Content warning: This article discusses suicide and mental illness, which may be distressing for some readers. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14.
Tamara and Richard Wraith are dedicated to improving outcomes for those affected by mental illness, especially young women.
It’s a mission driven by their personal experience of loss. In April 2022, their daughter Amber, who struggled with complex mental illness for three years, died by suicide.
“Our family had to face the most tragic situation – losing a child,” Tamara recounts. “To lose a child who is a help-seeker is even more soul-destroying.”
Tamara and Richard supported their daughter to seek professional help – an experience that left them feeling failed by the mental health system.
Our experience left us wanting to do what we can to ensure others don’t have to go through the same thing.
“When someone seeks help, especially a young person, there needs to be a door open for them – not a revolving door that pushes them out to nowhere,” says Tamara. “Our experience left us wanting to do what we can to ensure others don’t have to go through the same thing.”
Tamara and Richard at an Amber’s White Light fundraising event.
Turning grief into advocacy
Tamara and Richard are now leading advocates for suicide prevention through Amber’s White Light – a Named Fund at Australian Communities Foundation.
The couple is tackling Australia’s mental health crisis from multiple angles – through personal giving, fundraising and advocacy – to support research into diagnosis and treatment, and help clinicians implement best practices.
Tamara explains three key goals underpin the couple’s advocacy. “Firstly, the time it takes to accurately diagnose mental illness must be shortened. In Amber’s case, we can see in retrospect that she was misdiagnosed.
“Secondly, treatment should be precise and tailored to the individual and their condition. Lastly, care and support need to be compassionate, timely and accessible. Unfortunately, current mental health services fall short of these goals.”
In July 2024, Amber’s White Light launched new Suicide Prevention Guidelines for Emergency Department (EDs) in partnership with the Black Dog Institute and Suicide Prevention Australia.
“With Amber having been turned away from the ED on multiple occasions, we feel strongly about supporting hospitals to implement these guidelines so healthcare workers are equipped to provide the best possible care,” says Richard.
Watch: Tamara and Richard Wraith share their story with the Black Dog Institute.
Amber’s Alert: Improving diagnostic accuracy
After building the Amber’s White Light Fund over the last two years, Tamara and Richard have just made their first grant. Turning their focus to improving diagnosis, the couple has committed $150,000 to Monash University’s HER Centre for an ambitious new research project named in Amber’s honour.
The Amber’s Alert project seeks to develop a toolkit to assist clinicians with accurate diagnosis in the early stages of mental illness.
“There is a lot of foundational research underway globally into biological signs of particular mental illnesses,” says Richard. “But it’s yet to be translated into clinical use.”
“That’s why this research is so important,” adds Tamara. “If clinicians have the tools to accurately differentiate between conditions, this leads to better treatment and care, and will ultimately save lives.”
HER Centre has nearly reached the current funding target for the project with an $82,000 gap remaining. Learn more about the project and contribute here.
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At Australian Communities Foundation, we can help you establish Named Funds to honour the memory of a loved one. Learn more about Named Funds here or contact us to have a conversation about getting started.
Feature image: Amber (left) with a friend.
When Joanna ‘Jo’ Knight passed away in 2022 at just 36 years old, her family and colleagues wanted to honour her memory.
A lawyer and barrister, Joanna had built an impressive career spanning legal aid and pro bono briefs over nearly 10 years in the sector.
She was first admitted as a lawyer in 2013 and worked for Marsdens Law Group before commencing practise as a barrister at Frederick Jordan in 2020. Up until her passing, Joanna worked at Culwulla Chambers in Sydney.
Remembering Joanna, Jo’s friend and barrister at Wentworth Chambers, Gina Edwards, explains that “Jo reflected the very best of human nature.”
“She was genuine, good-natured, and a model family law practitioner,” Gina says. “To those who met her, Jo left a lasting impression.
“Throughout her legal career, she was passionate about public service, and believed that socio-economic diversity in the legal profession would strongly benefit both the system and the community.”
Studying law is time-intensive and expensive, and without a privileged upbringing, can be difficult to manage, limiting diversity in the profession.
“For many students, there is no easy road to being admitted into legal practice. This is especially the case for people experiencing financial disadvantage and for First Nations students,” says Gina.
This is why, following Joanna’s death, the idea of a scholarship in Joanna’s name was raised.
“Joanna’s family and colleagues at the NSW Bar wanted to create scholarships to honour Joanna’s dedication to social justice by providing financial support to First Nations people and women in pursuit of a career in law.”
