SINGAPORE - A heritage tree in the Singapore Botanic Gardens that is believed to be a few hundred years old has been dedicated to a generous couple who left behind $13 million for the social causes they cared for.

The late Mr Gerry Essery and Mrs Jo Essery left the money to four local charities – Assisi Hospice, The National Kidney Foundation (NKF), Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and the Garden City Fund, which is a registered charity of the National Parks Board.

The four charities were chosen as the couple held the causes dear to their hearts during their lifetime.

Almost half of the total sum was given to Assisi Hospice, NKF and SPCA in 2017. The money funded, among other things, an NKF dialysis centre in Marsiling and palliative care for patients with terminal illnesses at Assisi Hospice. It also helped improve SPCA’s recovery rooms at its non-profit animal clinic.

The final tranche of the donation – $2 million each for the three charities and $1.2 million for the Garden City Fund – was given out in 2022, fulfilling the wishes of the couple.

Mrs Essery died in 2013 at the age of 89, while Mr Essery was 92 when he died in 2015.

Mrs Essery, who was British, was born in Singapore and lived here before leaving for South Africa at the start of World War II. Her husband was born in Britain and came to Singapore in 1931. He met his wife during his travels to South Africa and the pair got married in 1945. They became Singaporeans in the 1970s after Mr Essery got a job in a glass production company and subsequently became an accountant. They had no children.

Mrs Essery, a housewife who was fluent in Malay, was actively involved in social causes such as animal welfare and women’s issues.

The Jo & Gerry Essery – NKF Dialysis Centre was opened in Marsiling in 2019 to meet rising demand for dialysis in the north of Singapore. The centre provides affordable haemodialysis treatment for up to 132 patients living with kidney failure.

The couple’s final $2 million donation to NKF will go towards supporting and providing dialysis treatment and care to more than 5,300 NKF patients and beneficiaries in need of financial aid.

Assisi Hospice has named a hall used for healthcare training after the Esserys. The hospice said that the generous donation has helped it to serve its patients, half of whom cannot afford treatment.

The donation to the Garden City Fund will support efforts to conserve Singapore’s natural heritage.

The heritage tree dedicated to the couple is a Burmese Banyan located at Swan Lake.

Mr Elango Velautham, a deputy director at Singapore Botanic Gardens, said the tree was first documented at Swan Lake in 1877 but must have existed for hundreds of years before that. There are 59 heritage trees in the Gardens, 18 of which are dedicated to people or organisations.

Retired veterinarian Tan Hwa Luck, 77, a good friend of the Essery couple and executor of their estate, said: “Jo and Gerry were always generous with not just money but also their hearts. Growing up with little meant that they saw the needs often overlooked by many.”