The Eye and Ear has benefitted significantly from bequests over our 160+ year history, with Gifts in Wills making up 65 per cent of the hospital’s philanthropic income over the past five years. Legacy giving enables the Eye and Ear to meet our most pressing needs, which include purchasing medical equipment, upgrading hospital facilities and infrastructure, improving the care experience of patients and their families, and funding groundbreaking research to prevent vision and hearing loss.
In 2022, the late Ronald Charles Forsyth left a generous Gift in Will to the Eye and Ear.
With Ronald’s bequest, the hospital was able to purchase an ENT Stack. This large camera system allows us to attach a flexible or non-flexible laryngoscope which looks into people’s noses and throats to assess their nasal passage, adenoids, tonsils and vocal cords. Having this additional ENT Stack has increased the hospital’s capacity to assess and diagnose patients in a timely manner in our clinics.
We hosted Ron’s family for a tour of the redeveloped hospital and a chance to see the ENT Stack in action in November 2023.
“Ron was a humble man and would have been embarrassed by the attention and recognition, but his gift will make a great difference to the staff and patients at the Eye and Ear for many years to come so it is nice to celebrate that,” said Jenny Cook, Ron’s niece.
We are grateful to all those who have remembered the Eye and Ear in their Will. For more information about how to include the hospital in your Will view our online guide. To let us know that you have included a gift in your will for the hospital or if you have any questions, please reach out to us on 1800 808 137 or fundraising@eyeandear.org.au.