Where there’s a Will there’s a way  

Gisborne born couple Rod Glengarry and Sue Leslie have recently finalised their Wills, leaving a portion of their estate to The Sunrise Foundation, where a scholarship fund will be established to assist young people wanting to attend tertiary education outside of Gisborne.    

“We hope this fund will make a big difference in students’ lives, helping them realise their dreams and aspirations,” says Sue.  

Sue has a background in education and currently works with several local schools, mainly at secondary level.   

“We don’t have kids of our own and I’m in education which is what initiated the idea of a scholarship fund with Sunrise. We love the idea that it will go on helping kids year after year,” says Sue.  

“It might break a cycle in a family, perhaps sending the first person from a family to University who wouldn’t have been able to attend otherwise,” says Rod.  

After years living in Auckland, and then London, the couple returned to Gisborne in 2020 to the family home that Rod’s architect father Monty had designed and built in 1959. The home has remained in the family since.  

As an architect himself, Rod says, “The renovation is certainly a labour of love. At our time of life, we’re restoring it thinking that someone else is going to be living here. We’d like to think the house will be passed on to someone who will appreciate the style and its original features.”  

Glenda Stokes, Sunrise executive officer says, “Rod and Sue’s generous bequest will be an immense legacy for future generations.”  

If you are considering leaving a gift to a charity or organisation in your Will, Sunrise can help. Our smarter giving model invests and protects your gift, so it grows to become an ongoing source of funding, where you can decide how it will be used.  

Learn more about leaving a bequest to Sunrise here.