Category: Random Acts of Kindness

Recently I’ve heard of two families where certain members had the misfortune to have their cars out of action for a few weeks. In both cases it was cheering to see how other family members put themselves out to share their own vehicles, co-ordinating with one another and catching rides with friends in order to […]

Some government departments have a reputation for ignoring hardship, as they turn down applications for assistance. But sometimes staff members go the extra mile to try to help. In one case I know of, staff in a government department did all they could to find ways to help a young couple expecting a baby, but […]

Doing my bungy jump three months ago, I met a young woman named Lara. Lara had her father’s high-speed camera and took a multitude of action shots, which she promised to email me afterwards. When I didn’t hear from her, I presumed she’d lost my address. It seems she had, but she must’ve remembered my […]

Recently a student friend of mine was devastated when her partner, who lives in another town, was diagnosed with a life-threatening illness. The ensuing few weeks have necessitated a lot of travelling back and forth to be by his side, as well as many phone calls and texts to let people know of his progress. […]

Let’s not forget to notice the little things that people do for one another every day. Here are a few things I’ve witnessed people doing for each other recently: Buying lunch as a thank you Making coffees for workmates Baking a birthday cake Preparing a meal for friends Organising a farewell party Giving away fruit […]

Walking through the car park at Chartwell last week, a friend came across a set of car keys. Although she was late for a meeting, she insisted on turning around and taking the keys back inside to the information desk. It turns out a relative of hers had lost a wallet at Chartwell some time […]

A group of enthusiastic young girls approached me in Jansen Park recently. They were picking up rubbish, in the hope of encouraging others to “pay it forward” by doing something similar. I was happy to take home the recyclable items they’d collected and put them in my bin. Well done girls – great community spirit.

Murray, one of the stage managers at the Parachute Festival, was heading home at 1.30am after the first long day, when he saw a woman standing by a car outside the gates. Clearly she was waiting for someone who hadn’t turned up. Although extremely tired, Murray stopped to help. He took the woman onto the […]

This week I heard about a man who was lucky enough to win a trolley full of groceries. Rather than keep them for himself, he kindly shared out his winnings with friends and colleagues. One woman, thrilled to receive two boxes of goodies from this thoughtful man, immediately decided to pass on some of them […]

Recently I heard a man tell of the difference it made when he and his wife performed an act of kindness in their neighbourhood. For some months they had been hearing the woman across the road yelling at her kids. The yelling had got worse since her husband had gone to prison. One evening the […]