Sunshine Coast Philanthropists Roy and Nola Thompson Die 8 Days Apart After Giving $20M

Roy and Nola Thompson, a Sunshine Coast couple married 69 years, died within eight days of each other in early August after spending more than 50 years giving back to their community. Nola died on July 30 aged 90 following a three-year battle with Stage 4 ovarian cancer, while Roy died on August 7 aged 95. Their son Peter Thompson said his father’s prognosis was a broken heart. Together they donated over $20 million to healthcare, education, and community organisations across the region.

A legacy built on generosity

The Thompsons donated $15 million to the University of the Sunshine Coast by 2018, including a $7 million building housing the Thompson Institute for mental health research. Their gifts locked in scholarships and bursaries for students through 2075. The couple also gave $2 million toward the Wishlist Centre, affordable accommodation for patients and families near Sunshine Coast University Hospital. In April 2021, they entrusted more than $5 million to the Buderim Foundation to establish the Thompson Charitable Fund.

From carpenter to multimillionaire philanthropist

Roy began work as a carpenter at 16 and built his parents a home by age 23. He and Nola built a hotel and property fortune on the Sunshine Coast, deliberately avoiding a luxurious lifestyle. In a 2021 interview with the Catholic Leader, Roy said: “I’m 87, can’t live forever, can’t take it with you, so why shouldn’t you give it to people where you’ve made the money?” Roy was recognised in the Order of Australia for his service to the community, and the couple was named Queensland Higher Education Philanthropists in 2017.

Humble champions who shunned the spotlight

Despite their standing as two of the Sunshine Coast’s biggest philanthropists, the Thompsons shunned public recognition. Nola told My Weekly Preview: “We’re not social people.” Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said they had been “incredible champions for the people of the Sunshine Coast, supporting locals through many extremely generous donations and gifts.” Brendan Hogan, CEO of hospital charity Wishlist, said Roy and Nola helped to change the face of philanthropy on the Sunshine Coast by giving generously and inspiring others.

A family of eight children and 38 descendants

Roy and Nola left behind eight children, 15 grandchildren, and 19 great-grandchildren. Their son Peter Thompson told Sunshine Coast News that Roy had become increasingly frail and was admitted to the same ward at Selangor Private Hospital where his wife had spent her final days receiving palliative care. For their family, it was an extraordinary and heartbreaking end to a remarkable love story.

Final Thoughts

Roy and Nola Thompson’s 69-year marriage and $20 million in donations reshaped philanthropy on the Sunshine Coast. Their legacy lives on through scholarships, medical research, and community programs funded in perpetuity. Their example challenges wealthy Australians to give back to the regions where they built their fortune.

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