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Greg Lees Foundation

The Rev Greg Lees was the Head of Ministry at Burgmann Anglican School from 2005 until August 2006. Greg went "home" after a long battle with cancer on 10 August 2007 aged 39 years leaving wife Jane and children Zach 10, Emma 8 and Sally 2.

Greg spent 18 months working at Burgmann as one of the Chaplains. During his first 12 months of employment Greg became sick with a mystery illness. Eventually he became too ill to work and was finally diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. At the time Greg was given two weeks to live, but through the faithful prayers of the school community, his friends and family, Greg lived another 12 months.

Greg’s mission in life was to share the Gospel of Christ with the School. He did this by building a strong sense of community and by sharing his beliefs openly and honestly with those around him. Greg had such an impact on many of the students that Jeremy Harris, a 2007 Year 11 student, initiated, developed and has now implemented The Greg Lees Foundation. The Greg Lees Foundation has been endorsed by the School Board.

What is the Foundation?

The Greg Lees Foundation is a fitting way of remembering who Greg Lees was, what he stood for and for continuing his legacy of fun, Christian based work for the benefit of others. It is a charitable organisation that gives families and students an opportunity to give back to the community. It will achieve this in three ways; the Greg Lees Scholarship Award, the Greg Lees ASBA Award, and thirdly, through the continued support of Community Building events that are aimed at sharing the Gospel.

1. The Greg Lees Scholarship Award

The Greg Lees Scholarship Award is a fee assistance program. It is designed to give families that are struggling to pay their school fees partial financial aid so that their children can continue to attend Burgmann. The scholarship award may also be offered to families who otherwise may not be able to attend the school.

2. The Greg Lees ASBA Award

The Greg Lees ASBA (Australian School Based Apprenticeship) Award will be awarded on an annual basis to the student in Year 11 or 12 who has excelled in their school-based apprenticeship training (the ASBA scheme is offered to students at Burgmann in Year 11 and 12 who choose to take on a school-based apprenticeship while completing their Year 11 and 12 studies).

A monetary voucher will be awarded to the most outstanding apprentice at the conclusion of each year. The voucher will be used to purchase ‘tools of the trade’, setting the student up for when they take on a full apprenticeship at the conclusion of Year 12.

3. Community Building

Greg’s mission at the school was to build a stronger sense of community to strengthen the sense of belonging for each individual. Money from the Foundation will from time-to-time be used to support community building events that are mission orientated such as:

Christian Youth Groups;
An annual or biennial fun day;
School House days;
Charity days that seek to raise funds for initiatives in the broader community.

The Foundation will rely on the generous financial support of the community. While the Foundation is a not-for-profit venture sadly it cannot offer tax deductibility for donations due to the current taxation laws.

There are many ways you can help make a contribution:

□ At the conclusion of your son’s/daughter’s education at Burgmann you could choose to donate your Enrolment Deposit currently held in Foundation.

□ You could donate an amount to the Foundation directly or donate a regular amount above your fees.

□ You could buy a CD currently on sale at $10. This CD is a single that was composed by a close friend of Greg’s with him before his death and is sung by a 13-year-old family friend.

□ Invest money with the Anglican Development Fund (ADF) and request that the interest, or a portion of the interest, goes towards the Foundation.

Why not consider giving to this worthy Foundation and be part of the ministry of Burgmann Anglican School? Please contact the Head of Business on 6255 7700 for more details.