Jane Sayner faithfully rented a modest two-bedroom unit from landlord John Perrett for 23 years, paying $200 a week and lovingly tending to the garden. Over two decades, the two built a deep, genuine friendship.
While living in a nursing home and battling Parkinson's disease, Perrett called Jane to deliver life-changing news: he was gifting her the rental property. Now 74, Jane was stunned by the gesture, which allowed her to retire in peace without the fear of housing insecurity.
Unbeknownst to many, Perrett was a quiet multi-millionaire who lived frugally. When he passed away in September 2020 at age 86, he not only gifted homes to his long-term tenants but also donated $19.6 million to the Royal Melbourne Hospital's nephrology department, thanking them for a kidney transplant that had extended his life by 30 years. Today, Jane still quietly thanks him every single day.