10 h. ago Kindness of strangers: I was stuck on the road while hitchhiking when a travelling circus helped me get home

I tucked myself up and went to sleep outside a church, and when I woke up I saw a strange convoy approachingRead more in the Kindness of strangers seriesIt was 1985. No one had ever heard of Ivan Milat or the horrors of Belanglo state forest, so hitchhiking was still a thing. I lived in Adelaide and wanted to go to my brother-in-law’s 40th birthday party in Canberra. Young, foolhardy and totally broke, I decided to hitch the 1,300km there.I packed a bag and set out around the corner from my house. I’d been on my feet for all of three minutes when a beautifully restored American hot rod pulled up in front of me. Behind the wheel was a friend I hadn’t seen since primary school. He invited me to get in, then gave me a lift all the way up to the outskirts of the city, where the major highway to Sydney begins. It was my first of many lucky breaks on this trip. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago The astonishing act of kindness from a stranger that left elderly woman speechless

A young Kansas business owner changed an elderly woman's life after he got a call from the city about her overgrown lawn. 'Never in a million years, did I think this would happen,' Beth said.

Politics

4 d. ago 'I offered to get stranger's supermarket shop – what happened next floored me'

A man was left 'confused' at the supermarket when he made a nice offer to a stranger but she took his kindness a little for granted - but others said that he did the right thing

Economics

7 d. ago The kindness of strangers: the petrol station worker paid for my fuel and saved my date

When my card declined, I looked out at my new girlfriend and felt utter panic. Back then, $20 felt like a huge amount of moneyRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI was temporarily living in my home town of Wangaratta while caring for my grandmother, who had dementia. I got weekends off and on one of those occasions I met a girl called Marie. During that lovely early period of a new relationship where you’re still getting to know each other, I took her camping at Mount Buffalo in Victoria.On the way home we stopped in Myrtleford, a small town at the foot of the mountain, to get petrol. I fuelled up and Marie stayed in the car while I went inside to pay. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago The kindness of strangers: I was ready to leave the theatre in disgrace when a gentle usher made me an offer

A fight with a friend during the opera’s intermission had left me really hurt, so being cared for in that moment is something I’ll never forgetRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI knew straight away that something was wrong. I had arranged to go to an opera with a friend. She’s normally a very chatty person, but when I got to our seats, she wasn’t saying anything. I asked her a few questions but she was quite monosyllabic in response.During the intermission, we went out to the balcony. Again, I was trying to talk to her but she just wasn’t looking at me. I asked if she was OK – had I offended her in any way? That’s when she let go on a tirade. She didn’t like a comment I had made at a dinner party a few weeks earlier and told me she’d never invite me to her home again – or come to mine. I was so shocked because she was very angry and said some things that I thought were quite cruel. I had never been spoken to like that by anyone, let alone a friend. To make matters worse p...

Politics

3 w. ago Kindness of strangers: a woman laid down on the road beside me, holding my hand until the ambulance came

After I was hit by a car, Sophia seemed to understand that I needed the safety of someone being right there at eye levelRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI could see the car and knew I was going to hit it. People ask: did your life flash before your eyes? It didn’t. The only thing I remember thinking was: “oh well”. In an instant all those things I’d been worrying about until that point didn’t matter, because I was about to die. Oh well!There was nothing I could do. I was on my motorbike on a dark and rainy night in rush hour traffic when a car pulled across into my lane without looking. I couldn’t avoid hitting it, I couldn’t break, I was going to hit the car and I was going to die. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Kindness of strangers: a woman lay on the road beside me, holding my hand until the ambulance came

After I was hit by a car, Sophia seemed to understand that I needed the safety of someone being right there at eye levelRead more in the kindness of strangers seriesI could see the car and knew I was going to hit it. People ask: did your life flash before your eyes? It didn’t. The only thing I remember thinking was: “Oh well”. In an instant all those things I’d been worrying about until that point didn’t matter, because I was about to die. Oh well!There was nothing I could do. I was on my motorbike on a dark and rainy night in rush hour traffic when a car pulled across into my lane without looking. I couldn’t avoid hitting it, I couldn’t brake, I was going to hit the car and I was going to die. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘The ice is not freezing as it should’: supply roads to Canada’s Indigenous communities under threat from climate crisis

Northern Ontario is seeing a ‘shorter window’ on only overland routes for vital deliveries to remote First NationsAt first there was no answer on the satellite phone. But on the third call, Donald Meeseetawageesic heard his sister’s voice. “We need somebody to come and tow us out,” he told her.It was a warmer-than-normal night in early March and Meeseetawageesic, the elected band councillor for Eabametoong First Nation, was stranded in a 4x4 truck on the dark winter road leading to his community. The tyres were stuck in the deep snow and the temperature outside was below freezing. Help was about 60km (37 miles) away. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Kind strangers pay for wedding for Glasgow mum, 26, diagnosed with aggressive brain tumour while pregnant

Bethany Wright, 26, from Glasgow, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour when she was 34-weeks pregnant - on hearing her story a stranger reached out with an incredible act of kindness.

Politics