Jamie Gardiner believes being charitable is part of being human. “My mother and father were both engaged in charitable activities as medical practitioners,” Jamie reflects, “and fairness, kindness and public duty were their guiding principles.”
His parents, Jenny and Jim Gardiner supported the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation for over forty years. They met at university and Dr Jim Gardiner went on to become a pioneer of cardiology in Melbourne. He was involved with developing new methods in cardiac diagnosis at the Baker Medical Research Institute in the 1950’s – work that later played an instrumental role in the development of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery, which was first successfully undertaken in Australia in 1957.
Jim established the Jenny Gardiner Fund in her name after her death in 2001. His own name was added in 2011. Dr Jim Gardiner generously left a gift in his Will to the fund, which continues to support the Melbourne community in perpetuity.
Like his parents, Jamie has a commitment to public duty. He’s a pioneer of Australian’s LGBT rights movement and has a passion for Human Rights and LGBTQI issues. When the Foundation’s centenary aligned with what would have been Jenny Gardiner’s 100th birthday, Jamie acknowledged his mother and this milestone through a gift to the Foundation.
As the community foundation for Greater Melbourne, we support our community to leave a legacy they are proud of and lasting impact on their community. Many generations of families have provided support to their local community through Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation.
For anyone considering establishing a charitable fund account, Jamie’ advice is, “Just do it!”