Joanna’s family and colleagues at the NSW Bar wanted to create scholarships to honour Joanna’s dedication to social justice
After exploring her options, Gina approached Australian Communities Foundation (ACF) about opening a Scholarship Fund.
Scholarship Funds allow fund advisors to provide educational payments, prizes and bursaries to students across Australia, and are the most effective way to build a lasting endowment.
Following discussions with the ACF team and in conjunction with Community Legal Centres NSW, the Joanna Knight Scholarship Fund was established, with the scholarship’s selection criteria and purpose in line with Gina and Joanna’s family’s giving goals.
The Joanna Knight Scholarship Fund has three streams, each targeting a minority group that would benefit from financial assistance when accessing legal education.
This includes a stream for women experiencing financial hardship who wish to be admitted as a lawyer; another for First Nations law students wanting to be admitted as a lawyer; and a third for women experiencing financial disadvantage wanting to be admitted to the NSW Bar.
“The scholarships aim to level the playing field, making it more accessible for people from diverse backgrounds to gain professional experience in community legal centres and become lawyers,” Gina explains.
Gina, an established barrister and senior litigation associate who worked on former US President Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, says the scholarship wouldn’t be possible without the assistance of ACF.
The scholarships aim to level the playing field, making it more accessible for people from diverse backgrounds to gain professional experience and become lawyers
“Without Australian Communities Foundation, this would never have happened. ACF facilitated an introduction with the Community Legal Centres of NSW, whom we partnered with for the scholarship,” Gina notes.
“We have just finalised the scholarship application, will be advertising it next month, and applications will commence!”
When asked how Joanna may feel knowing a scholarship had been established in her name, Gina laughs.
“I think Joanna would be a bit embarrassed! But she would be thrilled about the initiative supporting work at the community legal centres and encouraging economic diversity in the legal profession.”
To donate to the Joanna Knight Scholarship Fund, click here.
To learn about opening a Scholarship Fund, click here.
Since 2018, Australian Communities Foundation fundholder, Peter Mansell, has dedicated his time to raising awareness of the importance of skin checks.
He does this for a very personal reason: Peter’s daughter Morgan Mansell passed away after a short battle with melanoma. She was just 25 years old.
Hoping to spare others the pain of losing a loved one, Peter opened the Morgan Mansell Fund with Australian Communities Foundation and created Check4Spots Day; a day designed to encourage Aussies to get their skin checked for suspicious-looking moles and freckles.
Image: Morgan Mansell. Photo credit: Don’t MS With Morgs.
Speaking to Today Extra, Peter said Aussies have a “she’ll be ‘right” attitude but stresses the danger of sunburn and the necessity of skin checks.
“Melanoma is the most common cancer in young Aussies aged 15-39, and if you were sunburnt on more than five occasions or just one serious sunburn when you were younger, your chance of skin cancer more than doubles later in life.
“After the long hot holidays, grab a partner, check for spots – look for any new spots or changes to existing spots, and check for spots in hard-to-see areas that you can’t see yourself, like your scalp, back, and soles of your feet,” Peter said.
“You know your body better than anybody else, if you see any changes to spots, go and get them checked out.”
To raise awareness of Check4Spots Day, Peter usually takes on a physical challenge – last year he participated in Moomba’s Birdman Rally, while this year’s endurance test saw Peter take on a bed of nails.
Image: Peter Mansell taking on a physical challenge to raise awareness of skin checks. Photo: Youtube.
“This year I made a bed of nails, and then another bed of nails to put on my chest – then got sandwiched between them.
“I had some bricks smashed on my chest – the nails left a grid of puncture marks on my back but drew no blood, thankfully. I put the video on Youtube, and if you watch the clip it’s quite clear what the link between Check4Spots and what I’ve done is.”
You know your body better than anybody else, if you see any changes to spots, go and get them checked out
Peter hopes Check4Spots Day – held every 30 January, on Morgan’s birthday – will take off nationwide. He also encourages anyone with the means to support the Morgan Mansell Fund; the fund he set up in her honour.
The Morgan Mansell Fund supports organisations researching cures for melanoma, MS, and other rare diseases, such as CTLA4 deficiency, of which Morgan also suffered.
You can donate to the Morgan Mansell Fund here.
To learn more about opening your own fund, click here.
When mum-of-four Lana Wilson passed away in 2013, her eldest child, Melanie Gandevia, knew she wanted to honour her mother’s memory in some way.
