$1 million donation kick start
Len and Margaret Peel
There have been a number of large donations and financial contributions made to the Trust to bring a chemotherapy unit to the Hawkesbury. We must note and thank the Peel Family for their extraordinary generosity – a $1million donation made in 2011 which kick-started the fundraising in a big way.
The well-known Hawkesbury dairy farmers and milk distributors have been affiliated with the district since the late 1960s.
Len and Margaret owned the Yobarnie estate in North Richmond, their home was known as Kemsley Park. Early 1970 they purchased land in Freemans Reach, building a 1200-cow dairy called Hambledon Park.
Saying they wanted to leave a legacy for the Hawkesbury, in March 2011, the couple gave what is considered the district’s largest-ever philanthropic donation – one million dollars towards the proposed cancer treatment centre.
Len and Margaret were inspired to make the generous donation after seeing the suffering of a friend, who had to be treated for cancer outside the district.
Sadly, Len didn’t get to see the unit in operation. He passed away one year before it officially opened on 7 April 2017. Wife Margaret, his son David Peel and his niece Laura Beaumont were present at the opening.
Together with various anonymous benefactors, Len and Margaret Peel’s contribution has been crucial to the success of establishing Hawkesbury’s first cancer treatment unit.
^Reported by Justine Doherty, Hawkesbury Gazette, March 2011.
