THE COSTLEY BEQUEST.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 13 September 1923, Page 7

THE COSTLEY BEQUEST.

The many benefactions associated with the name of Kdward Cost ley are well known t.> every resident in Auckland, for it may be truly saiil that every walk of life has been benefited in some way or other liy his gifts of benevolence. Costley was a very early resident in New Zealand, and is said to have arrived in the northern part of tile colony as j early as 1830, unci he lived here for 47 i years, and at the time of his death in | 1883 he left an estate worth over £93,001). At a meeting at the Costley Home recently, when discussing the Costley bequests, the queslicin was raised by one of the Hospital Board members' that probably a will which such far-reaching effects would be a very complicated and j technical .one and w'ulllil be hard to interpret. ■'The very reverse \-~ the I case," replied the chairman of the board, mill the secretary having a co|iy of it anmni!-.l his papers, lie was asked Il> | read it. and to the surprise of many of those present the d.ctimeut proved to he of thr> simplest and brierVtu nature, und occupied one side only of a small sheet of paper. The will divided th; , whole of V.r. Uostley's wealth, after leaving a few small legncies to his private friends, in r-qual proportions amongst I seven public institutions, h v..is agreed ' that the provisions of no will coii'td have been simpler, and that the document was a tribute to the work of the late Mr. Samuel Jackson, who was .Mr. Cost ley's legal adviser. Mr. David Heiui. manager of the \uckland brunch of the National bank of New Zealand, was present when the will was drawn up a very lirief period before Mr. Costley passed'away, and he with Mr. Jackson were appointed executors of the will. No relatives could be found after Air I'ostley's death. lie wan a bachelor and | while lie had prospered in life fur bevund his greatest expectation, he did not keep lup any establishment ~f |,is own, but boarded with a family in the city ar<d practised Hie most Vijfid ceonomv in regard to his own persona! expenditure. His great wealth could not have been put to a better use. and it was on the advice of the two gentlemen above that reward of so much accumulated wealth from Mr. Cost ley's estate.