(August-2004) Bowled over by lost super win

29 September 2005

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Last month, Super Review published a story detailing the work being done to assist people in finding lost superannuation accounts.

In that story we mentioned the efforts of Alex Doherty who has been helping Australia’s Unclaimed Superannuation Fund to find members who have turned 65 and have not responded to correspondence from their fund or have turned 64 and been deemed “lost” by their super fund.

Doherty was likened to the legendary Gerry Devine, the man from Tattersall’s who informs winners of their good fortune.

This month we provide the story of a family who, if not exactly ranking as winners of Tatts, were certainly grateful to learn of their lost superannuation account.

Shirley Bates, who lives in the Melbourne suburb of Chelsea, is a 68-year-old aged pensioner with very little cash to spare; even so, she still takes care of her two disabled, middle-aged sons.

Earlier this year, one of her sons won a place to represent Victoria at the Disability National Championships in Ten Pin Bowling.

Although he was desperate to compete, the family didn’t have enough money to fly him and his carer to Queensland where the championships were being held.

“Even if, by some miracle we could find the airfare, the cost of accommodation for two adults was too expensive,” Bates says.

Out of the blue, Bates received a letter from Doherty, on behalf of AUSfund, Australia’s Unclaimed Super Fund, to say that she was owed $1,000 in unclaimed superannuation.

Her name and details had popped up when he did a search of the AUSfund database for over 65-year-olds who were entitled to receive their unclaimed super in cash. He cross-matched her name with the White pages and found her address.

Doherty had no idea how timely his letter was going to be. Bates was able to put the money towards the fares to pay for herself and her son to fly to Queensland and compete in the National Championships from June 10 to June 20, 2004.

“I left work 10 years ago to look after grandchildren. I didn’t know I had any money owing to me,” Bates says. “It was a godsend. We wouldn’t have been able to go without that money.

“We had a fabulous time. The weather was great. Victoria came third. But that didn’t matter. The biggest group of disabled competitors ever were able to go to the Ten Pin Bowling Championship.”

Next year, they won’t have the same problem. Thankfully, the Championships are to be held in Melbourne.

— Megan Jones is a journalist with Industry Fund Services