Wills and Bequests

Leave a bequest and donate to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in your Will

A bequest is any gift or donation made in your Will. Often bequests to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation are made by people who have lost loved ones to illness like cancer or heart disease, or suffered themselves. Some of our largest research grants have been made possible by a bequest to research.

Watt Geyer Memorial Research Fund

Chris Geyer and Allan Watt were a wonderful couple who both led their lives with a broad social awareness. When they were diagnosed with cancer within a year of each other, they chose to leave a legacy that will improve cancer patient outcomes for many years to come through the establishment of the Watt Geyer Memorial Research Fund. This fund will provide grants and a Fellowship to Oncology Clinicians through the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation Research Grants program.

Contact our Philanthropy Manager for more information. Email : Elizabeth.Lodge@mh.org.au or phone (03) 9342 8495

How to leave a bequest in your Will

Bequests are incredibly generous gifts, making a very significant difference to the support The Royal Melbourne Hospital receives each year. All information received by the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation is treated in the strictest confidence and we will respect your wishes if you choose to remain anonymous. If you wish to donate to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation in your Will, please find an example of our Will Wording below. Please note, this should only be used as a guide – the exact Will Wording will depend on the type of bequest you wish to make.

Wording for your Will:

“I give, devise and bequeath to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation (ABN 52 830 993 725) of Grattan Street, Parkville, Victoria, 3052, for its general purposes, free from all taxes and duties, (here please specify your gift, eg. the sum of $X). I direct that the receipt of any director or other proper officer for the time being of that Foundation, will be a sufficient discharge to my Trustees.”

We recommend that you discuss your wishes with your solicitor or the Office of the Public Trustee who can assist with the preparation of your Will to make a bequest to us.

You may have a preference for the way your bequest to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation will be used. You might wish for example to make a gift in memory of a particular person or you may want the Hospital to use your donation to fund a particular type of research. We recommend discussing your ideas with us, so we can help you find practical and tangible ways to achieve your wishes.

If you do wish to tell us of your intention to make a bequest to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation, we would love to thank and acknowledge you, as well as keep you informed on the positive community outcomes achieved by the Hospital.

Click here for advice on leaving a Bequest in your Will or phone (03) 9342 8495

Types of bequests you can make

Making a bequest may be as simple as adding a Codicil to your existing Will, but please seek the advice of your solicitor before doing so. Full capital gains tax relief may be available to your estate for bequests made to certain charities, including the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation.

A bequest to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation may be:

A specific sum of money or nominated asset such as a house or other land, shares and other investments, life insurance, works of art or other valuables.
A bequest of your entire estate, or a specified share, or percentage of your entire estate (after all debts and expenses have been paid).
A residual bequest, or a specified share or percentage of your residuary estate, after all debts and expenses have been paid, and other gifts distributed.
Your property (such as a house) can pass to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation after having been used or occupied by a primary beneficiary during their lifetime. The Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation would receive this only after a specified period or after the nominated person has passed.

You can also make a gift to the Royal Melbourne Hospital Foundation during your lifetime. This enables us to: