A Leaf For John
By Zoe Waters, Executive Director, Barwon Health Foundation
There’s a quiet corner of University Hospital Geelong that most visitors walk past. A tree, bronze-leafed, permanent, and full of names. For Rachelle Kowalski and her two sisters, one of those leaves now carries the name of their father, John, a small token to mark the care he received
John was, by all accounts, a man who showed up. For his family, for his mates, for anyone who needed a hand, or a tool.
“Dad loved the simple things in life and was always there to lend a hand or a tool to anyone who needed it,” daughter, Rachelle says. “A true handyman and jack of all trades, he was a perfectionist in everything he did.”
He was a hobby shooter, a card player, a tennis enthusiast. He shared drinks with friends on his verandah and, by Rachelle’s telling, was “the very best girl dad”. A man who spent hours out the back practising basketball with his daughters as they grew up, who never missed a chance to cheer them on. In later years he became “Pops” to his grandchildren, a role he adored.
For ten years, John experienced, a complex medical journey that saw him a frequent visitor to Barwon Health’s Andrew Love Cancer Centre. Throughout it, his character didn’t waver. He participated in trials and research, welcomed the medical students and trainee specialists who came to learn from his case, and remained, in Rachelle’s words, “always open to contributing in any way he could, hoping it might help others in the future.” He also relied, throughout his treatment, on countless blood and plasma donations.
Before he died, John asked his three girls to honour what had carried him: to donate, in his memory, to each of the hospitals and Foundations that had cared for him.
“Giving back meant a great deal to him,” Rachelle says. “He often spoke about how fortunate he felt for the care he received.”
Purchasing a leaf to be placed on the Barwon Health Foundation’s Lasting Legacy Tree was one way the family fulfilled that promise. The tree, installed at University Hospital Geelong, is a permanent tribute to supporters who invest in the future of local healthcare, a visual reminder that what we build here, we build together. Funds contributed to the Lasting Legacy Fund support medical equipment, research, and the kind of care that shapes outcomes for generations to come.
John's legacy, as Rachelle puts it simply, is "one of giving back, helping others, and appreciating the gift of good health." There's something fitting about a tree as the way to honour that. Steady. Deep-Rooted. There long after the moment has passed, just like the people whose names it holds.
I had the profound privilege of standing beside the family as they carefully placed John’s legacy leaf onto the tree, a moment filled with equal parts pride, love and grief. As they adjusted it, each of them gently remarked on the pressure of making sure it sat perfectly straight, “not crooked,” just as John would have wanted. In that small, deeply human moment, you could see his legacy at work, in the standards he lived by, the care he took in everything he did, and the enduring imprint he left on the people who loved him most.
A small number of leaves remain on the Lasting Legacy Tree. To find out more please contact our team at the Barwon Health Foundation on foundation@barwonhealth.org.au or 4215 8900
