Gifts in Will Week at Lauriston
The celebration of 120 years of Lauriston education brings into focus the stories and histories of people who have helped make Lauriston the school it is today.
Our founders’ vision was to empower young women by providing them with a well-rounded education that featured sport, the arts, debating and outdoor education in addition to a challenging academic curriculum. This approach was, and continues to be, valued by our community who have so generously given their time and their expertise to benefit our girls and our school. Many have also provided financial support to help fund scholarships for deserving girls, or to help build the teaching and learning facilities girls need to achieve their potential.
Another important aspect of our community’s generosity is gifts that have been included in wills. Our bequstors and their families recognised that leaving a bequest was a way they could truly make a difference in the lives of Lauriston girls.
In April we are launching a Gifts in Will Week at Lauriston to celebrate the giving spirit and generosity of our community and their gifts, which have helped the School to educate generations of accomplished women.
As part of these celebrations, we will unveil plaques at the school commemorating three of our bequestors: Lilian Bayly, Sarah Hollyer and Richard Halliday. All three valued girls’ education and wanted to ensure future generations had access to the programs and facilities needed to succeed in a constantly changing world.
During this week we will also be hosting the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle (EKC) annual luncheon. The EKC was established in 2011 to honour benefactors who have chosen to support the school directly through a gift in their will.
We are proud of our bequestors who had the foresight to invest in girls’ education and understood the transformative power education wields. There is a growing group of parents, grandparents, alumnae and staff who, over the years, have left gifts which helped fund the development of new facilities, establish new programs, and provide scholarships, bursaries and prizes for students.
Gifts left in wills continue to have a major impact on the school’s ability to deliver contemporary teaching and learning facilities, and to provide deserving young women with the opportunity to experience an outstanding education.
Alix Bradfield is a former parent and grandparent at the school who also led the School Council. She is a bequestor and Honorary Chair of the Elizabeth Kirkhope Circle. According to Alix, “giving a bequest to a world I know nothing about but knowing that there will be a need for education and education of girls will play a big part in that new world, it’s a very exciting prospect”.
We thank our past, current and future bequestors and share our gratitude for their generous gifts, their loyalty to the school, and their foresight in giving to the future of girls’ education.
You can learn more about the Gifts in Will Week at Lauriston and discover stories about school benefactors here.
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