A modest war veteran, Harry Orchard left a very generous bequest of over $440,000 to the ONJ Centre.
Born in Castlemaine, Harry and his family moved to Brunswick in 1923. Harry worked in a grocery store and as a messenger for a local pharmacy before being drafted into the army. When the war ended, Harry came home and married Jean and they moved to Eltham. Harry worked his way up from a records clerk to a public relations role at Golden Fleece Petroleum.
Throughout his life, Harry volunteered with over 40 community organisations. When Jean became ill with cancer it wasn't long before Harry became a volunteer at Austin Health - where Jean was a patient. For almost ten years, Harry was a valued member of the volunteer team, beginning the tradition of cutting rosemary sprigs to attach to poppies for Anzac Day commemorations. When Jean died a year short of their 60th wedding anniversary, Harry decided to leave a bequest to the ONJ Centre as his way of helping future cancer patients and their families.