“Some people come into our lives, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never the same”
– Franz Schubert
A Lasting Legacy
From humble beginnings in 1974 as the first FM stereo radio station in Australia, 2MBS Fine Music Sydney has grown over 50 years to become the leading fine music community broadcaster with over 200,000 weekly listeners in greater Sydney and throughout the world.
Broadcasting great music is our passion and we do this all day, every day. More than this, we look to the future by sponsoring live performance and supporting young Australian musicians, singers and composers with awards, scholarships and broadcast opportunities.
As a regular listener and supporter, we know that you share these values. Fine music is a vitally important part of our culture – bringing the ability to relax, entertain, excite, move and inspire us. As one of the great products of Western civilisation, we believe the preservation of great music and its continued creation are important both for us today and for generations to come.
Think about what great music has meant to you over the course of your life and the pleasure it has provided. At this time of rapid cultural change in our society, the free availability of great music is more important than ever for us and for future generations.
A bequest to 2MBS Fine Music Sydney is a vital contribution to the continuation of our work – a truly lasting legacy to the music we all love and hold dear.
Financing a Fine Music Future
Operating a radio station – even one which is almost entirely run by volunteers – involves enormous expense.
2MBS Fine Music Sydney is a not-for-profit organisation, operating under a community broadcast licence. This gives us limited scope to raise commercial revenue and support from any level of government is almost non-existent. As
a result, we rely on the generosity of our listeners through their subscriptions, donations and bequests.
Over the years, bequests have made an enormous contribution to ensuring our continued operation and development. A few examples of what bequests have funded include:
- Broadcasting and transmission equipment to allow us to make the transition to digital.
- Recording equipment to enable the broadcast of concerts by Sydney’s leading musical ensembles from venues around the city.
- The annual Kruger Scholarship for young classical musicians and the annual Weatherley Scholarship for young jazz musicians – both named after very generous benefactors.
- A new concert grand piano for our performance studio.
- Construction of a library to house our 20,000+ CD collection.
- Additional space to use for educational purposes, for example, our monthly Enjoy, Learn, Discuss music talks.
Leaving a bequest to 2MBS Fine Music Sydney is, in the best sense, the gift that keeps on giving – to generations to come.
The 2MBS Fine Music Circle
Make you final act an overture –
By notifying us of your intention to leave 2MBS Fine Music Sydney a bequest in your Will, we will enrol you in the 2MBS Fine Music Circle – a group of fellow philanthropists who have pledged a bequest in the knowledge they are contributing to the future of fine music.
The 2MBS Fine Music Circle enables us to show our appreciation for your pledge by invitations to events, updates on the activities and progress of the station, and recognition in our monthly digital magazine Fine Music Magazine (we will respect any preference to remain anonymous).
Thank you
Thank you for considering us in your Will.
There are many ways of making bequests. If you or your legal advisor would like a confidential, no-obligation discussion about your wishes, please email [email protected] or call the station on (02) 9439 4777 and ask to be contacted by the Bequest Manager.
Wills and Bequests
A Will is an important legal document that ensures that after death, your wishes are protected and efficiently implemented. In Australia, if a person dies without a Will they are said to die “intestate” and the distribution of their assets is controlled by the Public Trustee. Intestacy may result in the assets not being distributed as intended.
A bequest is an instruction given within a Will that reserves part or all of an estate for a specific beneficiary. For example, a gift in the form of a bequest can be made to 2MBS Fine Music Sydney to use at its discretion, or for a specific purpose.
Leaving a Bequest
It is recommended that you seek legal advice on the structure of your Will from a solicitor, trustee company or the Public Trustee and inform your family of your intentions.
In the event that you already have a Will drafted, it is possible to make amendments to the Will in the form of a Codicil, which alters the terms of the Will to reflect your new intentions. If you have yet to draft your Will or are planning to update it, we hope you will consider leaving a bequest for 2MBS Fine Music Sydney. The direct impact that is achieved through your gift will leave a lasting legacy.
The wording of your Bequest
You should consult your solicitor or professional advisor. However, we recommend the following wording:
“I give to the Music Broadcasting Society of New South Wales Co-operative Limited (ABN 64 379 540 010), for its general purposes (the whole) or (a specific amount or gift) or (a percentage) or (the residue) of my estate free of all duties for which a receipt from the Secretary or other authorised person will be sufficient discharge for the executor.”
Recognition
Upon receiving your gift, your bequest will be recognised publicly in our monthly magazine and on our website, unless you have specified your wish to remain anonymous.
Bequests of $10,000 or more are inscribed on a permanent Memorial Honour Board at the station. Naming opportunities also exist for very substantial bequests.