It is with profound sadness that we acknowledge the passing of Kay Van Norton Poche AO, a beloved friend and supporter of the NORTH Foundation. Kay’s legacy of generosity and compassion has left an indelible mark on our community and her unwavering commitment to advancing healthcare will inspire for generations to come.
Professor Stephen Clarke, Kay’s treating physician at Royal North Shore Hospital said, “Kay was a visionary whose courage and resilience inspired everyone. Her dedication to healthcare and philanthropy will forever guide our purpose and she will be missed.”
Kay’s philanthropic contributions to the NORTH Foundation have been pivotal in driving progress and bridging the gap between what is needed today and what is possible tomorrow for patients and their families.
Kay and her beloved husband Gregory Poche AO generously contributed $6 million towards the Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice (AYAH) which opened in 2023. This first-of-its-kind facility provides teenagers and young adults with life-limiting illness with respite care, symptom management and end-of-life care.
More recently, Kay and Gregory made a transformative gift of $20 million to help establish a world-leading cancer clinical trials research and development centre at Royal North Shore Hospital and North Shore Private Hospital in collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York. The aim of the centre will be to enhance global access to clinical trials for cutting-edge cancer therapies, offering hope to millions of patients with cancer.
“Kay believed in the power of research to change lives and her gift will be instrumental in enabling us to accelerate breakthroughs in clinical trials research, particularly for cancer patients,” said Professor Bruce Robinson AC, Chair of Research for the Northern Sydney Local Health District (NSLHD).
Kay and Greg’s transformative gift inspired the NORTH Foundation and NSLHD to launch a major capital campaign in 2024 for clinical trials with a campaign target of $55 million.
Gilbert Lorquet, CEO of the NORTH Foundation said, “Kay and Greg’s passion for philanthropy and her deep empathy for people have set a standard of giving that will hopefully inspire many more for years to come. Her legacy will forever resonate within our team at the NORTH Foundation.”
In 2019, Kay received an Officer for the Order of Australia (AO) for her distinguished service to the community as a benefactor and supporter of Indigenous health and medical research initiatives.
Kay’s spirit of generosity and legacy will live on through the transformative impact she has made on the future of healthcare. The thoughts of everyone here at the NORTH Foundation and in the NSLHD are with Greg and Kay’s family and loved ones.
