MORETON BAY FIG BEQUEST SOCIETY

Kylie Taylor is a Ruyton parent, a member of the Ruyton Board, the Ruyton Foundation and was recently inducted as a member of the Moreton Bay Fig Bequest Society. We recently spoke to Kylie about her decision to leave a gift to Ruyton in her will.

What’s your connection to Ruyton?

I first discovered Ruyton when I was looking for a kinder program for my son. In 2011 he started 3 year old kinder at the Ruyton Early Learning Centre and then in 2013 my daughter started in 3 year old kinder, and she has continued on at Ruyton and is in Year 8 now. I am not from Melbourne so was not familiar with the schools. We got lucky with Ruyton.

What do you love most about Ruyton? What makes our school special?

When I entered the Ruyton community I was immediately struck by the values, the emphasis on girls’ education and empowerment and the sense of community that comes from a smaller sized school. I was also impressed by the leadership’s desire to seek out best practice globally and adapt it for our girls. Ruyton is a school I would have liked to have attended: there is a nice balance between aspiration and wellrounded, with a good dose of values and an edge of spirited gutsy-ness.

What made you decide to leave a bequest to Ruyton?

There are many causes that I support, or would like to support, but funds are limited. I am particularly interested in girls’ education, female empowerment and all aspects of inclusion and equality. Ruyton gets this. I would like to support more girls to have the opportunity of a Ruyton education. At this point in time, I am only able to make modest contributions. When I heard about the bequest opportunity it seemed like a good way for me to fulfill my desire in the future.

The other reason I felt a bequest to Ruyton was important and would fit our family values is that it is critical to the long-term sustainability of the School that it has a corpus of funds for future development. Many of the boys’ schools have deep funds built it over generations. We are behind and need to play catch up. Is this something you discussed with your children?

I discussed this with both my son and my daughter and explained the concept of bequests. We have always talked about sharing what we have with others, so this was a logical extension. My children are well aware of their privilege and thought a bequest made a lot of sense.

What does leaving a bequest to Ruyton mean to you?

It feels purposeful. It means I can use my will to make an impact beyond us. And for my children, they can feel good knowing that they are sharing for a purpose bigger than the next new shiny thing they may want to buy.

What hopes do you have for the money you will leave behind?

It’s impossible to be too prescriptive with an event that will be some way off in the future. I like the idea of the Founder’s Scholarship. My desire would be that the funds can be used towards giving the lifechanging experience of education to a girl that would not otherwise have the opportunity. But that will be for others to decide at the time.

If you are considering leaving a bequest to Ruyton Girls’ School, please contact Kate Higgins, Foundation and Alumnae Relations Manager confidentially on (03) 9819 2422 or email foundation@ruyton.vic.edu.au.