Cat lover’s $190k gift for SPCA
For decades a rejected typewritten novel remained hidden from view, but a Dunedin man helped publish his elderly client’s work.
Rosalie Jean Ambrogio was not married, had no children or living siblings. She died in Dunedin on October 29, 2019, aged in her 80s.
Her death came a day before her will was declared valid, sparking a High Court decision.
Martin Haanen, of Castle Trustees Ltd, was appointed by the court to look after her estate while she was alive.
He became aware her will dated November 28, 1972, left a half share to her sister, who had died, while the other half went to a charity now known as the SPCA.
After being admitted to hospital, Ambrogio wanted her full estate to go to the SPCA. A will was prepared by a lawyer.
Ambrogio died a day before the Family Court approved her affairs, sparking a High Court decision as a ‘‘will-maker’’ had not signed the document.
Justice Rachel Dunningham was satisfied that documents produced by Haanen, showed
Ambrogio’s intention for her estate.
‘‘We got the will there in the end,’’ Haanen said yesterday.
Ambrogio’s estate, which largely came from the sale of her two-bedroom property, resulted in the SPCA receiving about $190,000 from her estate. ‘‘She loved cats.’’ Ambrogio, who once worked as a typist and then as the Dunedin’s Atheneum librarian until her retirement, had become largely bed-ridden in the year before her death.
‘‘What do you give an elderly lady who is weak and frail?’’
That answer came to Haanen after he came across an unpublished manuscript among her records, which was rejected by publishing houses several decades earlier.
Undeterred, Haanen with the help of his daughter, went to get the book published.
That novel, Port Adventure – Kidnapped on Stewart Island, included 20 hard copies and e-books for sale via Amazon.
‘‘I have to be honest, the book isn’t that good,’’ Haanen said of the romantic adventure.
‘‘The idea was to make her happy. Maybe I was wrong to do it . . . I don’t know, but she was ecstatic.’’