On a stormy Thursday afternoon in Kingston, Australia postie Gupreet Singh nonchalantly took the sheets off Verrity Wandel’s washing line, placing them and the parcel he was delivering out of the rain.
Mrs Wandel arrived home well after the downpour started, confused; she thought her washing would be on the line and drenched.
Looking through the security footage of their yard, Mrs Wandel and her husband discovered that the postie, Mr Singh, had kindly taken the sheets of the line.
“We went and checked the video cameras, and we watched the postie come in and bring our parcel and then go back to the line and get the sheets off,” Mrs Wandel said.
“I didn’t know how to reach out and thank him. I didn’t know who he was, and at first I thought that I didn’t want to get him in trouble if I contacted Australia Post, so instead I posted it on the Logan mums and bubs Facebook page.”
Posting the footage online, Mrs Wandel said she wanted to share Mr Singh’s good deed and thank him for it. Media and news outlets quickly began reaching out, eager to cover to positive news story.
“It all just skyrocketed from there. I started being contacted by Channel 7, Nine News, radio stations, and there’s been a really positive outpour.”
“It’s just an act of human kindness, and it’s good that the community is aware, because until Gupreet came along, my mail used to get thrown over the fence, or it used to get dumped on the ground, or they wouldn’t deliver it at all.”
Mr Singh said he thought nothing of taking Mrs Wandel’s washing off the line; it just seemed like the right thing to do.
Mr Singh, who has worked at Australia Post for four years, found out his act had gone viral on social media through a friend of his wife’s.
“When I first saw the video on Sunday evening, I thought I’d maybe done something wrong,” he said.
“The last few days at work were really busy; every second or third person stopped to ask if I was on TV the other day.
“It was not that big of a thing, but the local community has really responded to it; there were millions of views on the post overnight.”
Media coverage brought the two together, and Mrs Wandel was able to meet and thank Mr Singh in person.
“I just wanted to say thank you, because that just made me smile, that made me feel good, and people should do things like say hello to a stranger, or smile at someone.”
