What will your Legacy Be?

Legacy means different things to so many different people. To some it may mean spending their life working hard to create something of significance to them to leave behind.

For others, their legacy is enshrined in having buildings, stadiums or monuments named after them. Sporting stars often have stands or stadiums named after them, eminent business people or those involved in public life also frequently have rooms, halls, galleries and other significant venues named in their honour as a lasting legacy.

My own father lived in the same town his entire life; despite being well travelled there was no way he was going to ever going to live anywhere else. His family had lived there for generations, there was a road named after the family, and there is even a Sloan’s Hill and a renown cottage in the town named Sloan’s cottage. Dad was heavily involved in the local football club; he was an extremely passionate supporter and I think I can say on authority that he was also one of their most vocal supporters. Upon his death, my family organised for a trophy to be awarded each year in his honour to a valued player - it is a way to continue his legacy in a place where he spent so much time and which was a significant part of his life. My father has been departed ten years now, but each year, one talented footballer receives the honour of a trophy in my father’s name, and my father’s memory is still embodied within that football club. His legacy lives on.

A few years ago, I had a wonderful client who was nearing the end of his life at the age of 92. He liked to chat and was more than happy to engage you with stories about his life. That is what he held within him, stories. When he was gone, some of those stories would remain entrenched in the memories of family members, however with many friends now passed on there was not a large audience remaining to be custodians of those stories.

In the final eighteen months of his life he engaged a lady to visit him on a regular basis to sit and listen to him chat and transcribe his stories. My client’s biography was finalised a couple of months prior to his death, a lovely legacy to leave behind for future generations of his family. As someone who never met one set of grandparents because they passed before I was born, I personally think it is a beautiful gift to leave behind. There are so many families who chat about relatives and wonder what certain situations or parts of their lives were like, the missing gaps. Leaving your story in written words may go some way to answering those missing gaps.

Others may prefer to do a video or audio book of their story. This can also be a valuable gift to leave behind which can be viewed or listened to on occasion.

There are also simple ways to leave a legacy. I have often heard of a particular plant being provided to mourners at a funeral or celebration of life so that the recipient may go home and plant this gift in their garden in memory of the person who has departed, a reminder of this person every time this plant blooms.

Legacy is prevalent in many family traditions. I have fond recollections of my parents preparing the Christmas pudding and Christmas cake together each year with recipes handed down from my grandmother. Often such recipes can be handed down many generations, which leads to a lovely legacy. This is particularly so when families or friends come together for traditions and celebrations, and those that are no longer with us physically remain with us by way of the legacy they left behind.

Recently, I came across a wonderful beach property called Legacy and I could not stop thinking how wonderful this was. The parents who were the original owners of the property had left a beach property to their adult children, so that their adult children and their families could enjoy the long-held family tradition of spending time together at the beach shack enjoying each other’s company and creating memories. With such an embodying intention I think this is one of the most appropriately named properties I have ever seen.

As you can see, there are many different ways to leave a legacy, some are as a direct result of your actions, others are because of how people remember you. Most people don’t think of the legacy that they wish to leave behind, or if they do it may be when they are in the later stages of their lives and are reflecting on the life they have lived so far.

We all have the opportunity to create an amazing legacy, to make a difference and leave the world a better place. It is up to each of us individually if we wish to do so.

Disclaimer: The advice provided in this blog is of a general nature only and you should always seek legal advice relevant to your own circumstances.