The pair were close – “super close”, Melanie says. They’d talk every day on the phone, discussing everything and nothing, happy to hear the other’s opinion on all sorts of topics. Lana’s relationships with Melanie’s siblings, Chaya, Kane, and Ethan, were just as tender; a testament to Lana’s big-hearted nature.
Melanie describes her mother as a doting matriarch with a deep love for her children and grandsons Max and Taj. She had a penchant for 60s and 70s music – especially Bob Marley – and was an avid animal lover.

“My mum adored animals, it started when she was a kid,” Melanie says. “Someone once told me that people knew she would take in any animal she came across. So, people who wanted to get rid of their kittens would dump them on her front lawn!
“We had pretty much every pet you can think of when I was growing up: many, many cats, a couple of dogs, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and even a goose.”
The family lived in Evans Head; a small coastal town in Northern NSW with roughly 3,000 residents. Everyone knew everyone, Melanie remembers. “Growing up, I couldn’t get away with anything, as someone would report back to my mum!”
Tragically, Lana suffered a fatal asthma attack at just 51 years old, leaving behind her life partner Graham and devoted family.
“The turnout for her funeral was huge,” Melanie says. “I remember someone describing it as ‘stopping the town’ for the day.”
Lana’s passing inspired Melanie to begin her giving journey in her mother’s name, donating to the causes she knew her mum was passionate about: children, animals, and people in regional communities.
“She didn’t have a lot of money, but she was always very generous and willing to help absolutely anyone who needed it,” Melanie says.
“After mum passed away, I made a donation to Taronga Zoo in her name to help build the Lemur Forest Adventure space.
“She loved Taronga, and her name is included in the mural at the front of the enclosure, which is pretty cool.”
Melanie continued giving, switching gears from charitable donations to structured giving. She’d read a newspaper column by Australian financial counsellor and author of The Barefoot Investor, Scott Pape, and concluded that a Gumnut Account would be a suitable option for her needs.
It’s a way to remember her and keep her spirit alive. This is my way of continuing her legacy
“I definitely preferred the idea of smaller, ongoing donations than a large upfront sum.
“More practically, it’s a way for me to do something without having a huge amount of money upfront to create a fund,” Melanie explains.
Gumnut Accounts are a simple, straightforward, and practical way to start a structured giving journey. At Australian Communities Foundation (ACF), Gumnut Accounts can be opened with as little as $500 per quarter or $2,000 per annum, and with regular tax-deductible donations, will mature into a Named Fund (donor-advised fund) over time.

“The Lana Wilson Memorial Fund is named after my mum,” Melanie says. “It’s a way to remember her and keep her spirit alive. This is my way of continuing her legacy.
“It was reassuring to work with Australian Communities Foundation and know that the correct structures and governance arrangements are in place.
“Partnering with an organisation with vast experience and networks was very appealing, as I wouldn’t have known where to start!”
Once the Lana Wilson Memorial Fund matures into a Named Fund, Melanie plans to use her fund to benefit children, animals, and people in regional communities – “the kinds of people my mum helped when she was alive,” she says.
Melanie will work with ACF’s Grants Team to develop a strategic plan that maximises her giving and prioritises her focus areas.
“I like that I’m presented with a wide range of organisations to grant money to, organisations that I might never have found on my own.”
“It’s such a beautiful way to honour someone and turn the pain of losing them into something positive
Looking forward, Melanie hopes to get her two kids, Lola and Henry, involved in choosing the organisations they’ll support in their late grandmother’s name.
“I think she’d be amazed and so, so proud,” Melanie smiles. “I don’t think she could have ever imagined that there would one day be a charitable fund in her name.
“It’s such a beautiful way to honour someone and turn the pain of losing them into something positive.”
To learn more about Gumnut Accounts or to enquire about opening a Named Fund, contact our engagement team.
To commemorate his late wife’s lifelong commitment to education, Michael Fox opened the Jude Fox Bursary Fund with Australian Communities Foundation.
When school principal Jude Fox passed away in 2018, family, friends, teachers, and students alike attended her memorial service. Outside her funeral, countless cars lined the street; a testament to the impact Jude had on her community.
The founding principal of Flagstone State Community College in Queensland and leader for more than 16 years, Jude was known for her passion for helping students build bright, prosperous futures.
Former business lecturer at Griffith University and Jude’s husband of 42 years, Michael Fox, says Jude was “very generous” and dedicated to providing quality education for all her students.

This is why, three years ago, Michael decided to honour Jude’s memory by establishing a Scholarship Fund with support from Australian Communities Foundation: The Jude Fox Bursary Fund.
