Good Samaritans rewarded

Every day we are bombarded with negative news, horrifying stories and shocking reports – so it’s sometimes surprising how a simple good deed can reaffirm one’s faith in humanity and completely turn your day around.

This was the experience of Bob Russel when he went to renew a few car licences in Salt Rock recently.

Standing in the line to renew his licence, Russel handed in his forms to the teller only to realise that he didn’t have enough cash on him to pay for the renewal.

“I had R1400 with me and had thought it would be enough – but I had my credit card too, only to find out that in this day and age they don’t accept credit cards, go figure,” Russel told The Courier.

It was at this point that a complete stranger came to Russel’s aid.

Gloria Farham, a Dolphin Coast resident for the past 27 years, was next in line and saw Russel’s plight.

Farham offered to pay the difference in Russel’s bill – a difference which came to nearly R1000.

Russel was completely taken aback by this unprompted display of kindness and generosity from a stranger.

“She did not know me from a bar of soap and still she handed over close to R1000.”

Farham had her checkbook with her – a checkbook she says she only keeps in order to renew her licences, where they only accept cash and checks.

“I enjoy doing random acts of kindness,” Farham said when asked what prompted her to show such generosity.

So she paid the difference and Russel managed to get his licences renewed.

“I got home afterwards and did an EFT immediately,” said Russel.

But it did not end there.

Russel shared his story of kindness and trust from a stranger on the Salt Rock community WhatsApp group and found that many locals were touched by his experience.

Also read: Good Samaritan reaps rewards

Chris Schaedle of Siggi’s German Restaurant and Pub was so impressed with Farham’s generosity that he decided to offer her a R200 voucher to eat at Siggi’s.

This prompted Schaedle and some of the members of the WhatsApp group to think about awarding more good Samaritan’s for their selflessness on a monthly basis.

This month’s recipients of a voucher to eat at Siggi’s are Farham and IPSS Electronic Security’s Nicholas Dingezweni.

Dingezweni was the reaction officer who spotted a suspicious Silver Polo during a call out in Salt Rock last Monday and ended up having to take cover behind a tree when robbers opened fire on him.

Speaking on behalf of Dingezweni, IPSS’s Lina Dos Santos said that it was very encouraging to know that the community is aware of the hard work that they do in keeping the area safe.

The Salt Rock community WhatsApp group plans on rewarding good Samaritans every month and voting will take place over the group – so if you know of a good deed done, don’t keep it to yourself.

>>> Meet the top players in the North Coast property industry. See our Property People feature.

>>> Looking for a church? Check out our Churches on the North Coast feature. 

Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname to 061 718 4438.

Please read our WhatsApp broadcast list disclaimer.
Join us on BBM at 59015786
Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.