The good news thread

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Long time since someone added to this thread.

 

The auntie is surely showing old age the finger...

 

http://www.sport24.co.za/OtherSport/Athletics/South-Africa/sas-record-breaking-85-year-old-grand-dame-20170703

Very inspirational, reading the story it seems she only started running when she was 78!

 

There is something so very uplifting about the lives of some folk, I am sure she has had her share of disappointments and complications and she is not the same person she was in her 20's, but she hasn't allowed it to pull her down or define her, she has chosen to take on new challenges and inspire others. Long may she continue.     

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Not much happening on this thread, good news may be thin on the ground but there are still  many kind honest people around, you just have to bump into them.

 

Like yesterday evening, we went to meet a friend at a restaurant, returning we took the subway and my wife forgot her handbag on the seat, her wallet and mine was in her bag. As we watched the train disappear we had that sinking feeling that we would be having to stop all our credit cards and apply for new drivers licenses etc.

 

Feeling glum we had a restless night.

 

This morning early I got a call from a lady at the lost and found, saying a passenger handed it in last night. This morning they opened it, found my wife's business card and called us to say they had it and it was safe.

 

I asked for the gentleman's number to call and thank I just got off the phone with him, not only did he refuse my offer of flowers for his wife and the best whiskey I could get for him, he apologized for handing it in saying he was worried sick last night they would pinch out of the bag.

 

As I say, the world is full of good people, if you cant find one, be one! 

Edited August 9, 2017 by GrumpyOldGuy

[Rapunzel]

We have an up and coming young mountain biker in our community and some person has anonymously donated a full groupset and wheelset upgrade on his mountain bike (valued in the region of R45 000). I'm not sure who has a big wallet and a big heart but this youngster is very deserving and the donor is certainly not wanting to take any of the limelight.

[Warthog]

Went to Aus in 2008 with my Canada mate to watch the New Year's test in Sydney (the one where Graeme Smith got his finger crushed and came out to bat at nr 9 or so in 2nd innings to try and save the test....)

 

First morning we rocked up (after bumping into Shane Warne in the hotel lift... "How zit Mate! You guys' from South Africa?") I bought a programme outside. We got to our seats, and promptly decided it's time for a beer. Tapped my back pocket. That sudden dip and following erratic heart rate... wallet not there.

 

Immediately went back out, looked around, talked to security. Gone. 

 

11h something in Aus, unholy early in SA, called the wife and asked for bank's numbers to cancel cards. (That did not go off well...)

 

Long story short. Got back to hotel after stumps, as we walked in, the telephone's light was blinking - message. Some guy for Security at SCG telling me someone picked up my wallet, and handed it in. They checked, found the hotel access card, and called.

 

Picked it up next morning, not a dollar gone....

 

Not all Aussies are bad...

Edited August 9, 2017 by Warthog

[SwissVan]

We survived that passing asteroid this morning, closer than the moon, much closer....

 

Would have been a bit of a goat show if it had to hit

 

https://www.google.ch/amp/s/amp.space.com/38441-asteroid-2012-tc4-gives-earth-close-shave.html

[kosmonooit]

Frigging awesome weather in Joburg the past few days!

[Eddy Gordo]

Tomorrow is Fri, come on weekend!!!!                

[Bloukrans]

Does this belong here?

 

Cape Town - A young woman survived an attempted rape ordeal on Sunday afternoon after her attacker was hit by car on the N2 near Site C, Khayelitsha.

According to eyewitness reports, the woman was walking to Driftsands using the fly-over pedestrian bridge when an okapi carrying man accosted her.

“He dragged me back towards Site C, I begged him not to harm me. We walked and when we found a gap in the wall, he was the first to crawl in and I used that chance to run away from him. He was quick, he grabbed me by my hair but after a struggle I got free and ran onto the N2,” she said, sobbing.

The man followed but his chase was cut short as an oncoming car hit him.

 

An ambulance arrived but nothing could be done to save the man.

Edited October 26, 2017 by Bloukrans

[Andrew Steer]

http://www.news24.com/Video/SouthAfrica/News/watch-driving-with-caroline-helpers-hilarious-inspiring-first-experience-behind-the-wheel-20171101

 

This is cool

[scotty]

Well done

 

Motorists and bystanders around the Sinoville area were taken by surprise this morning when a man was pulling a truck full of food with his torso, to the Sinoville police station.The pulling of the mini truck with food was the brainchild of community leader and motivational speaker Chris Batts who said: “Father Christmas uses a sledgehammer we use a truck and man power,” said Batts jokingly.

 

https://www.iol.co.za/pretoria-news/watch-man-pulls-truck-full-of-food-donations-12287164

[Rachmaninoff]

Went to Aus in 2008 with my Canada mate to watch the New Year's test in Sydney (the one where Graeme Smith got his finger crushed and came out to bat at nr 9 or so in 2nd innings to try and save the test....)

 

First morning we rocked up (after bumping into Shane Warne in the hotel lift... "How zit Mate! You guys' from South Africa?") I bought a programme outside. We got to our seats, and promptly decided it's time for a beer. Tapped my back pocket. That sudden dip and following erratic heart rate... wallet not there.

