A love of giving is often started within the family unit and continued on through generations. This is certainly the case with the Dyson Bequest, created by Jane and Bruce Dyson in 2000 to share and involve their family in their joy of giving.

Like many philanthropists, Jane and Bruce donated not only their money but their time and skills to the community: a big part of Bruce’s life was spent as director and president of the Arthritis Foundation, while Jane worked tirelessly in the community as a champion of good education as well as volunteering at a home for special needs children.

Bruce and Janes’ life experiences, as well as their philosophy of having a positive mental attitude, have been the building blocks of their philanthropy and paved the way for its future. Through their estates, Jane and Bruce continued their commitment to contributing back to society beyond their lifetimes, enabling the Dyson Bequest to gain significant size and granting power.

The current chapter of the Dyson Bequest is now being led with equal levels of care, commitment and inquisitiveness by Jane and Bruce’s daughter Rose and their nephew

John. Working closely as a team, they have drawn out the dynamism and entrepreneurial enthusiasm that characterised Bruce’s business career by supporting a range of approaches to address complex social issues. Rose and John work tirelessly to leverage their giving for greater impact, by collaborating with others as well as taking on calculated risks to drive new and innovative ways of delivering solutions for the community.

One of these many contributions has been their support of Eat Up, a charity that provides lunches to some of the most vulnerable schoolchildren in Victoria who would otherwise go without. The Dyson Bequests’ early support of Eat Up meant the organisation could employ a full-time delivery driver and part-time operations manager. Thanks to these pivotal resources, Eat Up has experienced incredible growth in the past 18 months, with an 80% increase in its output – originally catering for children at 30 Victorian schools, it now delivers to 237. No longer distracted by hunger, all of these young students are now able to take full advantage of learning opportunities, increasing their chances of succeeding in education and breaking out of the cycle of poverty.

“When I first met Rose and John, Eat Up was primarily supporting hungry children in my hometown of Shepparton with a handful of schools in Melbourne. Rose and John’s backing was absolutely pivotal in the growth that would follow. As key as the funding support has been, Rose and John’s personal belief and encouragement has meant an enormous amount to me. I am so grateful for their help and the afternoons of learning it has allowed us to give back to hungry kids.”

Lyndon Galea, Founder Eat Up

With the involvement of the next generation of philanthropists already planned for, the Dyson Bequest has a bright future. Its successors will be John’s two daughters, who with the support of Equity Trustees, will continue to grow the significant work and legacy created by Jane and Bruce decades ago.