RE the article ‘‘ War widow fight: Plans to sell Dolls Point unit block’’ (Leader, October 25).
Thank you to the Leader for highlighting the eviction of the War Widows in Sans Souci by the War Widows Guild.
The very Guild set up to help these war widows now evicting them to sell the property to a developer.
Most of the money from the sale of the property will not be used to help war widows.
It will be used to pay the Guild’s “employee expenses” which are reported as nearly $1 million a year.
Plus, the plush offices in the city rented by the Guild for $150,000 pa. This is a case where the bureaucracy is using much of the money to feed itself.
My 92-year-old aunt is one those to be evicted.
The long self-serving Guild CEO claims in the Leader that the Guild is helping to rehouse the widows. This is not true.
The Guild has done nothing for my Aunt. Instead they are writing harassing letters telling her to find somewhere to rent.
Within a few years the War Widows Guild will disappear as it will have spent all its money on admin costs.
Very sad to see a once great organisation being destroyed through bad management.
N. Birdsall, Mortdale
While this move is tough and hard on our valued elderly, the story says that the residents have known about this since 2002, and they were advised of the sale five years ago.
While I can’t imagine how hard this time is for them, they have had at least 5 years to find new homes. Sadly low income housing is hard for everyone and while some rort the system and others like these ladies miss out.
It’s tough but sadly when u rent anywhere, nothing is certain.
That’s the way it is, as is home owners who end up with a freeway next door or a high rise.
Shellie McEvoy
My nan is the 97-year-old in this story.
She sold her house in Sans Souci 35 years ago and paid $30,000 to buy into this War Widows unit on the proviso she could live there until the day she died.
That house she sold back in the 70’s sold again just two years ago for $1.75 million.
My nan would be living a life of luxury today if she didn’t decide to move into these units many years ago but this was for the rest of her life so what did she have to lose.
Promises have been broken. The issue is not how much time they have been given to find alternate accommodation the issue is they they are being given no compensation or funding to move or find alternate accommodation.
This situation is not ok no matter which way you look at it.
Stacey Dudley
Can you imagine at the age of 90 having to find alternative accommodation, go through the physical task of moving? And possibly away from your neighbours, friends, GP, everything familiar to you? The stress on an older person would be incredible.
Rachael Cotis
My mother is a war widow, my father served in WW2 in New Guinea. His life and that of many others who fought was never the same again. He was fortunate to have a loving and supportive wife and family to sustain him. We owe these women better treatment than this.
Marcelle Hosking
We don’t even take care of our veterans properly. Are we really that shocked that this would happen to their widows.
Ashley Luland
