THE kind act of an honest man saved a 12-year-old boy's birthday party.
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On the day of the party, Mittagong resident Cindy Wilson drove down to the Mittagong Marketplace to take her son's present, an iPad, off lay-by.
After picking up the iPad and getting money out, Mrs Wilson went to Woolworths to buy the food and drink for the party, putting her bright blue handbag in a Big W trolley in the process.
"I'd bought everything and went back to the car and put my youngest son in and started to unpack the trolley when an old friend came up to speak to me, which distracted me," Mrs Wilson said.
"I walked the trolley to the bay and drove home.
"When I got there I realised I'd left my handbag in the trolley with my son's iPad in it, the cash I'd taken out and spare house and car keys."
Mrs Wilson immediately returned to the marketplace, but the bag was gone.
"The staff and security staff were so lovely and helpful," she said.
"I was so upset because I thought I was going to have to cancel the party."
On her way home from the marketplace, Mrs Wilson decided to drive to the police station and report the loss, but she got a call from a neighbour.
"The neighbour rang saying that a taxi driver had dropped off the handbag with the iPad and cash still inside," she said.
"I was absolutely blown away.
"I drove home and everything was still there."
Mrs Wilson said she wanted to give the taxi driver, Paul Quinn of Southern Highlands Taxi's, something for his kindness but he wouldn't take it.
"I couldn't believe someone was so honest," Mrs Wilson said.
Mr Quinn said leaving valuables behind was something everyone had done before.
"I was parked at the taxi rank at Big W, outside KFC, when a lady came along and put some groceries in the car," he said.
"I took the lady's trolley back and saw the handbag.
"I looked inside and saw it was Cindy's and took it back to her.
"I'm just happy she got her bag back."