Words by Cheyanne Bryan
Property developer, entrepreneur, and Canberra Airport owner, Terry Snow AM sadly passed away this week.
Born into the family of Canberra's first store owner, Terry Snow, worked his way to become one of Australia's wealthiest people through his successful commercial property ventures. However, along his journey, he gave back to medical research initiatives and helped those in need.
In 1991, Snow and his brother George established The Snow Foundation which provides grants to charities and community groups that help “disadvantaged youth, people with disabilities, food programs, and schools in need – and help the individuals and organisations whose needs were not covered by government assistance”.
Snow Medical, was later established to support Australian biomedical research through the Snow Medical Fellowship. The fellowship was designed to take researchers out of short-term funding cycles and help them foster change and development in the medical field. Mr Snow was very active in the work that his foundations did, even up to last year where Snow Medical awarded the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and partner Royal Melbourne Hospital, a $100 million over 10 years investment to create a immunology research centre.
Outside of the medical setting, Terry Snow was highly committed to property development, especially becoming the owner of the first Australian suburb to have a minimum requirement for solar power generation in every home. This was part of the Homes for Homes initiative which donates 0.1 per cent of the sale price of all properties to projects that address the shortage of social and affordable housing in the Australian Capital Territory.
His cause of death is said to be due to natural causes and we wish his family and friends well during this period of grieving.
At Smiley Movement, we like to elevate the work of charities across the world. Here are three charities whose causes align with the themes in this article.
Medical Research Foundation. This charity funds and supports promising research in areas of great clinical need but where there is low investment, creating the conditions required to take the improvement of human health. Find out more.
UCLH Charity. This charity supports the hospitals that make up University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust. Learn more here.
Solar Aid. This is an international charity that combats poverty and climate change through social enterprise. Support them here.
