The Bedfordview Resident Action Group facilitated a heartwarming reunion recently, helping a “homeless” man connect with family in Australia.
Bedfordview, South Africa (23 February 2024) – Residents Action Group (RAG) is a community security non-profit organisation in Bedfordview. It was founded more than 20 years ago by Bedfordview residents to fight crime and to keep the community and their properties safe and secure. But RAG does much more than this. Over more than two decades as an integral part of the Bedfordview community, RAG has become the go-to provider that most residents contact for assistance with many things.
“We are called to respond to everything from illegal dumping, vandalism and vehicle accidents to medical emergencies, security threats, alarms, fires, suspicious people, lost pets, bad drivers and belligerent beggars,” says RAG’s volunteer chairperson Anjela da Silva.
It was an unkempt man who was initially thought to be a homeless beggar wandering around mumbling incoherently who recently gave RAG and the area’s residents an opportunity to live by the NPO’s slogan: “RAG cares and we are always there for you”.
The story started when the RAG reaction officers who patrol Bedfordview 24/7 noticed a new face on the streets. This was not one of the usual homeless people that they monitor daily.
“We also received calls from concerned residents, and they posted reports about him on the RAG emergency WhatsApp group. RAG started investigating,” Da Silva says.
RAG general manager Mark Morris found the new, mystery “vagrant”.
“He was dirty, disorientated and incoherent. He was refusing assistance. But as soon as he spoke, and I saw the good condition of his teeth, I knew that something was not right, and he was not a homeless man. I also checked his hands, and they did not show signs of a life on the street,” Morris says.
Emergency services were called in, including Morris’s son, Christopher, who is an advanced life support responder at Gauteng Emergency Medical Services (GEMS).
“Chris went above and beyond. He insisted that a second ambulance should be despatched, and he went there himself to personally ensure that the patient was treated and taken to hospital by that ambulance and not left to fend for himself, which happened with the first ambulance call out,” Morris reports.
RAG worked with social services and the hospital to establish who the man was and discovered that he was on holiday from Australia and had become unwell. He had left his hotel in a confused state. He wandered the streets and was finally found in an empty stand. By this time, he had been robbed of everything. His name, it turned out, is Stuart B and he is an airline employee from Sydney, Australia. His family informed RAG that he has a medical condition that progressed rapidly and resulted in him becoming delirious.
Mark and Christopher Morris met Stuart’s family after they flew in from Australia.
“They were enormously grateful to everyone who helped to save the life of the beloved ‘baby’ brother who they call ‘Little Man’. The outcome could have been very different if it were not for our diligent, dedicated RAG reaction officers and our alert, kind-hearted community. It was fortunate that we got help to him when we did because Stuart may not have survived much longer on the streets. He was hit on the head when he was robbed, and he was suffering from dehydration and severe sunburn when we got an ambulance to him. This was during the recent scorching heatwave.
“RAG and our community saved a life and got someone home safely to their family when the outcome could have been tragic. We want to thank everyone who contributed to this happy ending: our exceptional RAG reaction officers who always notice anything, or anyone, unusual on our streets, and always respond with care and compassion; the alert community members who reported where they had seen Stuart; and the generous residents who donated clothing and other items for him. Sifiso Dhlalisa, the manager of the Mercure Hotel in Bedfordview, where Stuart was staying, must also be commended for springing into action to search for his guest as soon as he learnt that he was missing.
“This is what community is all about, and RAG is proud to be part of our special community,” says Morris. He stresses that an important lesson from Stuart’s story is that we should not assume that someone who is on the street in a confused state is a vagrant who cannot be helped. “Call your security service provider, local authorities or emergency services. Let them investigate. Always ‘call it in’ is what RAG urges the community to do. We will always follow up. Calling it in may prevent a crime or save a life, like Stuart B’s.”
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