Man leaves part of estate to Rocky and Toowoomba dioceses

A WEALTHY and devout Christian man who opposed the amalgamation of Queensland councils has left part of his estate to the five Catholic Diocese in the state.

Australian bishops have formally backed the decision to sack former leader of the Toowoomba diocese, Bishop William Morris. . Picture: Kevin Farmer

A WEALTHY and devout Christian man who opposed the amalgamation of Queensland councils has left part of his estate to the Catholic Diocese of Rockhampton.

Wondai stalwart William Boisen, who carried strong views against centralised power in Queensland, has left the residuary gift in his will to five Catholic Church dioceses to ensure the money goes to regional areas.

Mr Boisen, also known as Mick, was described during the requiem mass liturgy at his funeral as a "humble, ascetic and virtuous man whose generosity was enormous".

He specifically donated $20,000 to the Murgon parish.

But the dioceses at Toowoomba, Rockhampton, Cairns, Townsville and Brisbane will get equal shares of whatever is left of his large estate, after his two cousins' children and close friends receive their shares.

Mr Boisen bequeathed the remainder of his estate "for whatever religious or charitable purposes" the organisation "may think fit".

In a judgment listed yesterday, Justice Margaret Wilson said she heard Mr Boisen was a devout member of the Catholic Church and attended his local St John the Baptist church in Wondai, which is part of the Murgon Parish, "every Sunday, with few exceptions".

Mr Boisen had a "known attitude to the centralisation of power in Queensland, particularly within the church".

Mr Boisen died in August, 2010, aged 89.

He had never married, but his love of Wondai was known to all who knew him.

Mr Boisen served in Papua New Guinea and the South Pacific during the Second World War, but he returned to take over the family drapery business in Childers, established by his parents in 1903, until it closed almost 100 years after it began.

Originally published as Man leaves part of estate to Rocky and Toowoomba dioceses