Growing up in country towns made Joy all too familiar with the facilities she was missing out on that people in cities and large towns could take for granted.

Now 85 and settled in Adelaide, Joy says she’s still keenly aware of the challenges faced daily by people who live in rural and remote Australia. Ironically, her sympathy springs from memories of her greatest comfort from childhood – her well-established social network, which included friends at the church she and her family attended.

“Even though I lived away from the city, fortunately I still had access to my friends,” she says. “But when I compared my life to those who lived on the stations, I realised how hard it was to be isolated from your loved ones.”

Joy’s association with Frontier Services began early in her life too, following in the footsteps of her parents. She tells us they were active supporters of the Methodist Church’s overseas and home missions. “I was always aware of the wonderful work that was being done,” she says. “It gave me an insight into the challenges being faced by the outback communities. And that is what prompted me to support Frontier Services ever since I could.”

After such a long friendship with us, it was a natural choice for Joy to include a gift in her Will to Frontier Services.

When times get tough in the bush, as they are right now, feelings of loneliness and isolation increase. Nearly every day, we hear of people’s struggles to stay on the land, pay their bills, feed their families and keep their homes.

Helped by generous people like Joy, our Bush Chaplains can travel far and wide to provide practical, pastoral and spiritual care to those who are suffering. Our remarkable group of Outback Links volunteers offer their time, compassion and commitment to help people living and working on the land through their hardships and challenges.

Joy explains that this spirit of giving and sharing inspired her to leave a gift to us.

Looking back to her younger days, she wishes she’d been brave enough to travel herself as an Outback Links volunteer and she urges anyone who’s interested now to take the leap and not wait.

Joy really can’t stress enough the importance of outback communities continuing to receive support. “The Outback Links volunteers and the Bush Chaplains do such an impressive job supporting people in the bush through all the good times and especially in the not-so-good times,” she says. “I
want to continue to give a gift of hope to those who live in rural and remote communities even after I leave this world.”

Making a Will, or leaving a bequest, is one of the most important decisions you can make in your life. It ensures your wishes are carried out and the values you hold most dear continue to live on through the work of others – such as Frontier Services.

We want to thank you Joy for deciding to leave behind this wonderful legacy in support of what we do.

Even if you feel you’re just an ordinary person, you can do something amazing. Choosing to include a gift in your Will to a charity like Frontier Services changes people’s lives for many years to come. Find out more at www.frontierservices.org/how-can-you-help/bequest/