Where there’s a will, there can be a heartfelt gift

By any financial measure, Australia is a rich nation. That’s why the transition of that wealth over the coming decades is so important to the future of our country.

Total inheritances were about  $150 billion last year and are expected to be $5.4 trillion over the next 20 years, with about half of that to be transferred from baby boomers to their children.

But an increasing number of Australians are looking beyond just immediate family and friends.

Bequests are becoming a talking point among many families.

Some people are even considering “bequests before you go” donations.

This allows them to enjoy seeing the benefits of their generosity.

It’s a quiet revolution that represents a major cultural shift in this country, which has traditionally trailed other rich nations when it comes to charity contributions. Recent studies show a rise in both the frequency and total value of bequests.

Online will provider Gathered Here analysed more than 36,000 wills written between November 2020 and October 2023. The research showed 18 per cent of the wills included charitable gifts – up from 6.5 per cent in 2014.

Financially, the Include a Charity campaign reported a 20 per cent increase in gifts in wills income over the past five years.

By the numbers

Donations – Australia versus  the rest of the world

WHEN evaluating donations as a percentage of GDP, Australia stands at 0.81 per cent. This is lower than:

• United States (2019): 2.1 per cent
• New Zealand (2018): 1.84 per cent
• Canada (2013): 1 per cent
• United Kingdom (2018): 0.96 per cent.

Every donation makes a WORLD OF difference

EVERY hour is precious for 72-year-old Merryl Berry.

The Twin Waters local was diagnosed with mesothelioma two- and-a-half years ago, after a visit to the doctor for a sore shoulder turned into  a nightmare of hospital visits, tests  and heartache.

She was originally given between six months and two years to live, but she told her doctor that that was not enough time.

“It’s a strange feeling because I don’t feel like I’m going to die,” Merryl says.

“We’ll make plans for Christmas,  and I try not to think that I mightn’t  be here.

“I’m trying not to have that as part  of my scenario.”

Your Time met Merryl at the  Wishlist Centre in Birtinya, so that after the interview, she could walk over to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital to get her results following a sixth round of chemotherapy.

“Chemo – it’s what I hate,”  Merryl says. “The chemo really knocks you about.

“That’s why my eyes water.

“I get mouth ulcers. I get really sick, really miserable, and then you slowly crawl out of it.”

For our discussion, Merryl is accompanied by her 80-year-old  husband Ed.

He doesn’t just give her love and support, but also provides added incentive to squeeze every minute out of every day.

“We will be married 50 years, not this Christmas, but next Christmas,” Merryl says.

“I am lucky I’ve got a rock.

“I’m not really frightened if I do happen to drop off the perch.

“I’m not particularly frightened about that, but I would be worried leaving him after 50 years.”

Merryl is also concerned about making the most of the time she has left.

She tells the story of seeing a billboard outside a church which simply read, “Is this world better with you or without you?”.

After much soul searching, she answered that question with a significant donation to Wishlist, so  the Rare Cancer Care and Research Fund can find ways to improve treatment and prolong life for mesothelioma patients.

Associate Professor Dr Bryan Chan, Merryl’s oncologist, says the donation will help research to unlock the secrets of mesothelioma “to identify if there are triggering things in the microbiome that lead to mesothelioma, or see if there are things we can manipulate to help improve treatment and outcomes”.

“We’re looking at trying to stop people from dying within six to 12 months, which was the traditional prognosis,” Dr Chan says.

Mesothelioma, sometimes referred to as ‘meso’, is a cancer most often caused by asbestos, which affects the smooth lining of the chest, lungs, heart and abdomen.

The layer of tissue surrounding these organs is made up of mesothelial cells, hence the name.

Australia had one of the highest per capita uses of asbestos in the world until it was banned in 2003, but 700 to 800 new cases of mesothelioma are still diagnosed annually in this country.

Many cases are linked to occupational exposure, which made Merryl’s diagnosis confusing, because she’d been a teacher all her life. Most of her career was spent at Buderim Mountain State School.

“The thing about mesothelioma is, everybody you talk to will say, ‘Oh,  gee, I used to play with asbestos as a kid’,” she says.

“I never, ever did any of those things.

“We’re not builders. We’re not knocking down walls.

“I was a teacher and I spent a lot of time in demountables.

“That was the only thing that they could come up with.

“That’s where the asbestos was.”

Initially, Merryl was reluctant to talk about her story.

She didn’t want to make a fuss about her large donation, and certainly didn’t want to draw attention to herself.

But Jan Long, with whom she job shared at Buderim school, happened to be a long-time supporter of Wishlist and encouraged her friend to speak up and encourage others to donate.

Merryl had this advice for others:  “If you can do something to make the world better, then you should try  and do it.”

With those words, Merryl stood up and, with her husband by her side, walked over to the Sunshine Coast University Hospital to get her results.

The news was as good as she could hope for: her cancer had not  progressed, which means she gets a three-month rest from chemo and all that goes with it.

While she enjoys the time with family and friends, Associate Professor Chan and his colleagues will be busy working on advancing treatment options to improve quality of life and survival for mesothelioma, giving hope to the thousands of Australians who are expected to be diagnosed with the cancer in the coming years.

And while all that work is happening, Merryl will be inching closer to that 50th wedding anniversary.

Brendan Hogan

A HISTORY OF giving

WISHLIST, a hospital charity, has raised $23 million since it was established in 1998 to support the health needs of patients and  families on the Sunshine Coast and Gympie region.

Its most recent fundraiser, Wishlist Giving Day, will help pay for a biplane unit which will save lives, and improve the quality of life for stroke survivors.

It will allow doctors to remove a clot and immediately restore blood flow to the brain.

Wishlist CEO Brendan Hogan says the people of the Sunshine and Gympie are the most generous in the world and that “we are so grateful they help us to help others”.

“We appreciate every donation, big or small – they all make a big difference to health care in this region,” he says.

Wishlist is happy to talk with anyone about a donation or a bequest. Its latest campaign asks people to become a GEM and ‘Give Each Month’. Call 5202 1777 or go to wishlist.org.au