Graphic: Cristina Caamano, RFDS Gift in Wills Senior Coordinator and family
It was December 2021, I was 8 months pregnant with our first child, and my husband and I were anxiously waiting in our solicitor’s office wondering how long our appointment would take to sign our newly created Wills.
Like many during the pandemic, we put off important face-to-face appointments, and it took some gentle nudges from our Financial Planner to remind us that our lives would soon be turned upside down with the arrival of bub, and there was no time like the present to get our affairs in order.
Before we knew it, we were finished and heading down in the elevator. It was so easy! We couldn’t help but make fun of ourselves for not doing it sooner. The entire process took a little over an hour across two appointments. Something so vitally important for our future that we kept putting off for “another day” took us less time than our laundry.
Planning our estates also encouraged my husband and I to have some valuable conversations. We have been together for nearly 15 years, and I thought I knew everything about him. How he likes his coffee, his favourite Seinfeld episode, what dessert he doesn’t want to share, all the little things that make up a marriage and friendship. To my surprise, we had completely different preferences for our end-of-life care and funerals. These topics never came up before and I’m glad we had the chat.
Afterwards, we let our family know about our wishes should we ever not be able to make decisions for ourselves, and we felt it was important to write them down in a letter that is kept in a safe place at home. In our letters we noted things that are meaningful to us but not covered in our Wills, such as, in lieu of flowers, I’d prefer my loved ones make a gift in my memory to RFDSSE.
In Australia, less than 8% of those who have a valid Will when they pass leave a gift to a charity. In my Will, looking after those closest to me was my highest priority, but I also thought about what impact I wanted to make on the world I would be leaving behind for my son. This helped me decide to leave a charitable bequest that was just a small percentage of my residue estate.
Every gift, no matter the size, can have a lifesaving impact for a family in need of our services. Leaving a gift in your Will to the Flying Doctor can provide essential healthcare across the furthest corners for generations to come.
If you would like to make an invaluable impact in your Will with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (South Eastern Section), the choice is yours and we are here to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to get in touch with me on 0448 280 193 or email: cristina.caamano@rfdsse.org.au
