Brisbane, Australia
—
A postman has been hailed a hero for performing an extraordinary act perhaps only fully appreciated by people who dry their bed sheets outside in the sun.
Gurpreet Singh was caught on a homeowner’s security camera making a delivery to a suburban address in Logan, south of Brisbane, Australia last Thursday.
Instead of throwing the package towards the door, as some less professional delivery drivers might be tempted to do, Singh is seen taking the resident’s sheets off the clothesline and putting them under cover.
It had started raining.
Homeowner Verrity Wandel was so astonished she posted the video to social media this week with the words: “This is 1 in a million. I thought I was coming home to find my wash soaking wet but NO.”
On social media, where complaints about dodgy deliveries are a more common occurrence, Singh’s thoughtful act went viral. The story was picked up by media in India, where one outlet dubbed Singh a “laundry hero.”
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As their online fame spread, Singh and Wandel appeared on breakfast television in Australia, where Wandel walked viewers through the events of the day.
“I just had visions of my washing being wrapped round and round the line, or embedded in the garden, and I drove in and there was no washing on the line. And I thought, that’s odd,” she told CNN affiliate 9 News.
Asked why he did it, Singh, who seemed genuinely bewildered by the attention, said he wondered “whether I can do it or not” then did it anyway. It took “one minute,” he said.
As a member of Brisbane’s Sikh community, Singh’s a familiar face at the local temple and he’s known to perform acts of service in line with his Sikh faith, one community member told CNN.
“When I saw this act, I knew that he wasn’t doing it for any publicity or anything, that’s just who he is,” said Tejinder Singh.
Wandel denied suggestions made by one radio host that she was part of an elaborate marketing ploy on behalf of government-owned Australia Post.
Run as a commercial operation, Australia Post has struggled with losses in recent years, amid a decline in letter-sending and competition from delivery companies.
Of Singh, Australia Post said it’d been inundated by requests for information about the delivery driver, who’d worked as a contractor for four years. “He tries to help customers out where he can,” a spokesperson said.
While Wandel’s original post attracted thousands of comments in praise of Singh, a series of abusive comments prompted her to post a follow-up video.
“We should be a kinder world,” she said in the video.
“If you have the opportunity to do a totally selfless act, do it, don’t think about it. Say hello to somebody. Smile at somebody. It makes a difference.”