Honouring Eric Hiorth’s Lasting Legacy
By Zoe Waters, Executive Director, Barwon Health Foundation
There are few bigger privileges in my role than having the honour of sitting down with family members who have lost a loved one and wish to discuss how to continue their legacy through Barwon Health. Last week, I had that great honour for a man I was privileged to know, Eric Norman Hiorth.
Last Tuesday, Libby Bate, President of the Cancer After Care Group and I welcomed Eric’s niece Amanda Hiorth and his sister-in-law Patt Cristina, to the Barwon Health Foundation to reflect on a life dedicated to service, compassion and community. It was a deeply moving conversation, not simply about philanthropy, but about preserving the spirit of a man whose quiet contribution helped shape cancer care in our region for many years.
Amanda and Patt generously shared stories about Eric's hobbies and love for fixing things. We spoke about his childhood, how he grew up on a flower farm in Wallington and became a real green thumb throughout his adult life.
Eric served as a devoted member of the Cancer After Care Group for decades. He first joined the Committee of Management before later taking on the role of Treasurer in 2015. He also worked tirelessly in the group’s beloved thrift shop until it eventually closed its doors. Eric passed away on 29 September 2025, aged 70, leaving behind an extraordinary legacy of generosity and service.
Anyone who sat around a committee table with Eric would remember the same thing. He was softly spoken, never seeking attention or recognition. But when Eric spoke, everyone listened. There was wisdom in his words, kindness in his approach and a deep commitment to ensuring others received the care and support they needed during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
The Cancer After Care Group has raised and donated more than $4 million to support Barwon Health’s cancer care at the Andrew Love Cancer Centre. That contribution alone has changed countless lives across our region. Eric played an invaluable role in that achievement. Not for applause, not for profile, but because he genuinely cared about people.
What struck me most last week was that even after a lifetime of giving, Eric’s generosity continues. Through a gift left in his Will, Eric made the decision to continue supporting cancer care beyond his own lifetime. It is difficult to put into words what that means to an organisation like ours, but more importantly, what it means to future patients and families who will continue to benefit from his kindness for generations to come.
There is something profoundly powerful about legacy giving. It is not about wealth or status. It is about values. It is about ordinary people making extraordinary decisions that continue to shape their community long after they are gone.
One of the greatest honours of our work at Barwon Health Foundation is helping families create deeply personal and meaningful ways to permanently honour those legacies within the history of healthcare in our region.
At the conclusion of our meeting, it was deeply fitting that Amanda and Patt decided to establish The Eric Norman Hiorth Legacy Fund, a permanent endowment fund that will forever support care at Barwon Health's Andrew Love Cancer Centre.
That is the true benefit of giving through Barwon Health Foundation. Your legacy does not disappear. It does not sit idle. It becomes woven into the fabric of care, compassion and humanity that supports local health and local people, every single day.
And thanks to people like Eric Hiorth, that legacy will continue forever.