“She’d probably think I’m crazy,” says Michael. “But I think she’d be proud of what I’ve set up.”
“Jude was the making of me. She was the reason I ended up going to university. She helped me and stuck with me through some tough times.
“Jude believed in the strength and potential of Flagstone students, too… and the bursary fund is to build on the work she’s done with the school, students, and community,” says Michael.
The Jude Fox Bursary Fund grants $3,000 scholarships to Flagstone State Community College students facing barriers to attending university. Whether it’s due to the cost of travelling to campus, lack of support, or financial constraints.
What’s more, Michael notes, first-generation students may feel overwhelmed by the idea of navigating the higher education system autonomously, and he wants to help them feel confident.
“First-in-family university students don’t always have a support network, and the transition from high school to university is pretty big. I want to empower the students to say ‘look, I want to give this a go. The school believes in me to the extent that they’ve given me this money.
Jude believed in the strength and potential of Flagstone students… the bursary fund is to build on the work she’s done
Successful participants are awarded $2,000 for enrolling at a Queensland-based university and gifted a further $1,000 upon completion of their first year.
Students can spend funds on anything that will help them tackle challenges to partake in university studies, including semester fees, textbooks, equipment, a laptop, or travel costs.
“The idea is to basically say to the student and their family, ‘we believe in you and we’d like you to have the opportunity to see if you like university’.
“A few months into her first semester, one winner decided she didn’t want to continue. She said, ‘well, should I pay the money back?’ But that’s not the deal, the deal is to give them the opportunity to try.”
Image: Past winners of the Jude Fox Bursary Award.
Past scholarship awardees have included a student who worked at a dance studio, another who worked with disabled kids, and a student with a leadership position at the school. And while good grades help, Michael stresses students don’t need outstanding academic results to receive a bursary, saying: “It’s really about attitude.”
Looking forward, Michael plans to continue working with the Australian Communities Foundation grants team to distribute multiple scholarships each year and may expand the program to include a neighbouring high school.
“If a person is doing everything right, let’s give them a go. We’ve designed the financial model to increase in line with inflation. So, I think every five years or so we’ll reset the fund. We currently offer two bursaries a year, and then perhaps down the track we’ll increase to four.”
I want to empower the students to say ‘look, I want to give this a go. The school believes in me’.
For the time being, Michael is content to continue working with Jude’s Flagstone College students, while also honouring her memory in other ways.
“I’m going to plant roses in our garden for her,” he says. “Camp David – her favourite.”
You can make a donation to the Jude Fox Bursary Fund here. Donations to scholarship funds are non-tax-deductible.
Established in 2020 to honour the work of one of Melbourne’s most recognised advocates for social justice, the Lynne Wannan Fund has now awarded its first grant in partnership with scholarship organisation Western Chances.
Activist, advocate, community builder and policymaker, Lynne Wannan, AM, was committed to making a difference.
“Lynne held firm beliefs in social justice, particularly for women and young children,” explains Terry Bracks, AM, Founding Chair at Western Chances.
Based in Melbourne’s west, Western Chances helps young people in the area achieve their potential through the provision of scholarships, opportunity programs and ongoing support.
“These young people often face financial and other barriers, which make it difficult for them to succeed,” Terry explains.
To date, the organisation has helped over 3,000 young people overcome these barriers, supporting them to extend their education and career opportunities.
“Lynne was always a strong advocate for women and their careers, and that involved creating career paths and ways in which young women could get qualifications.”
Terry says none of this would have been possible without Lynne’s unwavering support.
“I had the idea and model but Lynne was the one who said ‘let’s do it’ and we did. Lynne was the Founding Deputy Chair, and in the first five years was very hands-on and involved.
“She gave hours of her time to ensure that we had good governance, good policies and good people in place.”
When Lynne passed away in 2019, Terry and some of Lynne’s closest friends and family, including her husband and co-founder of Australian Communities Foundation, Hayden Raysmith, AM, came together to establish a fund in her memory.
“Lynne was always a strong advocate for women and their careers,” says Hayden, “and that involved creating career paths and ways in which young women could get qualifications.
“As Founding Deputy Chancellor of Victoria University, she was a particularly strong advocate for young women from Melbourne’s western suburbs.
“When it came to matters of national policy, she was a fearless advocate for women being in key decision-making roles.”
Each year, the Fund honours Lynne’s legacy by awarding a scholarship to a young female Western Chances recipient to further pursue her chosen education or career.
“Hard-working and giving back to the community, with a passion for equality. That was Lynne.”
