Thursday, September 01, 2005
Legacy Badge Day nerves
It's Legacy week. According to the Legacy website, "Legacy is a uniquely Australian organisation, established in 1923 by ex-servicemen dedicated to the task of caring for the widows and dependants of their comrades."
It's a pretty awesome idea; very Australian in every positive sense of the word. Once a year we have Legacy Badge Day, when they sell these little plastic badges with torches on them and huge long pins sticking out the bottom, that presumably you're meant to put in your lapel to show that you support the entire concept.
And every year, I feel guilty that I can't jump 100% behind it.
The reason is sort of embarrassing and makes me sound very neurotic: I am slightly phobic of Legacy Badges. Not scream and run away phobic, but shudder and avert my eyes phobic, certainly. It meant that when I was asked if I'd volunteer to sell them this year, I had to do a quick duck-shove to push it onto someone else.
The reason dates back to my childhood. I have this memory of my mother telling me how dangerous these pins were. More specifically, the kid across the road (who I hung out with all the time, playing in the street in a way I guess kids probably don't do so much anymore) had tried to stick a Legacy Badge pin through the power cord of the vacuum cleaner while it was on.
Of course, my little kiddie mind seems to have latched onto the pin as being the source of danger rather than (as would have obviously been the case) the electricity in the power cord...
So when I was asked if I wanted to buy a Legacy Badge this morning on the way into the office, I said that I'd give them all the change I had, but that they could keep the badge. They told me I was very generous.
If only they knew!
It's a pretty awesome idea; very Australian in every positive sense of the word. Once a year we have Legacy Badge Day, when they sell these little plastic badges with torches on them and huge long pins sticking out the bottom, that presumably you're meant to put in your lapel to show that you support the entire concept.
And every year, I feel guilty that I can't jump 100% behind it.
The reason is sort of embarrassing and makes me sound very neurotic: I am slightly phobic of Legacy Badges. Not scream and run away phobic, but shudder and avert my eyes phobic, certainly. It meant that when I was asked if I'd volunteer to sell them this year, I had to do a quick duck-shove to push it onto someone else.
The reason dates back to my childhood. I have this memory of my mother telling me how dangerous these pins were. More specifically, the kid across the road (who I hung out with all the time, playing in the street in a way I guess kids probably don't do so much anymore) had tried to stick a Legacy Badge pin through the power cord of the vacuum cleaner while it was on.
Of course, my little kiddie mind seems to have latched onto the pin as being the source of danger rather than (as would have obviously been the case) the electricity in the power cord...
So when I was asked if I wanted to buy a Legacy Badge this morning on the way into the office, I said that I'd give them all the change I had, but that they could keep the badge. They told me I was very generous.
If only they knew!
// posted by Cass @ 9:24 AM 
Comments:
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If nothing else, sticking a Legacy pin into a power cord is potentially spectacular...
I suppose you could always do what you did this year and just make a donation. I always go at least $10 for Legacy.
I suppose you could always do what you did this year and just make a donation. I always go at least $10 for Legacy.
That's some nice work lads. But if you want to avoid badge, or other charity spruikers, it's simple.
Simply hug the wall of the building until you get to the door. Then dart in. And, if they're inside the foyer, why you take a sudden great interest in fumbling for your pass.
It's just so easy !
I bought a Vietnam one and stuck it in my Lanyard. I do wonder though why they had the urge to select bright orange as the colour.
Cass - I too stuck a legacy pin in a cord. It didn't hurt me nnooin..I mean nnoe... er..n-n-n-one. There we have it.
And, once when I was a kid, I noticed my reflection in our shiny 70's stainless steel toaster. So I did what any kid would do - I gave myself a big old sloppy kiss ... and got a first degree burn.
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Simply hug the wall of the building until you get to the door. Then dart in. And, if they're inside the foyer, why you take a sudden great interest in fumbling for your pass.
It's just so easy !
I bought a Vietnam one and stuck it in my Lanyard. I do wonder though why they had the urge to select bright orange as the colour.
Cass - I too stuck a legacy pin in a cord. It didn't hurt me nnooin..I mean nnoe... er..n-n-n-one. There we have it.
And, once when I was a kid, I noticed my reflection in our shiny 70's stainless steel toaster. So I did what any kid would do - I gave myself a big old sloppy kiss ... and got a first degree burn.
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