A legacy across time

By Claire Bowman

The enduring impact of philanthropy

Our donors of the past would surely be amazed to see their gifts continuing to have impact a century or more later. Today’s University campus, and some of the subjects taught here, might be completely unfamiliar to them, yet their gifts continue to connect the past with the present, and the future we’re building. 

Gifts made throughout our 150-year history have bridged the distance of lifetimes and spanned academic disciplines. They continue to uplift our community, to create opportunities for deserving students, and to enable world-class research. 

One example of inter-generational impact is the Angas Civil Engineering Scholarship, which was the University’s first ever philanthropic scholarship, established in 1878. The Honourable John Howard Angas (an early South Australian politician, pastoralist and philanthropist), who made an endowment of £4,000 for this purpose, has now been supporting aspiring engineers for nearly 150 years. 

In 2024, Joseph De Rosa was awarded this Scholarship. Joseph says this “incredible foresight and generosity” has been significant to his studies of a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) (Civil) with a Bachelor of Finance and Banking. “It has provided not only financial support but also a significant boost to my motivation. Knowing that I have been entrusted with such a prestigious and longstanding scholarship has inspired me to dedicate myself fully to my studies and work harder than ever. I feel honoured to be part of that history.” 

Another example of the past continuing to have impact upon the present is the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Fund, part of the legacy of two Australian aviation icons: Captain Sir Ross Smith KBE MC DFC AFC and his brother Lieutenant Sir Keith Smith KBE. 

The Smith brothers won the famous Great Air Race in 1919, successfully completing the first flight between England and Australia in fewer than 30 days, an incredible feat at the time. This trip, made in a Vickers Vimy two-engine former bomber, pushed the limits of what was possible in early aviation. Today, the Sir Ross and Sir Keith Smith Fund (established in 1986 by Lady Anita Smith, Keith’s widow) helps to remove financial barriers for engineering students and enables them to continue reimagining what is possible in air and space travel. 

Often, legacy donors have experienced first-hand the change that education brought to their own lives and wish to change the lives of others in turn. When Veronika Sacco came to Australia from Hungary, she was already academically talented and spoke seven languages. However, as a newly arrived single mother, she had a challenging path ahead. She sold soap door-to-door until, with considerable force of will, she put herself through an accountancy qualification and dramatically altered the course of her own life. Upon her death in 2010, at 94 years old, she left a large bequest to the University of Adelaide’s Florey Research Foundation. 

The Veronika Sacco Clinical Research Fellowship now enables vital cancer research. It creates a chain of positive effects: firstly, with an immediate benefit for young researchers; and secondly, for cancer patients in the future whose prognosis may be improved through new research. 

The generosity of those who came before us, and their foresight and commitment to education, research, and community welfare, continues to shape our university today.

Though Veronika did not witness the impact of her gift within her own lifetime, she certainly understood its power. Her friend Fred Bennett has been quoted as saying Veronika was inspired by the story of Sir Howard Florey’s Nobel Prize and was compelled by the possibility of another Nobel laureate emerging with the help of her bequest. She made her gift with only speculation as to its benefits, and a bold hope for a brighter future. 

Likewise, Peter Waite couldn’t have known, when he first announced the bequest of his extensive Urrbrae estate to the University, what his former residence would eventually become. 

Urrbrae is now home to our Waite campus which has become not only a globally recognised research leader in wine, plant biotechnology, sustainable food, agriculture and natural resource sciences, but is also home to the Waite Arboretum and the Waite Conservation Reserve. 

Dr Jennifer Gardner OAM understands the lasting impact of the Waite gift after formerly curating the Arboretum’s activities for 31 years. Inspired by that example, she recently confirmed a bequest of her own, which will compound this enduring legacy, helping to ensure that “The Waite” will continue to thrive well into the future. “My bequest will provide support for this wonderful asset to science and community well-being,” Dr Gardner says. 

These endowments, gifts, bequests and donations are just a few that build upon the long, extensive and remarkable legacy of philanthropy at the University of Adelaide. It’s clear that the generosity of those who came before us, and their foresight and commitment to education, research, and community welfare, continues to shape our University today and will continue to do so for generations. 

They serve as a reminder of the profound and lasting impact an individual’s contribution can have, and they inspire us to carry forward this same spirit of giving, ensuring future students, researchers and communities continue to benefit for the next 150 years.

Claire Bowman is an Alumni Relations Officer for the University.Image of Joseph De Rosa by Isaac Freeman, Lumen photographic editor.