Currimundi is a larger, lived-in suburb wrapped around the Currimundi Lake estuary and its conservation park, and its households look nothing like the tidy owner-occupier picture people imagine. Around one family in six here is a one-parent family, and nearly one household in five includes a child under 15. Roughly a quarter of local homes are rented — these residents are tenants, not property investors — and the median household income sits at a modest $1,467 a week. At the same time, more than a fifth of residents are aged 65 and over, so the suburb spans young families and retirees at once.
That mix produces a very particular problem: a lot of Currimundi households decide they are "too small" for a will. A single parent thinks there is no one to leave anything to but the children anyway. A renter assumes a will is a homeowner's document. Someone on a modest income assumes estate planning is for the wealthy. All three are mistaken. A will is the only place you can name a guardian to raise your children if you die, and for a sole parent that decision should not be left to a court. And whether or not you own a house, you still have an estate — superannuation, life insurance, a car, savings and personal effects. Superannuation and life insurance often pass through a nomination made with the fund or insurer, which can sit outside your will, so the rest still needs clear directions.
Without a valid will, Queensland's Succession Act distributes your estate by a fixed statutory order that starts with spouse and children and cannot bend to your circumstances. A kit will bought online often fails the strict witnessing rules in section 10 and is challenged later. Eligible family can also apply to the court for further provision, generally within nine months of death.
Catton Roderick Lawyers works through a clear three-step process — a first consultation, drafting and review, then signing, safekeeping and executor guidance. The first conversation is confidential and free, with costs explained up front and scaled to how simple or complex your estate is. The firm works from its Birtinya office, a short drive north of Currimundi.
