Imagine working for 20 years on a house you don’t own, and then being given that house for free.That’s pretty much what Jane Saynor did before her landlord did something incredibly kind for her…When Jane Saynor found her Melbourne home to rent 22 years ago, she was 51 years old. She wanted to find a house with two bedrooms and a garden, and she finally did.
She never thought she would own it so many years later.The house in St. Albans is in the perfect part of Melbourne’s northwest where she wanted to settle down. For the more than 22 years she lived there, her rent was always $200.
After moving in, Jane wanted to change the garden, which had only one plant in a pot when she got there. When she wasn’t working at the market in Epping, she focused on the outside and inside of the home.
Her landlord, John Perrett, who worked hard to maintain all essential repairs up to date, was especially appreciative of her concentration on keeping everything clean and current.Years into their landlord-tenant arrangement, John called Jane unexpectedly while waiting in his solicitor’s office.
John wanted to leave the house to Jane in his will, so the lawyer needed Jane’s complete name.Naturally, Jane was initially perplexed, but she quickly realized that his promise was real.John, who was suffering from Parkinson’s disease and had recently moved into a nursing home, did this about this time. But it wasn’t his illness that made him decide to give Jane a house.
In actuality, John had a track record of kindness his entire life. His contributions to the community as a chemist, football player, real estate mogul, and philanthropist included giving away his millions of dollars in fortune.
Another instance of his unfailing generosity is the AUS$19 million gift he once gave to the Royal Melbourne Nephrology Department.The department had provided John with a kidney transplant 30 years prior to that donation, and he was eventually able to repay them in a way that he could so many years afterwards.
Professor Nigel Toussiant from the Royal Melbourne Hospital said, “That was a life-saving gift, I guess, to take him off dialysis and he was obviously grateful for the care that he received, for all the doctors and nursing and medical staff to look after him at the Royal Melbourne Hospital.”John never had children, so he gave a lot of his riches to other people, including Jane.
John was able to fulfill Jane’s long-held desire to spend her retirement years at the only house she had known for more than two decades.John regrettably passed away in 2020, however it was at that time that Jane formally inherited the property.“I thank him still every day of my life,” Jane shared.