The mystery man and the unexpected $2.8 million gift to a Sydney landmark
Round-the-world trips at the pointy end of the plane, champagne and lobster, perhaps a new wardrobe. Then there are debts, school fees, etc – it's a sum that would clear most mortgages, even in Sydney.
Neville Halse did none of the above. He gave his fortune to the State Library of NSW.
The library was surprised when $2.8 million turned up out of the blue, left to the institution in Halse's will. The man himself was also something of a mystery.
Described as a large man with a quiet character, Halse lived modestly in a Catholic boarding house nearby. He visited in late 2021, after the end of the second COVID lockdown, but was using a walker and in poor health. He changed his will on November 29 to leave his entire estate to the library, and died on June 9, 2022, aged 75.
The state librarian, Dr Caroline Butler-Bowdon, loves walking laps of the institution both when it is silent before opening and when it is humming with researchers, students and gallery-goers. As she is 18 months into the job, she never encountered Halse but suspects his experience in the library was profound.
'He must have been thinking about where such a substantial amount of money would go,' Butler-Bowdon said.
'We always welcome the generosity of individuals. We know that the State Library is greatly loved … a donation like this underscores that value.
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