Issuu

Supporting Mercedes College by Bequest

A gift to help students flourish into the future.

01 MERCEDES COLLEGE

We invite you to join The Strathspey Society

About Mercedes College Mercedes College is a Reception to Year 12 Catholic school in the Mercy tradition. Offering a world-class education with an international focus, our community spirit and focus on the individual needs of each child prepares our students to flourish as they take their place in the world. Since our establishment by the Sisters of Mercy in 1953, our College has been built upon the generous contributions of parents, friends, students, old scholars and Mercureans. This generous support over many decades has helped provide todayâ€™s students with the best opportunity to flourish in all aspects of their life.

A bequest in your Will to Mercedes College is a lasting way to support the current and future generations of Mercedes students. It has the power to transform individual lives and whole communities for years to come. A bequest will represent the lasting effect the Mercedes community left on your own life and serve as an ongoing testimony to your values. However large or small, we invite you to consider leaving a gift in your Will to Mercedes College. By doing so you will be welcomed to The Strathspey Society, a special group of old scholars and friends of Mercedes who have included the College as part of their estate planning. The Society specifically honours and recognises those who have generously remembered the College in this way and acknowledges the pivotal role that The Strathspey Society members play in securing the future of the College. As a member you will receive invitations to special events at the College as well as a membership pin.

MERCEDES COLLEGE 04

Bequest Ambassadors “ I was so fortunate and grateful that my parents, along with my uncle, paid for my brothers and I to attend private education. In Year 8 I was sent to Mercedes. My time at Mercedes has had a life-long impact upon me. My education provided me with a strong belief that education is the way out of poverty. I was not academic or a stand out student by any stretch of the imagination. However, the values, ethics and support from the teachers provided to me, meant I was able to obtain a place at university and later have a successful career in the public service.

My time at Mercedes prompted me to arrange a bequest in my Will. The terms of the McLennan Scholarship will enable a student, who would not normally have the opportunity to attend Mercedes, to be provided with an education from Year 8 to 12. The recipient of this Scholarship does not have to have any special skills or attributes - just a willingness to do his or her best. I am proud to be a founding member of The Strathspey Society.” Lou McLennan Old Scholar (1972-1976)

“Mercedes College is highly invested in its community and does not use the word lightly. I was privileged to be invited by the Sisters of Mercy of Adelaide to lead the College community as Principal. In my time, I believe that I contributed to the betterment of the College, but such roles are reciprocal. Alongside my contribution, the College also afforded me tremendous professional opportunity, and allowed me to be part of a dynamic and first class school and be connected with a generous school community. This opportunity enhanced my career. Since leaving the College, it has maintained a close connection with me. As a result, I considered how I would be able to contribute further and again

How to leave a gift in your Will

to Mercedes College. Therefore in formulating my Will some years ago, it was obvious to me to make a bequest to Mercedes. The College has significant plans for its continued development, with a major Capital Project, which will require long term financial support from its community. I encourage members and friends of the Mercedes College community to consider, with a Bequest, how you may be able to make a significant and effective contribution to the College. Such generosity and contribution will assist in funding the ongoing betterment of Mercedes College.” Catherine Alcock Principal (1998-2004)

Your gift to Mercedes College can be made through your Will in a variety of ways, including: Cash A residual percentage of an estate LOU MCLENNAN

An asset within your estate Property Art or other gifts Bequest enquiries from individuals or their representative are treated with the utmost discretion and confidentiality. In preparing your bequest within your Will, we recommend you consult your legal advisor to ensure the wording is suitable for your particular circumstances. It is also encouraged so that considerations such as tax, among other things, have been considered.

CATHERINE ALCOCK

It is also advised to discuss your bequest with your family and loved ones so they are considerate to your wishes.

05 MERCEDES COLLEGE

Example legal provisions to include in your Will You can include a bequest to Mercedes College when you have your Will prepared. If you already have a Will, you can add a codicil (a legal provision) to include the bequest. We have provided the following clauses for your consideration when making your Will.

