Gift in Will – Maurie Ibbott’s Testimony

“I waste nothing. I won’t have a shower; I have a bath. And the bathwater I use on the pot plants.” 

This zero-waste mentality has shaped Maurie Ibbott’s life. He grew up on the land and from his tenth birthday he began to help his dad with the hard labour. By the time he turned 14, Maurie’s father determined he would join the navy. But Maurie had different plans.

“I said, ‘Dad, I want to be a doctor.’ And Dad said, ‘I’ll tell you what, if you can keep yourself at school with all the fees and everything, I’ll feed you.’”

That’s what Maurie did. He borrowed a pick and made his own seed boxes out of produce boxes. He went to the grocer, took their rotten tomatoes, mushed them up and got the seed. Every morning he tended his tomatoes for an hour before biking to school. He also spent his afternoons with his tomatoes. During school holidays he worked in the stock room of Woolworths, and together with the profits he made from selling his tomatoes, he paid his way through school. 

From there, Maurie worked hard to keep his grades up, but was unable to study chemistry, physics and maths, all subjects needed to enter medicine. And so, he followed in his mother’s footsteps and studied nursing. 

“I did very well,” he said. “I loved nursing. I was the clinical manager at Broughton Hall Clinic, managing all the nursing homes in the Canterbury District.” 

After paying off his home, instead of using the excess savings on himself, Maurie started giving to charities. At no point did he increase his personal spending. Satisfied with his quality of living, Maurie’s entire mindset shifted to consider how he could be a blessing to others. 

“Being charitable comes from my mum,” he says. “She was just like that; she couldn’t help herself. I found myself gravitating towards ADRA.” 

Maurie is now retired, but living on the pension has not stopped his generosity. Not only does he spend his money frugally, he looks for ways to earn extra money to donate to ADRA. His budget is carefully planned, down to the two car trips he does per week. 

“On Saturday I go to church, and on Sunday I do my shopping,” he says. “If I have enough fuel left, I drop off my cans and bottles at the Return and Earn. All the people in my retirement village save cans and bottles for me.” 

Maurie’s lifestyle is the antidote for a society that is increasingly buying more things but using items less. When his car needed repairs, rather than paying for the excess on his insurance, he bought a repair kit and donated the difference to ADRA. 

“I enjoy it. I have always enjoyed saving. I worked very hard to get my money and am careful how I use it. Everything I do, I think ‘it goes to ADRA’. Every penny I save goes to ADRA.” 

Maurie’s passion for ADRA’s work is why he made the decision to include ADRA in his Will. For supporters like Maurie, knowing that their legacy can make a long-lasting difference in the lives of others motivates them to leave a contribution to ADRA in their Will. 

Just like Maurie, you can leave a gift in your Will to ADRA as a life-changing legacy for people in need. Find out more at adra.org.au/wills or call us on 1800 242 372 to request a brochure.