John William Brownbill Estate

John William Brownbill (1932-2026), together with his late sister, Margaret, and her husband, Hugh Fraser had previously been a participant in the Geelong Community Foundation through the MJ & HJ Fraser & JW Brownbill sub fund.

Through astute investing over a long period of time, John accumulated considerable assets through real estate, shares and various fund investments and John’s Estate has now created a new substantial Sub Fund with the Foundation.

John had many interests in life and was especially dedicated to social justice and human rights. These long term interests were the result of many years of involvement with welfare and charitable programs of St David’s Uniting Church, Newtown. His service and involvement with St David’s covered virtually all aspects of church life and function.

John had a long involvement in multiple charitable causes and was a generous donor to charities, musical organizations and was pleased to assist various students with funding directed towards their advancement of musical skills.

John died shortly after his 93rd birthday and had a wealth of knowledge of the history of Geelong and had many friends across the city and western Victoria, particularly great dining locations.

John was a 30-year employee at the Geelong Harbor Trust in an accounting role, which probably explains his meticulous record keeping and astute investment program.

As stated elsewhere, John appreciated the simplicity of the funding model that the Geelong Community Foundation is based on, its investment in Geelong and district community.

John’s Estate adds to the many contributions by many other Geelong citizens.

The Geelong Community Foundation also gave John a sense of service or giving back to the whole of the Community.