THIS coming Saturday 19 October officially marks a special day of dedicated commemoration for the National War Widows Day in South Australia.

It was only last year, in March 2023, that the South Australian Government first declared 19 October as War Widows Day, following strong advocacy from the Australian War Widows (SA) Inc.

The occasion is now commemorated by states and territories nationally each year to recognise and pay tribute to the strength, courage, and unwavering commitment of those who have lost a spouse or partner through service for the Australian Defence Force.

One Riverland war widow, Stella Reinertsen, has a special reason to honour and commemorate War Widows Day 2024, because of the recent recovery of the Vietnam War service and campaign medals earned by her late husband, Christopher, during his deployment to Vietnam as a Royal Australian Regiment infantryman in 1967.

Riverland Vietnam Veterans has been assisting Mrs Reinertsen to be granted a full set of her husband’s RAR medals and service awards not yet received from the Department of Defence Directorate of Honours and Awards.

She plans to wear her husband’s medals proudly for the first time at the forthcoming Remembrance Day ceremony in Renmark to salute his service and sacrifice, and to urge other war widows to take pride in their strength and resilience despite the challenges.

War Widows Day is an opportunity for the community to remember, reflect, and show appreciation for the sacrifices made by those left behind - widows (and widowers) and their families - when they experience the loss of a loved one in defence of Australia.