“The Lynne Wannan Prize is awarded to a young woman who we believe displays the qualities inherent in Lynne’s life and work,” Terry explains.
“Hard-working and giving back to the community, with a passion for equality. That was Lynne.”
Terry says the recipient of the inaugural Lynne Wannan Prize, Julie Alkarra, is someone Lynne would be very proud of.
“Julie was chosen for her high academic record, her willingness and enthusiasm to make the most of every opportunity that we offered her, and also for her community service.
“She is a refugee from Syria who arrived in Australia in 2016 with little English. She was accepted to study a Bachelor of Pharmacy/Master of Pharmacy at Monash University, which she commenced in 2017, the year she was awarded her first Western Chances scholarship.
“Julie is active in the community as a volunteer and committee member with two different organisations.
“In one of these roles, she works to support young refugees to integrate into their new world. She is an extremely worthy recipient of the inaugural prize.”
2021 Western Chances scholarship recipients
Lynne’s husband Hayden echoes Terry’s remarks when asked about the inaugural prize.
“Lynne would be very pleased to be able to give someone like Julie a pathway to undertake a more active role in relation to decision-making and being involved in organisations that promote opportunities for young women.”
Importantly, says Hayden, the award also honours Lynne’s legacy by leaving it to the recipient’s discretion as to how to use it.
“Lynne was a great supporter of that approach: to support young women to get on with their lives and make the most of their opportunities. We don’t need to tell them how to do it.”
To learn more about the Western Chances 2021 scholarship awards, visit the Western Chances website.
At Australian Communities Foundation, we can help you establish Named Funds to honour the memory of a loved one. Learn more about Named Funds here or contact us to have a conversation about getting started.
Lynne Wannan Fund
Supporting young women in leadership roles, particularly in relation to the status of women and community services.
The Morgan Mansell Fund, the 300th sub-fund to be established at Australian Communities Foundation, is a fund that no parent would ever wish to set up: a memorial fund to honour the all-too-short life of their child.
Peter and Julie Mansell’s bright and vivacious 25-year old daughter, Morgan, passed away in October 2018 after a long and valiant battle against rare and complex health conditions.
“Morgan loved everything life had to offer, and she grasped every opportunity that was presented to her,” says Peter.
“She loved her family and friends and her cat Tigger. She loved travelling and managed to cram in so much in to her short 25 years.”
Morgan documented her health battles which included CTLA-4 protein deficiency, multiple sclerosis, common variable immunodeficiency and finally melanoma, on her Don’t MS with Morgs social media accounts.
“When she was taken ill, she still took great joy in continuing to help others right around the world with their own particular health issues via these forums,” Morgan’s mother, Julie explains.
“Just by accident, we recently came across an amazing, totally unsolicited tribute on YouTube by an actor in the USA who had been communicating with Morgan. We didn’t really understand how big an impact she’d had on people.”
By establishing the Fund, we are able to keep our beautiful girl’s name alive indefinitely
Knowing the positive impact Morgan had on the world is one of the things Julie and Peter say has helped them navigate their grief.
Establishing the Morgan Mansell Fund is another. The Fund is designed to raise funds and make annual grants that support research associated with Morgan’s health issues, particularly melanoma which remains the most common cancer in young Australians aged 15-39.
“By establishing the Fund, we are able to keep our beautiful girl’s name alive indefinitely,” Peter says.
“At the same time, we’re doing what we can to help prevent other parents from suffering what we have.”
The Mansells chose Australian Communities Foundation after researching the pros and cons of setting up a foundation and the ongoing costs and investment of time and energy.
“We originally wanted to set up the Morgan Mansell Foundation or Trust in her name, but were deterred by the setup and ongoing costs,” Peter explains.
“We conducted our own research and it became evident that a lot of our energy and fundraising would be consumed by just maintaining the foundation without actually being able to distribute meaningful funds to our causes.”
The Mansell’s solicitor recommended they explore a sub-fund model within a community foundation.
“We looked at the various community foundations and ACF was the one that appeared to most closely meet our needs. ACF was an economical option, without prohibitive annual fees.
“We’ll also be able to draw upon the expertise of ACF with our planned fundraising activities and they will enable us to undertake these fundraising activities in a manner that is completely above board and tax deductible.
“I would encourage anyone who is passionate about their cause to do their own research as to what is the best option for them. For us, ACF and the Morgan Mansell Fund appears to be a very nice fit.”
Read more: Don’t MS with Morgs
If you are inspired to assist the Morgan Mansell Fund with their work, they would be delighted to receive your support. You can donate to the Fund here.