When Kellie Postle’s beautiful and bubbly teenage daughter, Alyssa Postle, was tragically killed in a motor vehicle incident just over four years ago, her family was heartbroken.
A passenger in the catastrophic crash, Alyssa succumbed to her injuries on 14 August 2020. Her family made the heartbreaking decision to stop life support three days after the incident.
This National Wills Week, Queensland Public Trustee encourages all Australians to consider advance life planning today to protect their family tomorrow.
National Wills Week, from 9 September to 15 September 2024, is an annual national campaign with participating state and territory trustee offices, to educate and encourage more Australians to prioritise advance life planning.
Unable to stop the loss of her child, Kellie decided to ensure something good came of the truly devastating situation. Passionate about protecting other young drivers and educating on the dangers of speeding and importance of road safety, Kellie launched the road safety campaign Live4Lyss.
“Alyssa was such a beautiful, compassionate, caring, loving and strong young woman. Her nickname as a child was ‘Smiley’ because she smiled so much. Her whole life was ahead of her – she was just 100 days away from graduating from high school,” Mrs Postle says.
“About a year after we lost Alyssa, my mother passed away. Each day without my mum and my daughter is a reminder that life is precious and shouldn’t be taken for granted. I feel like a piece of me is missing, but I think it will always feel this way.”
“I cherish time with my husband Troy and my other two incredible children, Adam and Ella. They are so strong and have had to endure so much pain in recent years, I wanted to do what I could to protect them if anything was to ever happen to me.”
“We updated our Wills after we lost Alyssa and encourage all parents to have an accurate and up-to-date Will for their children’s sake. I have personally seen the consequences of dying without a Will; while you’re grieving, it’s not something you want to deal with.”
Public Trustee of Queensland, Samay Zhouand encourages all Australians to make, and regularly update, their Will to ensure their wishes are known, heard and understood.
“Our research shows that 43% of Queenslanders who have a Will haven’t updated it in the past 10 years. Life is forever changing, and your Will should be changing with it,” Mr Zhouand says.
“Your Will is your chance to have your say about the distribution of your estate. You can leave everything equally to your children or select charitable causes that are close to your heart as beneficiaries. Use your Will to leave behind a legacy you are proud of.”
“Sadly, tomorrow is never promised. Queensland Public Trustee encourages all Australians to create or update their Wills this National Wills Week.”
To get started, you can contact your preferred legal professional or state/territory trustee to start the advance life planning conversation today.