I’m quite embarrassed to admit this, but I still haven’t made a Will. I’ve mentioned this point a few times over the years and you’d think this might’ve been enough to spur me into action. Alas, no. It appears I’m not alone in this situation: statistics show that 55 per cent of Australian parents with children under the age of 18 do not have a Will, and those who are expecting a baby aren’t far behind, with 70 per cent not having a Will either.
Now, I’m not sure how many Victorians are aware but this week, from 17 to 23 June, is I Will Week. This campaign is designed to raise awareness about the importance of having a Will. It asks the, “Love it? Will it” and this was my particular challenge for this post. I was given eight such stickers to identify items of importance that I feel especially connected to and want to bequeath after I pass. It’s not a particularly cheery subject – perhaps why I’ve avoided it for so long – and a task made trickier in that I’m not all that materialistic. I always figured after I was gone, it wouldn’t really matter what happened to my stuff because I wasn’t going to be around to worry one way or the other. However, the more I thought about it, the more I changed my mind about certain things.
What follows is a brief explanation why.
1. Dracula & Vampire books
I said here that Dracula has been the seminal text in my life (thus far). I’ve been collecting editions ever since. The edition on the top of this pile is the first one I ever read when I was 14. In the same year I also read Anno Dracula (also pictured) and you can see by how tattered they are how much they were – are – loved. I have other vampire and gothic reference texts leftover from my Masters days, but they’re still deep in storage somewhere, and we can imagine they’re in the shot as well.
2. Hollywood book collection
This is only half of my overall collection – the other half remains at my mother’s house. I first started buying these as a teenager, when I first became obsessed with the ‘Golden Age of Hollywood’, old-time celebrities and movies. This was the period when I nursed the dream of becoming a Director/Screenwriter and when I flick through these, apart from their great beauty, I still get that warming feeling of nostalgia and pleasure they’ve always provided. From a monetary perspective, as a bunch, they also add up to be worth a bit of money! Photography books aren’t cheap.
3. Whitby Abbey Picture
Another hat tip to Dracula. What can I say? When I fall for something I fall hard. What’s dismaying, though, is that I can’t remember where I bought this print, although I know it was after we moved to Melbourne so it was either at the Southbank markets, or the Eltham markets. What I do remember thinking, once I saw it was Whitby Abbey, taken roughly around the time the book was set, I had to have it. Whitby Abbey is the first place Dracula ‘holes up’ in the novel when he first arrives in England. I can’t quite place why I find it so fascinating – so much so it’s on my ‘living list’, and now hangs on my bedroom wall.
4. South West Rocks painting
This was a wedding present from my parents. I’ve always loved its colours and the reminder of the place I continue to hold so dear: where we had our wedding reception, where we continue to holiday, my second home so close to my first home of Kempsey.
5. Piano
My ‘big ticket’ item (and neglected – try to ignore all the dust in the photo!) While I sit down to it occasionally, at the moment its presence is a reminder of the resolution I’d made to get back to the level I used to play, and beyond, and just haven’t accomplished. So we’ve unfinished business, this baby and I. But Keira sits down daily and plinks away at the keys, and for those sounds alone I am still very pleased we made the investment.
6 & 7. Rings
Now, the tricky part. How to divide these up, which I feel would be fairest, when there are three rings: my wedding ring, my grandmother’s (which I myself inherited) and my engagement ring. Who would want them? In what combination? It’s when I get to these questions do I start to get flustered and, yes, a little sad. There is a long story behind my engagement ring, and a shorter one behind my wedding band (bought from the proceeds of an insurance payment after our house was broken into). At this stage, I honestly don’t know what I’ll do. But you can be sure I’ll think long and hard about it.
8. Wallet
I normally leave it tucked away in a safe drawer. Pulling it out, smelling that familiar smell of leather and old papers, is still upsetting. The contents are intact; old contact details, his driver’s licence that expired six months after he did. It’s precious, that’s all have to say; all I probably need to.
Today’s post has been sponsored by State Trustees. While thinking about this subject hasn’t been easy, it has helped clarify what’s important to me. I’m sure that will expedite the Will making process once we sit down to do it. Owned by the State of Victoria, State Trustees have been assisting Victorians prepare their Wills and administer their estates for more than 70 years. As part of I Will Week 2013, State Trustees is offering Victorians a special one-off deal for those who sign up their first Will with State Trustees. State Trustees is pleased to offer 30% off the standard price of preparing a consultative Will. Conditions apply to the 30% discount offer, so please refer to the full terms and conditions which are available at www.iwillweek.com.au. Alternatively, if you think a State Trustees Legal Will Kit is for you, you can purchase a State Trustees Legal Will Kit online (www.iwillkit.com.au) during I Will Week and State Trustees will store your Will in The Victorian Will Bank for free: a safe and secure storage to keep your Will. In other states please contact your local public trustee to see what Will services are available.
