Bequests
Your Will, a Legacy
Will you consider us?
Through your Will you can improve the quality of life for all people who live, work and play in Redcliffe, Caboolture and surrounding areas through The Redcliffe Hospital Foundation. Consideration of the work of the Redcliffe Hospital Foundation in your Will means a better future for all those who live here.
For many of us, a bequest provides the key to realising our dream to make a significant gift to a cause close to our heart... the kind of gift many of us are unable to make during our lifetime.
Why? The Redcliffe Hospital Foundation.....
When the Foundation was first launched in June 2005, the Redcliffe Hospital had been in existence for 40 years. At the launch, Dr Boris Chern, Redcliffe Hospital Foundation Chair & Director of Oncology at Redcliffe Hospital, spoke to the Vision and Mission of the Foundation. This excerpt from Dr Chern’s talk encompasses the purpose of and need for the Foundation...
“Three years ago, one of my cancer patients that I looked after for years tried to give us her house and because we didn’t have the Foundation in place, she donated to another hospital and that is one of the reasons why we started the Foundation so that people can give to their own hospital.
People just don’t realise how busy Redcliffe Hospital is. Our Emergency Department looks after 42,000 cases a year and that’s in a population of Redcliffe, which has got about 50,000 people.
The Oncology Department gives about 4,000 doses of Chemotherapy a year and that compares to Royal Brisbane, which gives 5,000 treatments of Chemotherapy.
There’s Hospital Foundation’s to the north, south and to the west of us and all of the money they raise goes back to the community to help them and that’s the sort of support we need in Redcliffe, Caboolture and Kilcoy.
People of Redcliffe are extremely generous; I mean when I walk around the Peninsula there are people raising money for all sorts of charities. Unfortunately, a lot of it goes off the Peninsula. We wanted to raise money for our own Hospitals and that’s what the Hospital Foundation is about.”
Dr Boris Chern
Things you should know before you consider a Bequest
Everyone over the age of 18 - regardless of the size of their assets - should have a legal Will.
People who die Intestate (without leaving a Will) can cause unintentional emotional and financial hardship for those they leave behind. If you die without leaving a Will, your assets will be distributed according to law - regardless of how well known your intentions are.
A valid Will is a legally-enforceable document which names the people and/or organisations you nominate to receive your assets when you die - as well as the nominated guardians of any dependant children. Assets include everything you own such as property, vehicles, funds held in bank accounts, household goods and jewellery and so on.
You can change your Will at any time - and you should revise it to reflect changing circumstances (i.e. death of a beneficiary; marriage; divorce; a change in financial status).
Your first priority when preparing your Will is to provide for the immediate needs and future security of your family, relatives and perhaps friends. The balance of the estate after all other provisions have been met is referred to as the ‘residual’ and many generous people look to this residue to provide special bequests to charitable causes close to their heart.
A Bequest (also referred to as a legacy) is a gift nominated in you Will.
If you already have a Will and wish to include a Bequest to The Redcliffe Hospital Foundation , you should contact your Solicitor, Trust Officer or the official trustee of your Will. If the Bequest is reasonably straight forward, your legal adviser may suggest you simply add a Codicil (addendum) specifying the terms of the Bequest. You may however, be advised to amend your existing Will.
How to leave a Bequest
This deeply personal and selfless gift can make the difference that is needed. There are many ways you can do this and the best way is to talk to your Legal Advisor. You can do any of the following:
- a specified sum of cash, or a percentage of the overall value of your estate;
- a gift of real estate;
- an investment (stocks, bonds, shares, artwork, etc.);
- a residual gift (i.e. the balance of your estate after all other provisions/bequests have been met);
- any combination of any of the above.
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