First published 21 March 2022
Podiatrist and QUT alumnus Ainslie Davies shares what inspired her to leave a gift in her Will to the Learning Potential Fund.
My relationship with QUT started as an undergraduate student in what was then the last year of the Diploma in Applied Science (Podiatry). It was a period of great change as QIT became QUT just in time for our graduation. The podiatry clinic in those days was in A block on the Gardens Point campus, so we heard any protests next door at the Queensland Parliament building. One of my favourite memories as an undergraduate student is sitting on the Kidney Lawn in front of Old Government House listening to bands at lunch.
My journey with podiatry and QUT continued when I undertook a Master of Science as an external student of Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was quite a challenge completing international studies with 9 hours’ time difference and the related jet lag.
Having completed postgraduate business studies at a local, regional university I returned to QUT as a staff member. The lure of the city was strong, and the support offered to postgraduate students at QUT was greater than at smaller universities. So commenced my journey of teaching and starting a PhD.
QUT has been such a large part of my life, and I wanted my Will to reflect that. I was inspired to make a bequest to QUT after reconsidering my Will. Updating your Will is one of those human necessities we all put off. I had a reminder sitting in my ‘to do’ box for well over twelve months before I could even face the issue. The fragility of life and coming to terms with your own mortality was made very real to me with the sudden diagnosis of my cousin with brain cancer. He was only a couple of years older than me, and we had ‘career competed’ like brother and sister. He went from having an international career in accounting to requiring brain surgery, which left him unable to remember basic account pins at age 50. Sometimes life leaves you with no future time to ‘do your Will’.
My support for the Learning Potential Fund comes from my passion for teaching students as they better themselves through education. I was so fortunate to change to podiatry during the ‘recession we had to have’ in the early 1990s. That degree enabled me to work consistently over the ensuing years. I came from a regional area to QUT and have been working on the Sunshine Coast since graduation. The cost of attaining a degree shouldn’t weigh you down, but open up opportunities and possibilities for challenging yourself, and personal growth beyond the profession-specific skills learnt at QUT.
Being a full-time student can be difficult. Providing financial assistance through the Fund will make someone else’s journey that little bit easier and could be the difference between completing a degree or not.
To anyone considering becoming a bequestor: just do it. Listing QUT on my Will was easy, and QUT helped with the necessary wording. It really is one of the best ways of making an impact even after you’re gone. Your generosity will eliminate some of the barriers students face and change their lives for the better.
Remember QUT in your Will
Including a gift in your Will is an extraordinary way of creating a life-changing legacy.
In a world that faces increasing challenges, it is a means of making a genuine, lasting difference by helping to build the future.
Formore information, see how to remember QUT in your Will or contact Heath Mackay, Gifts in Wills Manager, on +61 7 3138 7525 or email: heath.mackay@qut.edu.au.
