Final tranche of couple’s S$13 million legacy given to four Singapore charities
Mr Gerry Essery and his wife Jo left more than S$13 million to charities after their death.
Jo and Gerry Essery. (Photo: The estate of Jo and Gerry Essery)
SINGAPORE: The final tranche of a couple’s S$13 million legacy gift has been given out to four charities in Singapore.
Jo and Gerry Essery lived around the world – in the UK, South Africa and Australia – and they decided to call Singapore home in the 1970s.
After they died, the couple left more than S$13 million to four Singapore charities: Assisi Hospice, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Garden City Fund.
The Assisi Hospice, NKF and SPCA received S$2 million each as part of the final tranche, adding to the S$2 million they each received in 2017.
Another S$1.183 million went to the Garden City Fund, a registered charity of the National Parks Board.
On Monday (Jan 9), a heritage tree in the Botanic Gardens was dedicated to the couple.
The couple wanted to give back to causes that they held dear and to leave behind a “legacy of social impact”, said the four charities in a joint press release.
Dr Tan Hwa Luck, the executor of the couple’s estate and their close friend, said: “Jo and Gerry have always been very generous with not just money, but also their hearts.
“Growing up with little meant that they see the needs often overlooked by many. I am honoured to be able to support their giving back to specific causes that hold special meaning in their hearts.”
Who are Jo and Gerry Essery?
Jo was born in Singapore and lived in the country until World War II, when she left for South Africa.
Gerry was born in the UK and came to Singapore in 1931 as his father was working as an engineer in the country.
When the Japanese invaded Singapore, his father sent Gerry to Australia. He then travelled to South Africa to be reunited with his family.
Jo and Gerry met in South Africa and got married in 1945. The couple moved to Australia in the 1950s, where Gerry worked for confectionary company Cadbury.
He then got a job in a glass production company in Singapore. The couple decided to make Singapore their home in the 1970s and became Singaporeans.
Gerry was an accountant, while Jo was a housewife. She was fluent in Malay and was actively involved in several causes. They had no children.
Jo was 89 when she died in 2013, and Gerry was 92 when he died in 2015.
NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION
The Jo and Gerry Essery-NKF Dialysis Centre was established in Marsiling with the first S$2 million donated in 2017. It is one of the largest dialysis centres in the north of Singapore and treats up to 132 patients.
It was also one of the first centres to pilot self-care management under the renal rehabilitation programme, where patients measure their own weight, check their vital signs and set up for dialysis.
According to NKF, more than 300,000 people in Singapore suffer from chronic kidney disease, and about six people are diagnosed with kidney failure every day.
About 77 per cent of NKF patients pay less than S$50 a month, which would otherwise be more than S$2,000 without subsidies, said the charity.
The Esserys’ final S$2 million donation will go towards supporting more than 5,300 NKF patients and beneficiaries in financial need with dialysis treatment and care.
NKF chairman Arthur Lang said: “From the bottom of our hearts, we thank Jo and Gerry for their generosity and heart for kidney failure patients, who have to bear the physical and financial burden of lifelong dialysis to sustain their lives.”
ASSISI HOSPICE
The legacy gift from the couple went towards providing palliative care for patients with terminal illnesses.
The hospice serves about 2,500 patients a year, and about half of them are means-tested to the lowest income level.
A hall at the hospice has been named in their honour.
Assisi Hospice Chief Executive Choo Shiu Ling said: “We are deeply grateful for Jo and Gerry Essery's generous donation, which has helped to ensure that quality palliative care is accessible to all.
“Our patients and loved ones are in an extremely vulnerable period of their lives, having to experience the final journey with a debilitating terminal illness.
“Support for the low-income group is critical as they struggle with deteriorating health and psychosocial issues like a lack of financial resources, access to caregiving and a support network.
“This giving has aided the charity to continue and grow our work even as the community now faces greater challenges.”
SPCA
The initial S$2 million to the SPCA in 2017 went towards the charity’s building fund and was used to develop an open-air education pavilion, which was named the Essery Education Pavilion.
It also helped the SPCA to make enhancements to the recovery rooms at the non-profit Community Animal Clinic, which conducts more than 1,800 surgeries and 11,600 consultations yearly.
The final tranche of their legacy will go towards enhancing the SPCA’s rescue and shelter services, providing veterinary services for community animals and pets from low-income households, and SPCA’s advocacy efforts with youths.
SPCA executive director Aarthi Sankar said: “As a non-governmental organisation that relies primarily on donations, we are truly grateful to Mr and Mrs Essery.
“Their generosity has ensured that we can continue our critical work of helping as many animals as possible and work towards building a more compassionate society for all sentient beings.”
GARDEN CITY FUND
The Garden City Fund supports the Botanic Gardens, which was the Esserys' favourite hangout.
This year, the estate donated S$983,000 to the fund. This was on top of the S$200,000 donated in 2020 to NParks to support outreach to underprivileged families and sterilisation for their pets, as well as wildlife monitoring and research.
The Singapore Botanic Gardens has dedicated the Burmese Banyan heritage tree located at the Swan Lake to the couple.
Professor Leo Tan, chairman of Garden City Fund, said they were grateful for the donation.
“The latest donation supports the Singapore Botanic Gardens in its mission to connect people with plants and this contribution will help us build a living legacy for future generations of people living in Singapore,” he added.
