NSW Trustee & Guardian v Reid [2021] NSWSC 1053

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: NSW Trustee & Guardian v Reid [2021] NSWSC 1053 Hearing dates: 3 August 2021 Decision date: 23 August 2021 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Ward CJ in Eq Decision: 1. Declare that, on the true construction of the Will of the late May Ethel Basham dated 18 November 2011 in the events which have occurred, the gift of "all my real estate to my husband's sister Jennifer Reid" in clause 5 of the Will of the late May Ethel Basham dated 18 November 2011 includes the property referred to in these reasons as the Blair Athol Property held by the plaintiff as trustee of the estate of the late Florrie Doreen Hurley. 2. Order that the plaintiff's costs of the proceeding be paid out of the estate of the late May Ethel Basham on the indemnity basis. Catchwords: SUCCESSION — Administration of estates — Nature of devisee's interest — Construction of Will providing gift of "all my real estate" Legislation Cited: Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW), s 153 Interpretation Act 1987 (NSW), s 21 NSW Trustee & Guardian Act 2009 (NSW), s 16 Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW), ss 3, 45, 47 Succession Act 2006 (NSW), ss 4, 30, 35, 38, 42, Wills, Probate and Administration Act 1898 (NSW), s 5 Cases Cited: Commissioner of Stamp Duties (Qld) v Livingston (1964) 112 CLR 12; [1965] AC 694 Fairbairn v Varvaressos [2010] NSWCA 234 Lewis v O'Loughlin (1971) 125 CLR 320; [1971] HCA 53 Marley v Rawlings [2014] UKSC 2; [2015] AC 129 McBride v Hudson (1962) 107 CLR 604; [1963] ALR 226 Official Receiver in Bankruptcy v Schultz and Another (1990) 170 CLR 306; [1990] HCA 45 Perrin v Morgan [1943] AC 399; [1943] 1 All ER 187 Pohlner v Pfeiffer (1964) 112 CLR 52; [1964] HCA 8 Re Leigh's Will Trusts [1970] Ch 277 Texts Cited: Dal Pont and Mackie, Law of Succession (2nd ed, 2018, LexisNexis Butterworths) Heydon, JD, & Leeming, MJ, Jacobs' Law of Trusts in Australia (8th ed, 2016, LexisNexis Butterworths) Janes, S, et al, Wills, Probate and Administration Law in NSW (2nd ed, 2020, Thompson Reuters) Mason and Handler, Succession Law and Practice in New South Wales (looseleaf, LexisNexis Butterworths) Category: Principal judgment Parties: NSW Trustee and Guardian (Plaintiff) Jennifer Anne Reid (First Defendant) Kim Loraine Little (Second Defendant) Luke Thomas Basham (Third Defendant) Peter Little (Fourth Defendant) Robert Reid (Fifth Defendant) Alison Margaret Quirk (Sixth Defendant) Representation: Counsel: C Birtles (Plaintiff)