Gifts in Wills

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Make education your legacy

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The great University should find its heroes in the present, its hope in the future. It should look ever forward, for the past should be but a preparation for the greater days to be.

Prime Minister John Curtin, 1932.

Legacy gifts are among the most significant and meaningful donations a person can make. Writing a gift in your Will is a heartfelt commitment to the future of Curtin University– a powerful way to ensure that the life you have lived benefits the world you leave behind. Gifts of every size enable Curtin to continue its bold, innovative and inclusive drive to build a smarter and fairer world, transforming lives through education, research and service to our communities. We are so grateful for the generosity and vision of those who commit to look ever forward with us, and we warmly welcome them to the Curtin family. 

For more information or to discuss the possibility of leaving a gift to Curtin University, please contact Emma Matson on emma.matson@curtin.edu.au or +61 8 9266 5077

The Look Ever Forward Society

Andrew Nicholls, Untitled (Cockatoos), 2021. Learn more about the artist and artwork here.

When you include Curtin in your Will, you become a treasured member of the Look Ever Forward Society – a growing circle of like-minded people with a shared vision of Curtin’s future. As a valued member of our Curtin Community you will be presented with a beautiful Look Ever Forward Society pin and receive invitations to attend special events. For those interested, you could also be acknowledged on our website, paving the way for others to consider investing in their futures.

Investing in the future

Investing in the future

A gift to the Curtin University Endowment Fund

Enduring values

Enduring values

A legacy gift to a specific area of study/research

In Memory

In Memory

Honouring a loved one

Looking Ever Forward

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Ailsa West

Ailsa West is leaving a gift in her Will to enable high-achieving screen arts students to pursue their dreams.

“I hope my bequest will encourage and reward future generations. It is for those people who are highly motivated and passionate. I hope it might allow someone to travel overseas and make that important film or documentary.”
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Allison Taylor Single Mum Scholarship

Allison Taylor had a life-long love of learning and an unwavering commitment to supporting and encouraging others. Her last wish was to establish a scholarship at Curtin to help single mums – one that her friends, family and colleagues could support through donations. Thanks to the generosity of her loved ones, the Allison Taylor Single Mum Scholarship was created in her memory.
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Nelly Hodges

Curtin graduate Nelly Hodges wants to inspire future generations of medical scientists.

“My main motivation behind leaving the bequest was my passion for medical science. I wanted to ensure future generations were encouraged to pursue medical science. It is in some ways a silent profession, with the general public unaware of what we do, but it is incredibly rewarding, especially in the hospital setting as you are helping to save lives.”
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How to include Curtin in your Will

If you are thinking of leaving a gift to Curtin, we encourage you to reach out to discuss your wishes before you draft or update your Will, especially if you are leaving a gift for a specific purpose or giving an asset, such as an artwork. This will ensure that your wishes can be fulfilled by the University.

We recommend you seek legal advice when drafting your Will or amending an existing Will with a codicil. Curtin is unable to provide specific legal advice; however, we can refer you to a solicitor specialising in Wills and estates.

We also encourage you to share your wishes with your loved ones and explain to them why your decision to include Curtin in your Will is important to you. We warmly welcome family members at Look Ever Forward Society events.

Our Promise to You

Writing or amending your Will and deciding to leave a philanthropic donation is a major and very personal decision. We acknowledge that it takes time and careful consideration. Know that we are honoured that you are thinking of Curtin, and we will treat all discussions and enquiries with great respect and confidentiality. We are committed to ensuring that your gift is used wisely, responsibly and in a way that maximises its impact.

We hope the information provided here will assist you in the process, and we encourage you to contact us for a confidential conversation about your wishes. We would be honoured to listen to your story and help you craft a lasting legacy. 

Jeffery Elliott

Jeffery Elliott is giving Carrolup drawings to the John Curtin Gallery in his Will, returning artworks by children of the Stolen Generations to Western Australia after decades in the United States.

Jeff’s mother, Jean Thompson (pictured), was raised in Katanning near the Carrolup Native Settlement, where Aboriginal children removed from their families were detained. Jean would play the organ at Sunday service in town and would repeat it at Carrolup for the children.

In 1945 Jean met Jeff’s father, a United States sailor stationed in Fremantle, and they were soon engaged and would move to the US. On one of her last Sundays at Carrolup, Jean was offered some of the children’s drawings to remind her of where she grew up. In Iowa, Jean would use the artworks to illustrate her homeland on the other side of the world to service groups and school classes.

Jeff feels the artworks should now be sent home to be reunited with many others by the Carrolup children, held in custodianship by the John Curtin Gallery, to educate the community on truth-telling and reconciliation.

Ailsa West

Ailsa West is leaving a gift in her Will to enable high achieving screen arts students in their final year or undertaking postgraduate studies to pursue their dreams.

When Ailsa applied to study a Bachelor of Arts in English and media at the WA Institute of Technology, little did she know how much it would change her life – she would go on to travel the globe working for leading universities and media organisations. However, her degree was hard fought for, as her family could not support her financially through university, forcing her to find time between studies to wash dishes and wait tables to pay her own way.

Ailsa decided to leave a bequest to future Curtin students similarly committed to their field, enabling highly motivated screen arts students to pursue important projects they might otherwise be precluded from.

“I hope my bequest will encourage and reward future generations. It is for those people who are highly motivated and passionate. I hope it might allow someone to travel overseas and make that important film or documentary.”

Nelly Hodges

Curtin graduate Nelly Hodges wants to inspire future generations of medical scientists.

After returning to study as a part time mature aged student at Curtin, Nelly graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Medical Science in 2005. Since then, she has found immense success in her field, working in the laboratories of leading hospitals across the state, most notably as a senior scientist at Perth’s Mount Hospital.

