New Zealand woman rescued from a life of misery in Newcastle
Margaret Poynter (80), a New Zealander by birth, was often seen around town being pushed in a wheelchair by a man who referred to himself as ‘her son’ and accompanied by their dog.
The rescue of an elderly homeless woman living in derelict conditions in Amajuba Park is a poignant reminder of humanity’s capacity for kindness.
For years the couple would beg outside shop fronts and garages. Eventually, concerned residents approached Belinda Ellor (who serves on the Community Police Forum) and Optimus Protection Services (OPS) in a bid to help Margaret.
Realising the urgency of their situation, Belinda and the owner of OPS, Ishmael Dhalech, immediately went to where she was living to assess her circumstances.
What they found there was extremely distressing. Margaret has been living in a broken-down combi/van in deplorable conditions.
“It was absolutely heart-breaking to see her living like this,” said Belinda. “We immediately contacted her son in New Zealand and asked him to email us permission to remove his mother from where she was living. Within a day we had sent the email to Colonel Youseff who permitted us to start moving with the process,” Belinda told the Advertiser.
On the same day, recognizing the urgency of the situation, Warrant Officer Karl Langman, Sergeant du Plessis, Mary Dobbie from the Crisis Centre, and Magenta Emergency Services assisted OPS in the mission to rescue Margaret from her pitiful living circumstances.
Once she had been moved, the OPS team made sure she was checked by a private doctor and provided her with clean clothes, nappies, a wheelchair, and a safe haven until she could be reunited with her family in New Zealand.
Belinda and Karl (Langman) kept in constant contact with her while she was in the safe haven, visiting her regularly to give her reassurance that they would soon reunite her with her children.
In the meantime, the group was in contact with Margaret’s son and the New Zealand embassy to ensure all the necessary travel arrangements were in place. Her son landed on July 30 to be reunited with his mother. He had spent four agonising years looking for her.
On August 1, OPS, Belinda and Hamza Randaree escorted Margaret to Johannesburg, where she was reunited with her son.
“I was overwhelmed. Every time I told her she would be with her family, she would cry in disbelief,” said Belinda. “I would video call her son so she could see him and she could believe this was real,” she said.
Margaret was finally reunited with her son and has since flown back to New Zealand to be with her children. “For me, the biggest blessing is helping someone. When I would ask how she was, she would hug herself and rub her stomach to gesture to me that she is warm, she’s full, and she’s happy,” said an emotional Belinda.
Belinda thanks Dr. Hattia, Charles Steyn from Magenta Ambulance Services, SAPS, Mary Dobbie, and Rehana Peer from Safe Haven for all their work assisting Margaret.
“I give a special thank you to my boss Ishmael Dhalech, who jumped in and helped without hesitation and did everything he could to help,” said Belinda.
How did Margaret Poynter end up in this situation?
In a story that seems like something out of a TV show, Margaret Poynter’s extraordinary journey to Newcastle begins with her falling in love in New Zealand.
Margaret met Jacques Viljoen (the man she ended up living with on the streets of Newcastle) while he was working in New Zealand. After a drunken driving case, Viljoen was deported to South Africa. Viljoen said a year later, against his wishes, Margaret followed him with plans to get him to come back with her to New Zealand.
It is not yet clear how the pair ended up living in Newcastle (even though Viljoen has previously said he and Margaret were trying to make their way from Johannesburg to his family in Durban when their car broke down in Newcastle.)
When the money ran out, the pair survived by begging and from hand-outs from the community. Margaret suffered three strokes in the four years she was homeless, leaving her left arm paralysed, unable to speak, and in poor health.
*The Advertiser has spoken exclusively to Jacques Viljoen and details of his version of his remarkable journey with Margaret will be published next week.
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