Eternal impact

The legacy of the late Geoffrey Neilson AM is intertwined with the history of Deakin University itself.

An exceptional accountant who was raised and educated in Geelong, Mr Neilson was appointed to Deakin’s interim Council in 1975. He was part of the decision-making body when it was formally constituted on 1 Jan 1978 and served across various terms, including as Deputy Chancellor, until his retirement in 1998.

The following year, Deakin conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of the University to acknowledge Mr Neilson’s distinguished service. Guided by the wise financial management of Mr Neilson and his Council colleagues over many years, the University's balance sheet is the picture of health in 2024.

Funding for endowed scholarships at Deakin almost doubled in 2023 thanks to donor support. The University’s Future Fund – reserved for exceptional, step-change opportunities that cannot be covered by operating expenses – has grown and been sensibly managed to ensure Deakin’s future for decades to come.

Today, one of Deakin’s two Deputy Chancellors is Carol Boyer-Spooner, who also chairs the University’s Investment Committee.

Six different committees advise Council on core business including audit and risk, finance and business affairs, and people and culture. Ms Boyer-Spooner and her colleagues have recently established a new framework which prioritises ethical and sustainable institutional investing.

Before returning to Australia and joining the Deakin University Council, Ms Boyer-Spooner had a decorated career in the United Kingdom where she helped to develop The Catapult Network of technology and innovation centres that spans more than 50 locations.

A gift that lives on

Endowed gifts create an enduring legacy, with the principal invested in perpetuity. Only a fraction of the investment’s earnings are required each year to support the fund’s purpose.

Last year, the transformational Damion Drapac Centre for Equity in Health Education and Scholarships for Vocational Doctors were created following the single largest gift in the University’s history. The late Dr Damion Drapac was a new graduate when he was killed in a tragic cycling accident. Damion’s father Michael established the centre and scholarships in his son’s memory, to encourage other aspiring doctors for generations to come.

By 2030 there will be 12 Damion Drapac Scholars enrolled in Deakin School of Medicine. Valued at $60,000, these scholarships will be offered every year, forever.

Thanks to two separate endowments, Mr Neilson’s family have also generously provided scholarships in his honour. Reflecting Mr Neilson’s successful career as an accountant and adviser, these awards support Deakin students undertaking commerce and business programs.

'My father was one of the group which in the early 1970s lobbied for a university to be established in Geelong. One day he arrived home slightly despondent because politicians or bureaucrats in Melbourne had been sceptical of the value of establishing a university in a provincial town. My mother pointed out that among the "provincial towns" in which universities had been established were Oxford and Cambridge.'

'The ever-increasing success of Deakin was a source of immense satisfaction to him for the rest of his life. He especially enjoyed meeting winners of prizes and scholarships, and I believe that a strong sustainable endowment fund to reward merit and overcome financial barriers is intrinsic to the vision which he and the other instigators of Deakin had.'

The Shirley Anne Everett Award for Excellence is another inspirational endowment story entrusted to Deakin.

Karan Dawson was moved to memorialise her late mother, Shirley, who worked tirelessly as a nurse, despite the many obstacles placed in her path. At the time of Shirley’s final exams in the 1960s, nurses were not allowed to be married. Shirley paused her career to start her family, but returned eight years (and four children) later to complete her training.

The award, established in Shirley’s honour, is awarded to a third-year Bachelor of Nursing student who has consistently demonstrated the qualities of compassion, empathy and clinical skill. 'I'm really lucky to have been able to meet the recipients of the award every year,' Ms Dawson says.