Wishing to give back, Nelly established an annual encouragement award for first-year Curtin laboratory medicine students, and has also pledged a generous gift in her Will to ensure that her awards continue to support students for generations to come.

“My main motivation behind leaving the bequest was my passion for medical science. I wanted to ensure future generations were encouraged to pursue medical science. It is in some ways a silent profession, with the general public unaware of what we do, but it is incredibly rewarding, especially in the hospital setting as you are helping to save lives.”

Paul Andrew Digby Robinson

In 2001 Paul Andrew Digby Robinson left a generous bequest in his Will to support research into Indigenous education at Curtin. With the help of his friends Walter and Sylvia Hyams, the innovative Noongar Language and Culture course was born.

Developed with Curtin’s Centre for Aboriginal Studies, the course creates an awareness and understanding of significant aspects of Noongar culture, with its strong connections to family, community and country. This wonderful educational gift has continued to give and develop over time – in mid-2018, the program was adapted into a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that many thousands of people around the world have now accessed via the edX platform.

Curtin is truly grateful for the commitment of Paul, Walter and Sylvia to furthering understanding of Noongar culture and contributing so significantly to reconciliation.

Shelley Pike

Shelley Pike wants to enable an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person to commence or further their university studies.

Born and raised in Perth, Shelley is a local government professional with fifteen years’ experience as a Chief Executive Officer in regional Western Australia, specialising in organisational change and business development. She completed a degree in social science at Curtin’s predecessor institution, the Western Australian Institute of Technology (WAIT), prior to undertaking postgraduate studies at the University of Western Australia.

Shelley has spent a significant portion of her life in WA’s Kimberley and Great Southern regions working with and employing Aboriginal people. As a result, she is passionate about the positive role education can play in improving opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander individuals and communities.

Shelley hopes her bequest will provide life changing opportunities for future generations.

Helen Potter

Having benefitted from a free university education in the 1970s, Curtin graduate Helen Potter is committed to helping the next generation of students access the same life-changing opportunities.

Helen grew up in a low socioeconomic environment but thanks to the government policy of the day, she was able to complete her undergraduate degree in physiotherapy in Melbourne. After graduating, Helen moved to Perth and worked at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, and then as a rural locum physiotherapist for several years. She was awarded a scholarship to partially fund her postgraduate studies at Curtin.

Helen has become a leader in her field, involving herself with volunteer sports physiotherapy placements, and leading seminars, teleconferences and practical courses. She has supervised physiotherapy students in hospital clinics and taught undergraduate and postgraduate students at Curtin.

Helen’s bequest will support postgraduate physiotherapy students from remote and regional WA communities who are in need of financial assistance to undertake their studies at Curtin.

Margaret Cox

Margaret (Margot) Cox, a former librarian at the WA School of Mines, left a donation to Curtin in her Will. Margot forged a close connection with the University while working at the Kalgoorlie campus in the 1970s and was passionate about supporting students.

Mary Margaret Durack

Mary Durack generously left two artworks by important Kimberley artists Roy Wiggan and Mervyn Street to the John Curtin Gallery in her Will.

Mary began her working life as a marine biologist, before later completing a degree in Aboriginal Education. She was passionate about diving, snorkelling, bushwalking, indigenous culture and art collecting

During her career, Mary spent much time working in regional and remote parts of Australia, including the Kimberley and the Northern Territory. She also spent a number of years in Paris, where she set up and ran a small Aboriginal art business.

Mary retired to Kununurra in 2019. In the short time she lived there she developed strong relationships with the local Miriwoong people and attended cultural awareness and language courses to increase her knowledge. Her love for the country intensified as she walked extensively in the bush enjoying the amazing landscapes at her doorstep.

Mary’s passion and knowledge of art, especially Aboriginal art, inspired her to acquire a substantial and important collection during her lifetime.

In 2020, Mary was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease and after brave battle passed away in Kununurra in October 2021.

Untitled by Andrew Nicholls

Curated by Curtin graduate Andrew Nicholls especially for the Look Ever Forward Society, the artwork pays homage to the enchanting black cockatoos that live amongst the trees at our Perth Campus.

The black cockatoo is an Australian native bird and a familiar sight at Curtin’s Perth campus. In Aboriginal culture, they represent change and enlightenment and herald the coming of rain.

Investing in the future

The power of the Curtin University Endowment Fund is in its continuity as an evergreen fund. Maintained with the objective of long-term capital growth, this fund provides an annual income stream in perpetuity.

By leaving an unrestricted gift to the Endowment Fund in your Will, you can be confident that your donation will address the University’s most critical needs for generations to come. No matter the size of your gift, you will be investing in the future of Curtin and making it possible for the University to Look Ever Forward.

Enduring values

While an unrestricted gift provides Curtin with the greatest degree of flexibility in the future, we appreciate that some people wish to support a specific area – a discipline or research field that encapsulates their values and has imbued meaning in their lives.

Perhaps you would like to extend a helping hand to students from a particular background or studying in the same field as you? Or support research addressing an issue close to your heart? Beyond our teaching and research activities, Curtin makes a significant contribution to cultural life through channels like the John Curtin Gallery and Curtin FM radio station; a gift to these parts of the University is an investment in the transformative power of art and storytelling, ensuring our exhibitions and programs remain world class, accessible and sustainable for years to come. We would love to learn more about your story and how it is entwined with Curtin’s.

Discover more about the Curtin FM Society.

In Memory

A gift in memory of a loved one is a meaningful way to honour a life well lived and treasure the values they held dear. It is a powerful way to share the story of an important person in your life, ensuring their positive impact continues well into the future. We would be honoured to help you create a lasting way to acknowledge and remember an important person in your life.