Leaving a Bequest

Include Share in your will by way of bequest

After 29 years living overseas, Joshua and Wendy returned to Tasmania in 2004 to live on 250 acres of bush and farmland near Launceston.  Below, they talk about their decision to leave a bequest to Share in their Will. 

“Reaching out to the community is something I feel strongly about,” says Wendy.   “We have a beautiful home in a beautiful location.  I have to pinch myself sometimes to believe we are here.  My heart goes out to people who are homeless. “

Joshua says that both Wendy and he grew up in loving Christian families and church communities.  “It seemed sensible to give something back.  Looking at Share’s newsletters, we liked what Share do and how they do it.  Wendy and I discussed it and decided that yes, we wanted to help.”

Nan sees herself as “one of the most fortunate people in the world”.   Yet, in the eyes of many, her life has not been easy.  

From the age of three weeks, Nan lived with her widowed Grandmother in Scotland. “I went everywhere with her, including the kirk,” says Nan, who has remained connected to the Presbyterian and then the Uniting Church every since.

After moving to Australia in her teens, Nan spent five years of her young adult life battling tuberculosis.  Despite having to sell her piano to pay for medical fees, Nan defied all expectations and survived. 

“We knew what it was to be poor,” says Nan.  “While I’m not affluent now, I know I can give to someone else.”

“I’m one of the most fortunate people in the world”, she said.  “I want to go on giving, both now and when my life ends.  I have put Share in my will.”

A gift in your Will is a simple way that your support for Share can live on long after you have gone.  It’s a way of sharing assets – money, property, or valuables – that you may need and use now, but can share when you no longer need them.

You can ensure that your support for people suffering hardship – those who are homeless and hungry, those with mental health problems and those whose children are going to school hungry, those who are part of the ‘working poor’ of Victoria and Tasmania – continues.

There are different ways of making a bequest in your Will (a percentage of your estate, the residue, a specific amount or specific item/s).  The correct wording should be:

"I................................................................................................

of ..............................................................................................

.............................................................Postcode.......................

hereby give and bequeath to Share (or its legal successor) through the Uniting Church in Australia Property Trust (Victoria)  ………..percentage of my estate  ** (OR the sum of $ ………………;  the residue of my estate;  or specific item/s or property)

And declare the receipt of the Treasurer or Proper Officer shall be sufficient discharge to my Trustee/s.”

**  You can nominate here if you wish – a specific purpose for your bequest.

Please, let us know how much you care….

Knowing that you care enough to provide for Share in your Will makes a big difference to us; it enables us to look to the future and plan with confidence.  It also gives us the opportunity to involve you in our plans now, and to share with you our exciting vision for the future.

By knowing of your intentions, we can make sure that this Bequest will carry out your specific wishes.  People often feel uncomfortable or embarrassed to talk about their generosity.  While we understand that, we would ask you to advise us (in complete confidence of course) of the provision that you have made.

If you have any queries or would like to discuss your wishes further, do not hesitate to speak confidentially to our Donor Relations Manager at the Share Office on (03) 9251 5484 or via email bequests@victas.uca.org.au