The Nudgee Trust was established 8 October 1869 when Bishop Quinn nominated four Sisters of Mercy as Trustees over various parcels of land at Nudgee. The original objective of the Trust was “the maintenance and support of a Roman Catholic Benevolent Asylum”
This broad term covered a range of activities as follows:
- An orphanage
- Industrial and Reformatory school
- A House of Mercy for females of good character
- A House of Refuge for the reformation of females of abandoned character
- A hospital for the sick
- An asylum for the incurable and superannuated persons
The Trustees of the Nudgee Trust resolved in the early 2000’s following a successful cy-pres application. A cy-pres is a legal doctrine whereby Trust objects which are no longer valid can be modified, staying as close as possible to the original intent. The cy-pres allowed the Trustee to recycle unutilised assets, in the form of surplus land, into an income generating corpus of funds. Nudgee Trust land was being applied to support ministry activity however there was a considerable amount of land not required for ministry.
The Trustee reviewed future governance options for the Nudgee Trust recognising the aging of the Sisters and the need to future proof the Trust. The outcome of this discernment was another process through the Court. This second visit to the Court was to secure Court approval for a ‘scheme’ to split the Land and financial Trusts and create two new Trustees. Court orders were issued in October 2018 which effectively split the Trustee role over the land and financial assets of the Nudgee Trust. The new orders confirmed the Trust was to be capital preserved. Mercy Partners are the Trustee of the Financial Truist and Mercy Community Services of the Land Trust. The board of Mercy Partners act as the Trustees of the Nudgee Trust.
