By Bridget Spinks
WHEN Lifelink agency The Shopfront received a cheque in early May for $10,000 to buy a second-hand ute, The Shopfront director, Christian Brother Peter Negus, was overcome by the generosity.
The benefactor wishes to remain anonymous, but Br Peter said the lady was “in no way rich in money, but ever so rich in sheer goodness and concern for others”.
When he tried to talk her out of giving so much, he said, she replied saying, “Peter, the Shopfront does so many good things for others, you will now be able to collect and deliver furniture.”
By the end of May, The Shopfront had signed the contract for a used Holden Rodeo Tray-Top, which will serve them for a number of years to come.
The donation also sparked generosity in others including the previous owner of the Holden tray-top Sam Agostino.
Warren Lethridge from the Perth Archdiocesan Finance Office – on the Shopfront’s behalf – approached a few dealers but it was Sally Orsi, the fleet account manager at DVG Morley City, who found the vehicle.
Only Sam had previously owned the ute and it was in very good condition.
When told about The Shopfront and the work they do, Sam dropped the price from $11,000 to $9,500.
Before he passed it on he also gave it a full 110,000km service ahead of time – as it had only clocked up 105,000km in seven years.
Sam – who owns S&A Smash Repairs in Osborne Park – also replaced the bonnet, which had just one or two marks on it; spray painted the undercarriage; put on a new aerial for the radio and replaced two tyres.
But that was not all.
“Not content with all that had been done, Sam told me when I came to pick up the ute, that if I had any trouble at all, he would fix it up at no cost,” Br Peter said.
“What a marvellously generous, good man.”
Br Peter thanked Sam and Sally and “of course our special anonymous donor.”
The Shopfront is a drop-in centre and agency of the Perth Archdiocese that provides friendship and practical support for the homeless. The Shopfront, established in 2001, provides a place for people requiring assistance, fellowship and hospitality, and is run predominately by volunteers.