One hundred and forty years ago, in June 1886, the Wyatt Benevolent Institution (The Wyatt Trust) began operating.
It came into being thanks to the wishes and estate of Dr William Wyatt, an Englishman who was an early colonial settler in Adelaide. Dr Wyatt’s estate included properties and land that was never ceded by the local Kaurna people.
Several histories have been written about Dr Wyatt and The Wyatt Trust. The purpose of marking the 140th anniversary is not to relive that history, but to acknowledge it while fixing our sights on the far horizon.
Then to now
With no surviving heirs, Dr Wyatt’s Will stipulated that support from his benevolent institution was to be made available to “persons above the labouring class and in poor or reduced circumstances”.
Wyatt historian, Carol Fort, says it was expected that “beneficiaries should be of good moral character and conduct”. Recipients were required to have lived in South Australia for at least five years, which acted as a “class filter – long enough to check references relating to class and character”.
“Wyatt’s is not a universal gift,” she explains. “It is directed to the qualified poor.”
Records indicate that some of the earliest recipients were retired teachers and clergy widows. By 1891, monthly grants were being distributed to 50 recipients, the majority of whom were middle-aged women.
Woman over 50 are still a cohort that receives significant support from The Wyatt Trust, based on the fact that they are the fastest growing group at risk of poverty and homelessness in Australia.
“Poverty hasn’t become any less of an issue or any less stigmatised,” says Wyatt CEO, Stacey Thomas. “The gendered impacts of poverty are still with us 140 years later.”
In recent years, Wyatt has strengthened its efforts to use its capital and influence through grant making, advocacy and investments, to help alleviate poverty and bring benefits to people and planet.
This has included a decade-plus journey of investing for impact and embedding Lived and Living Experience as much as possible across its work. The impact of the Trust’s programs and grant making are continually interrogated and refined, with major changes having been made to legacy programs and the way grants are distributed.
Bold accountability is one of Wyatt’s key organisational values, along with acting in ways that are compassionate, relational and enabling self-determination. These values, which were formalised earlier this year, guide the Trust’s recent reckoning with its past and its commitment to truth-telling and reconciliation with First Peoples which began in 2017.
The Trust and its Governors continue to engage with First Nations leaders and community members to shape decisions in programs, investments and appointments. A Statement from the Governors of The Wyatt Trust is available online here.
140 years from now
Wyatt may be Australia’s oldest philanthropic trust, but the weight of history hasn’t stopped it from looking at its future through a very long lens.
In May 2026, Wyatt embarked upon a project to explore its potential impact not over the next five years or even the next 50 years, but 140 years into the future.
“If we’re really going to make an impact on poverty, it’s not enough to think in three or five-year strategic planning cycles,” explains Stacey.
“We have to think bigger. Last year, acknowledging that our 140-year anniversary was almost upon us was a great motivator to be audacious and genuinely begin exploring what the next 140 years could mean for the way that we support people experiencing poverty.”
Partnering with SA Futures Agency, the project draws upon the knowledge and experience of 40 subject matter experts who are participating in a series of workshops to determine possible scenarios for poverty in 2166. As part of our commitment to shared learning, an initial public event will be held in October and more detailed output from the project will form part of Wyatt’s next annual issue report, publishing in April 2027.
“Looking 140 years into the future is slightly daunting but also energising,” says Wyatt Chair, Dr Kylie Heneker.
“Poverty in South Australia is just as present today as it was in Dr Wyatt’s time and unless things change, it will still be here in 140 years’ time. Part of our responsibility in stewarding the resources of the Trust is to be bold enough to think beyond our own lifetimes and be open to new possibilities for reducing, if not eradicating, poverty.”
More reading:
The
truth is ours to accept: 5 learnings from Truth-telling at The Wyatt Trust
The
value of asking 'What more can we do?'
The
Wyatt Trust Impact Report 2025
