THE Tydvil, in a fundraising collaboration with the Legacy Club of South Australia and Broken Hill, have released their annual special rosemary blend of gin commemorating local veterans and raising money for local families.
The Tydvil has made 200 bottles of the special gin every year for the past four years, raising $10,000 per year and $30,000 in total for Legacy.
Legacy uses the funds to care and support the families of deceased and seriously injured veterans in the Broken Hill region, which has 55 widows currently supported by the organisation.
Secretary and treasurer of South Australia and Broken Hill Legacy Mark Winen said the groups hope to raise another $10,000 through the gin sales, which cost $100 a bottle.
“All the money stays in Broken Hill and looks after the well-being of our legacy widows,” he said.
“We’ve got 55 widows left in town and out of those there’s about 37 of them still active at home or in a rental property, the others are in nursing homes.
“We pay all their bills, we look after what they need in their house, interest-free loans if they need anything, and the ones in nursing homes we pay their chemist bills, and supply grocery vouchers.
Mr Winen said the charity is well supported by businesses in Broken Hill.
“It’s great that we can give something back to everyone and spend some money here,” he said.
Mr Winen said that every bottle of gin remembers a fallen local soldier.
“We choose a local person that’s been in the wars and sadly passed away,” he said.
“So to remember them we always look at someone that’s gone into war while living in Broken Hill and actually come back to Broken Hill; whether they passed away or if they got killed at war then at least their family’s here.”
Every year the gin commemorates a former soldier from Broken Hill, with this year’s Sapper Earnest Fredrick Allen of the 2/48th Infantry Battalion, 26th Brigade, 9th Division, 2nd A.I.F.
Mr Allen was born on March 5, 1919 and died in February 2006.
He’s survived by his family and granddaughter Anissa Allen-Isaac said the whole family are very proud of him and happy to honour his memory though the fundraiser.
“The fact that he was able to survive the war was so lucky,” she said.
“He didn’t really talk about it much, but every now and then a little story would come out, like he had one fond memory of the dancing girls.
“The rest of it was not really fond memories, but he just sort of let things out here and then.
“How hard it was that he went out and saw his group just drop around him.”
Ms Allen-Isaac said it was an honour to have the gin to acknowledge her grandfather.
“I think it’s great, Legacy do a wonderful job,” she said.
For those wanting to purchase a bottle of this year’s gin, either order online via the distillery website, or pop into the Tydvil on Oxide Street.
