For a Greater Geelong: The Gift That Lasts Beyond a Lifetime
At 78 years of age, Dorothy is now getting towards her ‘twilight years’ and, whilst she has some health concerns, she is doing her best to live life to its fullest.
However, over the years life has delivered unimaginable heartbreak. Her husband, Garry, passed away at just 34 years of age from a sudden heart attack. Her only child, Shane, passed away in 2017 at just 45 years old following a brief and devastating battle with kidney cancer. These days Dorothy makes regular trips to Queensland to visit her younger sister, battling with dementia.
Amidst all this, Dorothy has made the decision to leave a gift in her will to the Barwon Health Foundation to support cancer research and cardiology.
As Dorothy said: “I can’t take anything with me, but I can leave something behind. Something good. Something that lasts.”
At the Barwon Health Foundation we have received bequests from all manner of people – from those who have owned their own businesses, to professionals, to volunteer firefighters, to humble people who have either been grateful for the care that they or a loved one had received at our health service, or those who simply want to give back to their community – a constant reminder that anyone can leave behind a legacy that outlives them.
And as Geelong and our broader region faces the future, the question grows louder: What kind of legacy will we, as a community, choose to leave?
A once-in-a-generation opportunity
Australia is experiencing the largest intergenerational transfer of wealth in our history. Over the next two decades, an estimated $5.4 trillion will pass between generations. Yet only around 1% of this wealth currently flows to charities. Even a small increase would unlock hundreds of millions of dollars for causes that matter most to our communities.
At the moment, only about 6.5% of Australians include a charitable gift in their Will, compared with nearly 14% in the UK. If Australians participated at the same rate as the UK, the impact on a whole range of charities including those supporting health, social services, and the arts would be transformative.
The quiet strength of legacy giving
Unlike donations at an event or in response to an appeal, bequests are deeply personal. They are written quietly, often without fanfare, into a legal document that may not come to light for decades. Yet their impact can be extraordinary.
Bequests are also remarkably resilient. When fundraising became more challenging in recent years, national benchmarking showed overall giving declined by 4.6%, while bequest income rose by 5.5%.
Put simply, Australians are becoming more open to the idea of using their Will to make a lasting difference.
Why people choose to give
Research into legacy giving paints a clear picture of motivation:
- Family first, community next. Almost all donors prioritise looking after loved ones before making a charitable gift. A bequest doesn’t take away from family — it extends care outward.
- Personal connection. Most people give to organisations that touched their life. A mother who gave birth in the Special Care Nursery, a father who received cancer treatment, a family who found comfort in palliative care.
- Belonging. Geelong people are proud of their region. A local gift is a way to keep that pride alive for generations.
- The desire for lasting impact. Unlike an annual donation, a bequest creates a legacy that endures — through support of research or a new service or an expansion of an existing service
- Interestingly, how people are asked matters. A UK trial involving thousands of clients found that when solicitors simply asked about charitable giving in Will conversations, the rate of bequests more than doubled. And when clients were told that “many people choose to leave a gift in their Will,” first-time Will-writers were 40% more likely to follow suit.
The legal side - made simple
The legal steps to leaving a bequest are simpler than many imagine:
- Write or update your Will. Around 60% of Australians don’t have one — which means estates are often divided without their wishes being considered. Instead, a formula based on next-of-kin is applied. This is a missed opportunity to benefit the people and the organisations that you truly care about, in the proportions that you determine are appropriate.
- Be precise. Use the charity’s full legal name and ABN. Many charities include these details, as well as specific wording to include in your Will, on their website. If you can’t find this information, just make a quick call to the charity and the Bequests Manager will be happy to assist.
- Decide the type of gift.
- A fixed sum (pecuniary bequest)
- A percentage of your estate
- The residue of your estate after gifts to family and the payment of any estate-related expenses
- Choose flexibility or purpose. You can leave funds “where most needed” or nominate an area like cancer research, children’s health, or mental health. This is included in the wording of the bequest in your Will.
- You can benefit more than one charity. You can leave bequests (either in the form of fixed dollar amounts, or a percentage of your Estate), to a number of different charities if it is too difficult to choose just one!
- Lasting legacy. Want to do more than making a single bequest? Your Will can be used to create a Fund which pays an annual benefit to a charity (or between multiple charities) while retaining and growing the original sum.
