By Callum Ludwig
The Seville Community House is hosting an afternoon tea on Tuesday 16 August from 1pm to 2.30pm with Kristy Burrows from Yarra Ranges Lawyers, who will hold an information session on the importance of a valid will and of the power of attorney.
Ms Burrows has been practicing law with Yarra Ranges Lawyers since 2005 and has extensive experience and expertise in Estate Planning, as well as Commercial and Business Law, Property Law and Retirement and Aged Care.
Ms Burrows said she thinks it’s important for everybody to at least consider or talk to somebody about getting a will put in place.
“It just gives you peace of mind, you’re not leaving a mess of complicated legal issues or disputes between your surviving family. A lot of people have got different family circumstances and they have different wishes,” she said.
“Getting advice about that is important because it also depends on what assets you have, whether they’re in your personal name, in joint names, or you’ve got money in superannuation, all of these things can have an impact so it’s good to sit down and get advice.”
The Power of Attorney is a written authorisation of another person to represent or act on another’s behalf in private affairs, business or other legal matters. This is particularly important for those who are very ill.
Ms Burrows said if you become unwell or lose the capacity to make decisions, the power of attorney will look after day-to-day type financials and decision making for you.
“We are educating the community and ensuring they’ve got to have some control over the decision-making in terms of their estate when they’re here and also when they’ve passed away,” she said.
“And if you don’t have a will, in the Victorian legislation, the law sets out who gets your estate which might not be what your wishes are, which is important because we see a lot of different family arrangements now and it can be quite complex.”
Ms Burrows has a long family history in the area, dating back to her great grandmother, who served as the Launching Place station mistress when the train travelled through the Upper Yarra Valley and Ms Burrows is involved in the Yarra Junction and Wandin Football and Netball clubs and the Upper Yarra Netball Association.
Manager of the Seville Community House Vicki Harrison said the event will hopefully create a relaxed atmosphere to share important legal information.
“Some people might be daunted by approaching a lawyer directly, so this way, they can get a bit of an insight into what’s involved,” she said.
“It’s the type of thing that we try and provide for our community, and we are a very welcoming community place so hopefully it feels unthreatening.”
RSVPs for the event is required for catering and can be organised by calling 5964 3987 or contacting info@sevillecommhouse.org.au.
Ms Burrows said she totally agrees that it can be very confronting.
“I think a lot of people are quite nervous and don’t want to think about the future and about death, doing it in this environment is a lot less daunting for them because they are there just to obtain information and don’t have to make any decisions,” she said.
“It’s important for everybody to be aware of what their options are, and how they can protect themselves and their family. I want to educate the community and make sure that they’ve got access to the information so that they can make informed decisions.”
