Since 2013, Melbourne’s iconic National Gallery of Victoria has featured a creative and youthful offshoot: NGV Kids. The Truby and Florence Williams Charitable Trust made this initiative possible and in 2018 committed a further $750,000 over the next three years.

Back in 2013 the Trust granted the NGV $1.95m over five years to provide the cornerstone funding needed to support the development of this world-class program for engaging children, teens and families in the arts.

Born in 1866 in Melbourne, Ernest Edward Truby Williams described himself as an ‘investor’ and was evidently quite good at it; he spent most of his time travelling throughout Australia and overseas.

His ‘Diary of Itineraries’ is a log-book of all his travels, from Florence in 1897 (the same year he married his wife, also named Florence) to India in 1937, by which time he was 71 years old.

Aside from his obvious passion for travel, Truby was also keenly interested in the arts and, at the time, the burgeoning field of motor vehicle technology.

When he died in 1941, Truby left an estate valued at more than £400,000. Half of the net estate was used to establish the Truby and Florence Williams Charitable Trust.  Managed by Equity Trustees, the Trust is now worth $19 million and distributes its income to a variety of Victorian organisations, including the NGV program.

The other half of the net estate was paid to a number of institutions named in his Will, including the University of Melbourne, five Melbourne public hospitals, two technical colleges and an aged care home.

Find out more about the NGV Kids program here.

*The latest NGV Kids initiative is an interactive exhibition for families, Julian Opie: Studio for Kids, featuring hands-on and digital activities developed in collaboration with the artist. It will be on display from 9 November 2018 – 17 February 2019 at NGV International. Free entry.