- Review regularly. Major life events — marriage, retirement, new grandchildren, changes to your financial circumstances — are natural moments to revisit your Will. A regular review will also ensure the charity’s details listed in your Will are up-to-date and will identify any other changes.
- Tell your family. Clear conversations reduce confusion and help ensure your legacy is honoured.
Why local matters - and why health resonates
While many Australians support national or international charities, leaving a bequest to a local cause ensures your legacy strengthens the very community you’ve lived in and loved.
- Animal welfare programs,
- Youth and family services,
- The arts and culture,
- Sport and recreation,
- Homelessness and social support, and
- Critically, healthcare — the sector that touches every family.
Health consistently ranks among the top causes supported by Australian bequests. That’s no surprise: almost all of us will interact with the healthcare system in a profound way during our lives, whether through birth, illness, or end-of-life care.
Why Geelong, why health?
Geelong is a city defined by care. Since the 1840’s, the baton of generosity has been passed between generations. Today, we face new challenges: rising cancer diagnoses, a growing demand for advanced surgical theatres, mental health pressures among young people, and an ever-increasing population growth in our region which puts more demands on
Leaving a bequest to the Barwon Health Foundation is one of the most direct ways to meet those challenges. Your gift could:
- Fund cancer clinical trials so local families access cutting-edge treatments without leaving the region.
- Support children’s programs like music therapy, helping young patients find comfort in the toughest times.
- Back the new Women’s and Children’s Hospital, delivering world-class care for mothers and babies.
- Strengthen palliative care, ensuring dignity and compassion when it matters most.
These aren’t abstract benefits. They are concrete, measurable impacts on the lives of thousands of Geelong families each year.
And the list of causes within the services at Barwon Health that can be supported by a donation or a bequest would tally more than a hundred – cancer, mental health, cardiology, stroke, specific women’s and children’s health, neurological conditions such as MS and MND, renal, rehabilitation, palliative care …. the list goes on and on … and sitting alongside is world-stage medical research being conducted right here in Geelong.
From birth through to death, and almost all the health milestones in between, the Barwon Health Foundation has one overarching mission - to make sure the people of Greater Geelong and the Barwon region have the very best health care, close to home.
A hidden opportunity
Currently, bequests make up around 10% of all charitable giving in Australia. But the potential is far greater. If participation rose from 6.5% of Wills to just 10%, the sector would unlock hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
Imagine what that would mean for Geelong. More advanced hospital equipment. Expanded services for children. More support for families facing cancer. More dignity in palliative care. All funded not by governments, but by everyday people choosing to leave something extraordinary.
Passing the baton
Dorothy’s story is just one among many. Across Geelong, regular people are deciding that their Will should carry more than financial instructions — it should carry their values.
During Include a Charity Week, the invitation is simple: reflect on what story you want your Will to tell.
For a Greater Geelong, that story can be one of care, compassion, and continuity. And for those who choose to support the Barwon Health Foundation, it will be a story of healthier lives, stronger families, and a hospital system ready for tomorrow.
That is a legacy worth leaving.
Message from Barwon Health Foundation
For more information on how you can create your legacy, to receive a bequests brochure, or for a confidential, no-obligation discussion, please contact Francis Trainor, Philanthropy and Bequests Manager, Barwon Health Foundation on 4215 8900 or ftrainor@barwonhealth.org.au
Message from Coulter Legal
“Include a Charity Week” is a great reminder for all of us to consider a charitable bequest in our Wills – whether that is creating a new Will which leaves a lasting legacy, or updating an existing Will to vary an existing charitable bequest or add a new bequest in. Charitable bequests should always be considered, whether they be made alongside the provision for family and next of kin, or as an alternate distribution of your Estate should the first-appointed beneficiaries not be able to enjoy in your Estate.
The Wills, Estates and Succession Planning team at Coulter Legal is your local team for Wills and charitable bequests. Our friendly lawyers have recently been recognised by Doyles Guide amongst the Leading Wills & Estate Planning Lawyers in Victoria and can guide you through the process of making or reviewing your Will, from start to finish. Over our 90 years servicing Geelong and surrounds, we have worked with clients to provide fixed sum charitable gifts in their Wills, right through to establishing charitable funds for the next generation to manage and provide ongoing support for charitable organisations well into the future.
Whether it is advising you on your options to include charitable giving in your estate plan, including a simple bequest in your Will, planning for gifting during your lifetime or even creating a bespoke charitable fund, the expert team at Coulter Legal are here to assist.
Visit our website here.
