ALUMNI FOCUS

Leaving a legacy for indigenous Australians

Many alumni choose to leave a gift in their will to help students at Macquarie University. Alumnus Glenn Goodacre is one of them. He plans to invest in future generations of Australians by making a bequest to the University.

Glenn has chosen to leave his bequest to Indigenous Accommodation Scholarships, for undergraduate students enrolled in the Faculty of Business and Economics.

“I want to assist students to live in an accepting, safe environment on campus,” said Glenn.  “This may make the difference between a student completing his or her studies, rather than dropping out because of non-academic issues. I hope the individual and society will benefit from this.”

Glenn was inspired by his son Kristian’s work with the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN) in indigenous communities in Arnhemland and along the east coast with Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience (AIME).

“I realised that indigenous students, especially from remote communities, can have enormous problems in dealing with relocating to a major city,” he said.  “A scholarship can change a student’s life and that of their family.  I grew up in a happy but low-income family in the bush, with five people in a one-bedroom house.  I never expected that I could go to university, but with government help, I was able to and it changed my life.  It’s important to me to help another generation of students to change their lives for the better. Especially people who would otherwise have a very difficult journey.”

Glenn talks about Macquarie being a game changer in his life. “I could see that my working life had limited options without a degree in my chosen field. My degree qualified me to study to become a Chartered Accountant.  Both qualifications increased my career options and enabled me to learn about alternatives I’d never been aware of before going to Macquarie.”

Glenn Goodacre graduated from Macquarie University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with a major in Accounting and a sub in Economics which led him to study to become a Chartered Accountant.  He started trading shares at thirteen years of age and still trades the stock market. He worked in the mining industry in the early part of his career, then joined Australia’s first private equity firm in 1990 and became a director before setting out on his own in the mid-90s, buying small businesses and growing them.

“I would encourage someone who is considering making a bequest to think about what kind of student they would like to help, in which faculty and to look for an effective way to assist, to get most bang for their buck.”

To find out more about leaving a bequest in your will contact Anne Peedom on (02) 9850 1392 or email anne.peedom@mq.edu.au.