about me," she said.
"I would be lost without them, I really would."
