When Willis Jacques called into the offices of Sproal and Associates lawyers on St John Street, nobody knew it, but the lives of countless Tasmanians changed forever.
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Months later, with Ms Jacques having died and her estate having been ordered, The Examiner's Winter Relief Appeal has received its largest ever single donation and blown away its record total.
Ms Jacques bequeathed much of her legacy to charities including Guide Dogs Tasmania, Ronald McDonald House and Camp Quality Tasmania and reserved a mammoth $150,000 for the Winter Relief Appeal.
Ms Jacques had entered the office in the twilight of her life, and in anticipation of her death, looking to get her affairs in order.
With a long history in Northern Tasmania dating back generations to when her parents ran a successful orchard along the Tamar river, Ms Jacques' path led her into Launceston where she lived out her remaining days.
Along the way, generosity and the community spirit of Launceston evidently left an indelible mark on her.
Such was Ms Jacques' generosity she left legacies to people who cared for her at her nursing home, before leaving the majority of her estate to charities.
Executor of her estate, Barry Sproal from Sproal and associates, said it was one of the most mind blowing examples of generosity he had seen.
"Legacies to charities aren't unusual, but it's unusual that it ends up being this sort of an amount," he said.
Mr Sproal said he believed Ms Jacques had selected the Winter Relief Appeal because of its obvious translation into the Launceston community.
"[The donations] get applied immediately, which is I think is what she was hoping would happen - that there's an immediate benefit to those who need it," he said.
For the four charities the Winter Relief Appeal supports, the sheer amount of the donation will have obvious ramifications on how they provide their services over the coming months.
Launceston Benevolent Society chief executive Rod Spinks was taken aback upon hearing how much the donation was and said the charity would be able to assist more people than it had previously thought it would be able to.
"We'll now be able to extend our social worker's hours, and provide support in that way," he said.
"This is just tremendous and something we wouldn't have budgeted for."
Both City Mission chief executive Stephen Brown and Salvation Army spokesperson Major Brad Watson said the donation was "significant".
Every time we get an extra amount of money, that's an extra night someone stays in housing, an extra night they're not in a family violence situation, or an extra meal they get. We are extremely grateful.
- Salvation Army Major Brad Watson
Mr Brown said the added donation would be seen instantly though the charity's emergency relief assistance program.
St Vincent de Paul Society Tasmania chief executive Lara Alexander said the donation would go a "very long way in supporting those vulnerable in our community".
Ms Alexander said the impact on peoples lives, from being able to keep them in secure housing to even preventing them from losing their home, was immeasurable.
With a gesture like this you can only imagine how many people it is going to touch and make such a great difference in their lives.
- St Vincent de Paul Society Tasmania chief executive Lara Alexander
"It shows so much about the legacy of a person in a community. You can be any person out there, and the legacy you leave can touch so many people."
Ms Jacques donation saw the Winter Relief Appeal in 2021 rise from a touch more than $65,000 to a record $215,045.
The appeal will finish at the end of August with local charities the Launceston Benevolent Society, St Vincent de Paul Tasmania, the Salvation Army and City Missions its beneficiaries.
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