South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service v Wallace [2003] NSWSC 1061

Reported Decision : 59 NSWLR 259

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service v Wallace [2003] NSWSC 1061 HEARING DATE(S) : 5/11/03 JUDGMENT DATE : 24 November 2003

JUDGMENT OF : Burchett AJ at 1 DECISION : Orders to be made for an application of the charitable gift in the Will cy-près in accordance with short minutes to be brought in.

CATCHWORDS : CHARITIES - anomalous non-charitable "tomb trusts" - invalidity where the tomb is not part of a church and the trust is perpetual - rule against perpetuities - consequences for gift of surplus income to charity - exceptional rule where tomb trust is invalid - gift over to charity upon tomb falling into disrepair or where repair is in the opinion of the trustee "impracticable" - trustee bound to have that opinion if "tomb trust" invalid - whether trust to establish grave could be held valid though trust for its upkeep was void for perpetuity - whether gift to a charity (a hospital) took effect too remotely - whether gift to charity was a limitation on the failure or expectant on the determination of a limitation (the "tomb trust") that was void as a perpetuity- association with a prior invalid limitation distinguished from dependency or expectancy upon it - position where a gift is contingent upon alternative conditions some of which offend the rule against perpetuities but one does not - plaintiff's entitlement to charitable gift upon a cy-près order. LEGISLATION CITED : Perpetuities Act 1984 (NSW) Allan, Re [1958] 1 WLR 220 Cambridge v Rous (1858) 25 Beav. 409; 53 ER 693 Canning's Will Trusts, Re [1936] Ch 309 Chamberlayne v Brockett (1872) LR 8 Ch 206 Chardon, Re [1928] 1 Ch 464 Coleman, Re [1936] Ch. 528 Coxen, Re; McCallum v Coxen [1948] 1 Ch 747 Curryer's Will Trusts, Re [1938] Ch. 952 Dalziel, Re (1943) 1 Ch 277 Davey, Re [1915] 1 Ch. 837 Dawson v Small (1874) LR 18 Eq 114 Durour v Motteux (1749) 1 Ves. Sen. 320; 27 ER 1057 Endacott, Re [1960] Ch. 232 Filshie, Re [1939] NZLR 91 Fisk v Attorney-General (1867) LR 4 Eq 521 Harvey, Re (1888) 39 Ch D 289 CASES CITED : Jones, Re (1898) 79 LT 154 Kelly v Attorney-General [1917] 1 IR 183 Leahy v Attorney-General for New South Wales [1959] AC 457 Martin, Re [1952] WN (English) 339 Muir v Archdall (1918) 19 SR(NSW) 10 Norton, Re (1948) 64 TLR 582; Sub nom Re Norton's Will Trusts [1948] 2 All ER 842 Oldfield (No.2), Re [1949] 2 DLR 175 Pedulla v Nasti (1990) 20 NSWLR 720 Pettit, Re [1988] 2 NZLR 513 Pooley v The Royal Alexandra Hospital for Children (1932) 32 SR(NSW) 459 Porter, Re [1925] Ch. 746 Rogerson, Re [1901] 1 Ch. 715 Spehr, Re [1965] VR 770 Taylor, Re (1888) 58 LT 538 The Public Trustee v Nolan (1943) 43 SR(NSW) 169 Thomson v Shakespear (1860) 1 De G F & J 399 Tyler, Re [1891] 3 Ch 252 South Eastern Sydney Area Health Service (Plaintiff) PARTIES : Beverley Phoebe Wallace and Donald Charles Lawrence Milham (1st Defendants) Attorney-General of New South Wales (2nd Defendant) FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 3491/03 J. R. Wilson S.C (Plaintiff) COUNSEL : No appearance (1st Defendants) J. Needham (Attorney-General) SOLICITORS : Deacons (Plaintiff) I V Knight Crown Solicitor (Attorney-General)