Stand proud South Africans – we are special

Source: SA Good News - Mike Chandler, 26/08/2015

After Dawie Roodt`s letter of last week, which, in many ways, combines
both the good and the bad of our land I thought you`d like to read a
letter written by visiting Brits who had a serious car accident in a
remote part of the Karroo. It made me proud to be a South African, I
hope it does the same for you
Letter of Thanks – Country Life, September 2015
This is a letter of appreciation to and for the people who helped us
after my wife Debbie and I were involved in a serious car accident
while visiting South Africa from the UK.


We were travelling between Kenhardt and Marydale on the R383 when our
vehicle lost traction on the gravel and overturned.


It took us over an hour to get out.


My wife had a large laceration on her left arm and had broken her
shoulder and we were on this remote road with no cellphone signal.



Our despair changed when a bakkie screeched to a halt and a young
couple jumped out to help us.


From this point on we saw a side of South Africans that`s never talked
about or reported in newspapers. We found ourselves among ordinary
people going out of their way to help total strangers in their time of
need.


• This thank you is for the couple who rushed us to the nearest
village and then organised the recovery of our car and our belongings
scattered on the road.


• This thank you is for the nurse at the Primer Gesondheids Kliniek in
Marydale, who gave us first aid on her day off while the ambulance
came from Prieska.


• This thank you is for the staff at the Bill Pickard Hospital in
Prieska, who did the best they could with the resources they had and
then spent an hour on the phone to other hospitals as far away as
Upington, Bloemfontein and Kimberley, till they found one with the
facilities and surgeons who could treat our injuries, particularly my
wife`s.


• This thank you is for the Prieska ambulance driver who drove us
250Km to Kimberley when there was a delay in getting an ambulance from
Kimberley to us.


• This thank you is for the staff at Mediclinic Gariep who patched us
up and,
• Finally we don`t know who to thank for the following, but a few days
after we were admitted to the Mediclinic, a package arrived for us.
Inside was a tiger`s eye bracelet and a card that read: `We heard
about your accident. We wish you a more fortunate stay in South
Africa. Get well soon."


Total strangers reaching out a hand of compassion. Something you
don`t see happening too much in the world these days, but it`s alive
and well in South Africa