 

Immediately went back out, looked around, talked to security. Gone. 

 

11h something in Aus, unholy early in SA, called the wife and asked for bank's numbers to cancel cards. (That did not go off well...)

 

Long story short. Got back to hotel after stumps, as we walked in, the telephone's light was blinking - message. Some guy for Security at SCG telling me someone picked up my wallet, and handed it in. They checked, found the hotel access card, and called.

 

Picked it up next morning, not a dollar gone....

 

Not all Aussies are bad...

 

Something similar happened to me. But it's a bit of a long story...

 

We were fresh in the UK, and having moved there with the exchange rate at 20:1, our SA savings did not mean much.

 

At the time my sister was living in Amsterdam, working as an au pair and having a torrid time. We decided to bite the bullet and take the Megabus from London to Amsterdam to go and visit her (she couldn't come to us due to visa and work commitments) for a long weekend. 

 

I had recently landed a job at a furniture design company, and it just so happened that we had to go and do some work in Cologne for the three days before our Amsterdam trip.

 

Before leaving for Cologne I exchanged £250 pounds for Euros – this really was a lot to us at the time and was meant to last me through Germany and our Amsterdam trip.

 

On our way back from Cologne the Eurostar was hit by a big strike and Brussels station was chaotic. After hours of sitting it was announced that there would be only one more train going back to London for the day. My boss suggested that I just change my ticket to go straight to Amsterdam but I felt too sorry for my wife as she would have had to endure a bus trip (filled with students gearing up for red lights and green brownies) alone.

 

A boarding call came and we rushed to the check-in. My colleagues breezed through, but I've got a Green Mamba that required a more thorough scrutiny. I made it through in the nick of time and boarded the train. Off we went.

 

When the conductor came along to check our tickets, mine, along with my wallet and 300 odd Euros were gone.

 

The conductor was quite sympathetic and didn't kick me off after I explained that I must have left my wallet with ticket at the check-in counter.

 

When we arrived in London my new boss lent me some Euros and off I went to meet my wife. First she was angry, then she cried. Suffice to say, we had a very subdued weekend in Amsterdam.

 

On the Monday when the offices reopened I phoned the Belgian Border Control and in broken Dutch managed to explain to them what happened. The man on the other end of the line excitedly told me that he's got my wallet in his hand as we speak. Not sure who was the most excited, him or I!

 

They couriered it back to me, at their own cost, and not a single cent of our money was missing.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Something similar happened to me. But it's a bit of a long story...

 

We were fresh in the UK, and having moved there with the exchange rate at 20:1, our SA savings did not mean much.

 

Snip, Snip....

 

They couriered it back to me, at their own cost, and not a single cent of our money was missing.

Nice story, uplifting too. As I often say, "the world is full of good people, if you cant find one...be one."

 

I had a similar experience in Paris, it was near Christmas and my wife and I were out at the street festival on the Champs-Elysees, at around 12 am we realized we better hotfoot it back to the underground as the last train to our suburb was around 12.30.

 

Anyway, we get to the station and my wife sails through the turnstiles, I swipe my ticket and it doesn't work, try again, nothing,... its now getting to around 12.15 so I say just wait, Ill walk over and buy another ticket, so I do and when I get there the booth is closed.

 

So I rush back and my wife is shouting "just jump over" the train will be here any minute, I was just contemplating this and a young gentleman comes running over to me says "hold on Sir" and swipes his own card to allow me through. Clearly he saw what a predicament I was in and took it on himself to help.

 

I thanked him and we run down to the train, only to hear him shouting after me Sir, Sir, I look back and he is running after me with my wallet in his hand, which I had left on top of the turnstile in my rush. 

 

Off course not a penny was missing and whilst trying to thank him he just waved me on "go, go" he shouted.      

 

Ill always remember that,....he didn't have to help, but he did,... lots of good people! 

[Lurch the stalker]

https://www.goodthingsguy.com/business/spar-bela-bela/

[Stretch]

https://www.goodthingsguy.com/business/spar-bela-bela/

Stuff like this makes me miss SA. Thanks for sharing

[eddy]

https://www.goodthingsguy.com/business/spar-bela-bela/

 

 

"The owner was left in a dire predicament where he no longer had work for the 148 employees, some who had worked at the store for over 17 years."

 

We don't often hear these kind of stories that are not uncommon. Here is one.

 

Some years ago bird flu broke out in the Klein Karoo and overnight the ostrich export market to Europe was reduced to zero. 

 

My neighbour who employs about 60 workers in his ostrich business was faced with a catastrophic situation. Over 200 people were directly supported by the business but he was not going to see a single sale in two years.

 

He immediately swung his farming to a much less lucrative but very labour intensive (cash) crop and kept his staff employed. He lost a farm, his health and was on his knees but when Tina Joemat-Peterson called her farm strike and burnt De Doorns down, every staff member (who had been offered the chance to join the strike) arrived to harvest the Apricots which needed to be picked.

[Pure Savage]

I beat Patch at the DC this year.