Over two decades ago, Jane Sayner, a 74-year-old woman, found her dream home in St Albans, northwest of Melbourne.
After searching for the perfect place for a while, she stumbled upon a listing in a local newspaper that seemed just right.
So, she decided to move in.
For more than 20 years, Jane faithfully paid her rent of $200 per week, mostly in cash, to her landlord, John Perrett.
John, a retired pharmacist known for his community involvement and philanthropy, never once raised the rent.
Turns out, during his 83 years of life, he’d built up a massive fortune.
Jane described him as a wonderful landlord.
The house, which was once John’s, had a barren yard when Jane moved in.
Being a gardening enthusiast, she transformed it into a vibrant garden filled with a variety of plants, adding color and life to the property.
Thanks to her kind landlord, she was able to really make it her “own.”
Then one day came a huge shock.
A few years ago, while John was living in a nursing home and battling Parkinson’s disease, he gave Jane the surprise of a lifetime.
He called her to say he was leaving her the house, free of charge.
“I got a phone call from him one day and he said, ‘I want you to talk to my solicitor, he is here at the moment and can you give him your full name because I’m leaving you the unit’,” Jane told A Current Affair.
Initially, Jane couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
She wondered if she had misunderstood or misheard John.
But it was true.
After more than two decades of witnessing Jane’s love for his property, John decided to give it to her outright, asking for nothing in return.
The gift of the house was a life-changer for Jane.
It meant she could finally think about retiring.
Until then, she had been working to make ends meet, but owning her home outright allowed her to save money and eventually retire so she could enjoy her golden years.
What Jane didn’t know was that John Perrett was actually a millionaire.
He had lived a modest life, never marrying or having close relatives.
After selling his pharmacy, he wisely invested in shares, amassing a considerable fortune.
John’s financial acumen extended beyond personal gain.
He left more than $19 million to the local hospital.
“Words can almost never describe how unselfish and incredibly generous (Perrett was),” said Professor Nigel Toussiant from the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
“We are extremely grateful as a department of the hospital at the Royal Melbourne Hospital for such a bequest. It’s just amazing.”
John had a long history with the hospital, having received a life-saving transplant there thirty years prior.
Sadly, John Perrett passed away near the end of 2020.
Jane remains thankful to him every day for his generosity and life-changing gift.
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