A well-known Ballarat identity left millions in his will to Cancer Council Victoria to fund cancer research

Mr Coghlan, 91, died in 2017 and left millions of dollars to fund medical research to create a better future.

Among the beneficiaries was Cancer Council Victoria, which has created the Charles Campbell Coghlan OAM Cancer Breakthrough Fund to fund research into cancer prevention, detection, treatment and care.

Mr Coghlan was well known in Ballarat, having spent 69 years on the committee of Burrumbeet and Windermere Racing club including 49 years as chairman from 1954 to 2003, and served four terms as president of the Ballarat Turf Club.

Born in Ballarat in 1925, Mr Coghlan developed his farming skills on the family property in Learmonth and took on running the property in his late teens after his father died, producing fine merino wool and beef cattle.

The family's wealth began with Mr Coghlan's grandfather, James Coghlan, who was a brewer in the 1850s and created the famous Ballarat Bertie and Ballarat Brewery.

The Charles Campbell Coghlan OAM Cancer Breakthrough Fund will fund cancer researchers at different stages of their careers.

Cancer Council Victoria chief executive Todd Harper said the first postdoctoral research fellowships awarded included research in to genomic DNA testing to help understand who who might be at greater risk of a particular cancer and targeting screening programs toward them, and research in to cancer treatment using t-cell therapy, one of the important areas of immunotherapy bringing advances in cancer treatment.

"A bequest is one of the most generous gifts ... because it provides an opportunity to create a world that's very different to the one that you lived in. I'm really always in awe of people who think about their opportunity to change the world for the future," Mr Harper said.

"Many of the cancer advances that we all take for granted these days, many of them have been contributed to by people who made bequests 10, 20, 30 or 40 years ago."

Mr Coghlan's niece Marie Merriman said she was humbled at the thought of the impact the bequests from her 'Uncle Pip' could make in the future.

"He donated the same amount of money to the Cancer Council as he did to other major health organisations. He chose three health organisations as beneficiaries of his estate and each received millions of dollars," she said.

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"We asked that all of them use the same name, Charles Campbell Coghlan OAM, so clearly it was the same person providing this funding. It's humbling and amazing. Across the three organisations this funding will probably span about 15 years and in that time, what wonderful research can be done? His generosity will impact the lives of many through medical research and that's an amazing legacy."

Mr Coghlan also left money to St John of God Health Choices who supported him in his later years.

"To all who knew him, Charles was a true gentleman," say his nieces Kate, Marie and Carmel. "To us, he was fun-loving Uncle Pip, supportive, kind and generous.

"We are extremely proud of the legacy Charles has left to charity. To have a number of medical research projects bear his name is something we will always treasure," said Ms Merriman and her sisters Kate and Carmel.

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