Richard Hayes got an unexpected call from Whakātane Hospital on Friday asking him to pick up his father-in-law. There was just one problem – the patient wasn’t his father-in-law.
The hospital called the wrong Richard Hayes. Rather than leave 86-year-old Norman Camburn stranded, Hayes offered to drive the stranger home himself.
The hospital explained they couldn’t get hold of Camburn’s wife so they had tried his son-in-law, who had the same name.
“I said, well, he lives in Whakatane,” Hayes told Stuff. “It’s hardly a bustling metropolis. I can come and pick him up.”
Hayes met Camburn outside the hospital.
“He was looking at me going ‘Oh, I think I recognise you’, and I said ‘Well no you don’t because I’ve never seen you before in my life’.”
Hayes dropped him off at his place, where he got a confused look from Camburn’s wife in the driveway.
Camburn insisted on a payment or a gift but Hayes refused. It was just a 15-minute trip, he said: “Everywhere’s 15 minutes in Whakatane. It actually took me longer to get him in the car than to drive there.”
Stuff
Face of the Day
Hayes, who is retired, said it was nothing. “We’ll just call it my good deed for the day.”
Related
Face of the Day
The 223kg bar he cleanly raised above his head was swiftly slammed to the mat in celebration for New Zealand’s fourth gold in Glasgow.
Face of the Day
John was an exceptionally fine gentleman who enjoyed sharing his knowledge at Antique Arms meetings every month. Such was his vast knowledge of naval matters, we used to joke he started his naval career as ship’s boy for Noah and was a close advisor to Vice-Admiral Nelson. Navy
Face of the Day
In record-breaking fashion, Zoe Hobbs had herself a medal for the 100m at a major athletics championships. It was gold and New Zealand’s first ever medal in the event in Games history.
Face of the Day
After The Goodies, Oddie became one of Britain’s best-known wildlife broadcasters and conservationists through BBC series including Birding with Bill Oddie and Springwatch.
Latest
Diving Into Obscurity: Stormtroopers of Death
Even in 1985, it took balls of steel to release an album titled “Speak English or Die”.
Good Oil General Debate
Please read our rules before you start commenting on The Good Oil to avoid a temporary or permanent ban.
The Good Oil Word of the Day
The word for today is… prospectus (noun) - 1: a preliminary printed statement that describes an enterprise (such as a business or publication) and that is distributed to prospective buyers, investors, or participants 2: something (such as a statement or situation) that forecasts the course or nature of something Source : Merriam-