Kindness has taken a hold over the Southern Highlands.
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When Alice Richards went to grab her coffee from Cafe Rocca, she heard a tale of human kindness that she had to share with the Southern Highland News.
As cafes in the Highlands began to struggle at the peak of the COVID-19 restrictions, Cafe Rocca owner Raye Abouchabake found herself applying for the small business owner grants.
"We were operating like a canteen," Raye admitted to Alice.
Unsure if she could continue her business of 24 years and support her staff of five, Raye was incredibly grateful when she qualified for the small business grant and another additional grant.
Coupled with the JobKeeper initiative, Raye was able to keep her business afloat.
Thankful for the government lifeline, Raye replied to an email to say thank you for the help she had received.
"I was grateful, I just wanted to say thank you," Raye said.
Her spur of the moment email to express her gratitude and say thank you resulted in a surprise phone call.
As it turned out, the email found its way to the Treasurer's office.
An assistant to Josh Frydenberg called Raye to thank her for her email, the first and only email of gratitude they received and were touched by her gesture.
"It was nice, they had all read it," she said.
"I was really chuffed."
Alice Richards works for ReFrame youth mental health service and was keen to share this story as part of the Kind Hearts campaign to encourage people to take the time to extend kindness to others.
"Sometimes a simple thank you can make someone's day," Alice said.
If you have a kindness story that you would like to share, email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au.
Vera Demertzis
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
Journalist at the Southern Highland News covering council yarns and community news. Got a tip or a story to tell? Email vera.demertzis@southernhighlandnews.com.au or call on 0427 250 908.