Sum of money I give and bequeath the sum of $ (Sum) to Mercedes College, 540 Fullarton Road, Springfield SA 5062 to be applied for the general purposes thereof and I declare that the receipt of the Principal or other officer of the College shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my Trustee for the payment of the said sum and that my Trustee shall not be bound to see to the application thereof.

The residue of your estate I direct my executors to divide the residue of my Estate, both real and personal, into one hundred shares and I give shares to Mercedes College 540 Fullarton Road, Springfield SA 5062 to be applied for the general purposes thereof and I declare that the receipt of the Principal or other officer of the College shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my Trustee for the payment of the said shares and that my Trustee shall not be bound to see to the application thereof and I give the remainder of the said sharesâ€Ś

Personal property I give and bequeath the following items of my property/effects:

to Mercedes College, 540 Fullarton Road, Springfield SA 5062 to be applied for the general purposes of and I declare that the receipt of the Principal or other officer of the College shall be a full and sufficient discharge to my Trustee for the transfer or delivery of the said property and effects and that my Trustee shall not be bound to see to the application thereof. Both of these forms assume that elsewhere in the Will there is a general getting in clause that directs the executors to pay the costs and expenses of the estate from the residue and not from legacies.

07 MERCEDES COLLEGE

We thank you for your support A bequest to Mercedes College is a wonderful way to support the future generations of Mercedes students. The College can achieve much through the Mercy spirit of men and women who have remembered Mercedes College through their estate. We warmly invite those who have made their wishes known to participate in The Strathspey Society, a special group of people whose generosity lives on at Mercedes College.

Talk to us today If you are considering leaving a gift in your Will, please contact the Director of Marketing and Development on 8372 3200 or mercedes@mercedes.catholic.edu.au for a confidential discussion about the different ways in which you are able to support the College.

MERCEDES COLLEGE 10

The Origins of Strathspey Strathspey has always been the home and heart of Mercedes College. Built in 1893, the house and its 17 acres has borne witness to interesting times and owners, including the Duncan and Cornell families. It also served as a residence for the Hayward family whilst ‘Carrick Hill’ was being built in the late 1930s. The University of Adelaide also briefly operated its ‘St Andrews’ college campus during this period.

This was not actually the start of the journey – it began in 1827 when Catherine McAuley, with two helpers, opened the House of Mercy in Dublin to educate poor children from the nearby lanes and back streets. Catherine died in Dublin at the end of 1841 having realised the foundation of the Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy. By that time, there were nearly 150 nuns in 14 convents, 12 in Ireland and two in England.

Its true calling was revealed when the Sisters of Mercy’s persistence and vision was rewarded with the purchase of Strathspey in 1953.

The journeying took a new direction when, in 1856, the first Mercy Nuns travelled to Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1872 a group of these Nuns set out from Buenos Aires, travelling this time some 100kms inland to establish a mission school in the town of Mercedes. Due to opposition from many sides, all the Nuns left the country to return to Dublin in 1879.

Mercedes College enrolled its first students in 1954, but it inherited traditions established many years before: the very name Mercedes harked back to the Argentinian heritage of the South Australian Mercy Sisters’ Foundation in 1880. At the beginning of 1954, 11 brave women, Sisters of Mercy, set out on a Journey of Mercy – reminiscent of those who had gone before them and were told ‘You are not to carry purse, or wallet, or shoes; you are to give no one greeting on your way’. The way was unknown but the future certainly was clear with the opening of Mercedes College on 8 February, 1954.

Scarcely had they arrived when they set out again on another journey into the unknown – this time to South Australia arriving here in 1880. Mercedes, as a Mercy school must remain faithful to the values and spirit of Catherine McAuley which are embodied in the six Mercy Keys of human endeavour: Compassion, Loyalty, Justice, Integrity, Responsibility and Mutual Respect.

540 Fullarton Road, Springfield, SA 5062 T +61 8 8372 3200 F +61 8 8379 9540 mercedes@mercedes.catholic.edu.au mercedes.catholic.edu.au ABN 93 414 320 696 Cricos Code 00365D