The Top Ender Magazine June July 2022 Edition

Legacy Backyard Assist
Buying a Home to Live In
Legacy beneficiary, Apple
Craufurd, recently had a great
boost when teams from the
Army’s 1CSSB and RPS Group’s
project management team in
Darwin did a ‘Backyard Blitz’
clean-up for her.
Apple’s garden had been one of
Darwin’s open garden scheme
locations, recognised as a top visit site
for the annual program. However
due to illness, Apple had not been
able to it to give it the attention it had
in the past so at the initiative of RPS
and with the wonderful support of
1CSSB, the yard had a much needed
clean-up. Kennards Winnellie also
helped out with a massive discount on
the hire of the necessary line
trimmers, saws and other equipment
needed for the day.
The teams were on the ground early,
some with their own tools, and made
short work of the big jobs. By midafternoon,
the large skip bin had been
filled and the garden had re-emerged
in something like the perfect shape it
had once shown.
Legacy NT President, Scott Perkins
thanked the teams. “Everyone
involved deserves a massive thanks”
he said. “Occasions like this just show
how generous the support can be for
a good cause.”
RPS’s hard working team were proud
to be involved: “RPS are proud of our
ongoing partnership with Legacy and
to support the great work they do
helping families of veterans and those
injured in service. Our Darwin team
were thrilled with the opportunity to
work alongside the soldiers from the
1st Combat Service Support
Battalion and to lend a helping hand
to clean up Apple’s backyard as part
of the Legacy Backyard Assist
program. It was a great feeling to see
how much the support meant to
Apple. The RPS team are looking
forward to the next joint team effort”
says the team leader.
Legacy - 99 and still going strong!
Now in its 99th year, Legacy is still
upholding the promise it made
following WW1;“Don’t worry
mate, we’ll look after the missus
and kids”. Through its history, the
Legacy Clubs of Australia have
helped many thousands of children
through school and provided much
needed support to the families who
lost a parent in war.
This promise is still relevant although
the demographic has changed a little. In
the NT Legacy has some 120
beneficiaries under its umbrella and this
number is likely to remain at that level
according to a recent demographic
analysis. Currently the overwhelming
number of beneficiaries are elderly, their
partner having passed through the effect
of war service however we also assist
families of younger veterans residing in
the Territory.
Our local Club of 25 members, or
Legatees as they are known, provide
advice for and connection with a wide
range of matters relating to aged care,
DVA entitlements and disability care.
The club also runs a social engagement
program of monthly lunches and other
functions to make sure that we don’t
also deal with loneliness and isolation.
www.legacy.com.au
Photos: (top) Australian Army soldiers from 1st Combat
Service Support Battalion and staff from Regional Planning
Services with Mrs Apple as part of Legacy assistance in
Darwin, NT.
(bottom) Australian Army Private Benjamin Curtis from 1st
Combat Service Support Battalion removes overgrowth as
part of the clean up of Mrs Apple's garden in Darwin, NT.
All this is possible through the generous
support of the NT population who
have been extremely generous over
many decades, actively supporting our
fundraising activities. We also very
much appreciate the efforts of serving
defence members who not only help
out with fundraising but also many of
the other tasks needed to assist in the
Club’s efforts.
We also have some important
corporate supporters, notably RPS
Group who are a national supporter of
Legacy.
Thank you!
Buying a home can be very exciting and is also
one of the biggest purchases you are ever likely
to make. Buying a property comes with high entry
and exit fees, so do your research before you
commit.
Before deciding on a property, consider the needs of you and
your family. For example, do you need to evaluate access to
schools, shops, transport and recreational facilities? Check
local council websites for socio-economic data and planned
developments – it may be wise not to buy a property if there
are plans for a new freeway along your back fence. Is the area
prone to flooding or bushfires, is it under a flight path? These
are some of the questions you might want to answer when
making such a large investment.
When buying a home to live in, there are a number of grants
and subsidies that might be available to you, depending on
your circumstances and where you are buying the property.
These include:
• Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme
(DHOAS) – a scheme to help ADF members own their
own home. If you have a period of full-time service
greater than 4 years, you may be eligible for assistance
through the scheme. The assistance consists of a monthly
subsidy paid directly into your qualifying home loan. The
longer your service, the higher your potential subsidy.
You can also take up to four years of subsidy as an upfront
lump sum, providing you have enough service
credit, but this may have tax implications, so consider
getting tax advice first. A DHOAS loan is only beneficial
if the interest rate is competitive. If you can get a cheaper
rate on a similar loan elsewhere, you don’t have to use
DHOAS. Alternatively, negotiate a better rate with a
DHOAS lender.
• Home purchase assistance scheme (HPAS) – payable
only once during a member’s ADF service, this provides
a one-off payment to eligible members if they buy a
home in their posting location and live in it.
• Home purchase or sale expenses allowance (HPSEA) –
reimbursement to an eligible member of the reasonable
costs of selling a home, purchased under HPAS, and
purchasing another home they will live in at the next
posting location.
• First home owner grant – is a national scheme,
administered and funded by each state and territory,
which provides a one-off grant to eligible first home
owners.
If you are thinking about buying a home, make a list of ‘must
haves’ and ‘nice to haves’ as well as any deal breakers, such as
ruling out properties without a backyard or less than 3
bedrooms.
You can also use the MoneySmart mortgage calculator to get
an idea of how much you can afford to borrow or how much
your repayments will be:
https://moneysmart.gov.au/home-loans/mortgage-calculator
By ADF Financial Services Consumer Centre
https://adfconsumer.gov.au/duringcareer/
18 The Top Ender | Tri-Services Magazine Incorporated JUNE/JULY 2022 19