A Melbourne woman received the surprise of a lifetime when her landlord of more than 20 years decided to give her the home she had been renting, transforming her from tenant to homeowner with a single phone call.
Jane Sayner had been living in a two-bedroom unit with a garden in St. Albans, a northwest suburb of Melbourne, since finding the property 23 years ago. The garden initially drew her to the home, but she also appreciated the neighborhood and developed a strong relationship with her landlord, John Perrett.
Perrett, a self-made millionaire who had built his fortune through property investment while working as a pharmacist, became known for his generosity in his later years. His decision to gift Sayner the unit exemplified his philanthropic approach to wealth.
"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,'" Sayner told 9 News, according to Good News Network, recalling the moment that changed her life.
More than six years after receiving that call, Sayner said she still pinches herself over the extraordinary gift.
Perrett passed away in 2020 in his mid-eighties due to complications from Parkinson's disease. His generosity extended far beyond Sayner's home. The community-minded soccer enthusiast donated his multi-million dollar fortune to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the institution where he had received a kidney transplant that sustained him for 30 years.
The donation to the hospital totaled AUD$19.6 million, a sum that hospital officials say will support patient care and operations for decades.
"We are extremely grateful as a department of the hospital at the Royal Melbourne Hospital for such a bequest. It's just amazing," Professor Nigel Toussiant from the hospital told 9 News, according to Good News Network.
Sayner retired at 74 and continues to live in the St. Albans unit. She honors her late landlord's memory regularly, thanking him under her breath every few days for the life-changing gift that secured her housing in retirement.
The story stands as a testament to how individual acts of generosity can create lasting impact, both for individual recipients and entire communities. Perrett's dual legacy—a home for a faithful tenant and millions for medical care—reflects a philosophy of using personal wealth to improve the lives of others.