Heartwarming story: South Coast community comes together to help a local make a fresh start
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Amid the cost-of-living crisis, the rental crisis, shrinkflation, and every other negative story in between, there’s still some good news that pops up every now and then.
One heartwarming tale that’s softening our hearts is the story about an elderly gentleman and his South Coast community.
Help comes in unexpected ways and when you least expect it. And for Bruce Buchanan, help came from his entire community, who rallied together to help him find a home and give him a fresh start.
The 74-year-old faced early entry into an aged care facility just to have somewhere to live. He said he moved to Moruya on the New South Wales South Coast about a year ago to stay with his sister, Gaye Finch. This came after a series of crises that unfortunately left Bruce homeless.
But because his sister was scheduled for major surgery, Bruce had to find somewhere else to live while a carer moved into her home.
Luckily, social housing provider Anglicare found him a place not long after. Local businesses and community members then helped to furnish the home and get it ready for Bruce to move into.
Ms Finch also revealed that finding the new place was a ‘miracle’.
‘When Bruce first arrived, he was very unwell, both physically and mentally,’ she told reporters.
‘This has saved his life,’ she added.
Mr Buchanan also remarked that he had finally ‘found peace’.
‘I feel like I’m home.’
Prior to the kind gesture, the duo initially believed it would be years before Mr Buchanan would be offered a unit. As such, he applied to be placed in aged care to avoid homelessness.
However, just a few weeks ago, Mr Buchanan received a call from Anglicare, who then offered him a unit. ‘We were just so excited,’ Ms Finch stated.
But then the pair hit another obstacle.
With little-to-no belongings to his name, it became evident that they needed more help before Mr Buchanan could move in.
‘When we signed the lease, I thought, “Where do we even start?” He doesn’t own a coffee cup,’ Ms Finch shared to reporters.
While initially too embarrassed to seek out help, Mr Buchanan was eventually persuaded to agree to post a message on a local Facebook page to ask for donations.
‘I just thought people would donate the basics,’ Ms Finch explained before adding that she had no idea how much of an impact their post was going to make.
‘I had no idea. I had something like 80 replies within one hour, and in the end, about 150 people responded within 24 hours,’ she revealed.
The respondents included several businesses, as well as individuals who donated items such as televisions, custom blinds and curtains, furniture, microwaves, and other basic appliances.
Mr Buchanan told reporters that he could not believe the amount of support he received from people.
‘Everything in here has been donated. You name it, it's been donated. People have just been wonderful. I just can't thank people enough,’ he said.
The South Coast has been plagued by a housing crisis since before the Black Summer Bushfires in 2019-2020.
It was reported that almost 50 people live in an unpowered campsite north of Moruya and that social services are struggling to keep up. In 2022, the South Coast Council ‘begged’ roughly 7,500 holiday homeowners from Canberra and Sydney to rent out their properties to ease the region’s housing crisis.
Eurobodalla Mayor Mathew Hatcher wrote to a total of about 8,000 non-resident ratepayers who own homes along the South Coast and urged them to consider renting out their homes for one to two years while solutions were being established.
Following this event, Mr Hatcher revealed that he was not surprised to hear that Mr Buchanan struggled to find a place to live.
‘It’s just another crisis that we're going through as a community, that we take on as a community, just like during the bushfires,’ he shared.
However, he claimed that it was ‘encouraging’ that small business owners – even those who were hit hard by the economic repercussions from the fires and the pandemic – were still willing to give back.
‘People feel very helpless, but they don't know where to start. Things like this give us all hope,’ he continued.
We know Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but while we’re on the subject of heartwarming tales, read about this chance encounter on a plane that ended up becoming one of the biggest surprises in a couple’s life. The story of Vickie and Graham remains a reminder that serendipitous moments can change our lives for the better. More details about their love story can be found here.
What are your thoughts on Mr Buchanan’s story? Let us know what you think in the comments below!
One heartwarming tale that’s softening our hearts is the story about an elderly gentleman and his South Coast community.
Help comes in unexpected ways and when you least expect it. And for Bruce Buchanan, help came from his entire community, who rallied together to help him find a home and give him a fresh start.
The 74-year-old faced early entry into an aged care facility just to have somewhere to live. He said he moved to Moruya on the New South Wales South Coast about a year ago to stay with his sister, Gaye Finch. This came after a series of crises that unfortunately left Bruce homeless.
But because his sister was scheduled for major surgery, Bruce had to find somewhere else to live while a carer moved into her home.
Luckily, social housing provider Anglicare found him a place not long after. Local businesses and community members then helped to furnish the home and get it ready for Bruce to move into.
Bruce said his new space feels like ‘home’. Credit: Kelly/Pexels
Ms Finch also revealed that finding the new place was a ‘miracle’.
‘When Bruce first arrived, he was very unwell, both physically and mentally,’ she told reporters.
‘This has saved his life,’ she added.
Mr Buchanan also remarked that he had finally ‘found peace’.
‘I feel like I’m home.’
Prior to the kind gesture, the duo initially believed it would be years before Mr Buchanan would be offered a unit. As such, he applied to be placed in aged care to avoid homelessness.
However, just a few weeks ago, Mr Buchanan received a call from Anglicare, who then offered him a unit. ‘We were just so excited,’ Ms Finch stated.
But then the pair hit another obstacle.
With little-to-no belongings to his name, it became evident that they needed more help before Mr Buchanan could move in.
‘When we signed the lease, I thought, “Where do we even start?” He doesn’t own a coffee cup,’ Ms Finch shared to reporters.
While initially too embarrassed to seek out help, Mr Buchanan was eventually persuaded to agree to post a message on a local Facebook page to ask for donations.
‘I just thought people would donate the basics,’ Ms Finch explained before adding that she had no idea how much of an impact their post was going to make.
‘I had no idea. I had something like 80 replies within one hour, and in the end, about 150 people responded within 24 hours,’ she revealed.
The respondents included several businesses, as well as individuals who donated items such as televisions, custom blinds and curtains, furniture, microwaves, and other basic appliances.
Ms Finch posted an update after donations came in, thanking everyone who helped out. Credit: Facebook
Mr Buchanan told reporters that he could not believe the amount of support he received from people.
‘Everything in here has been donated. You name it, it's been donated. People have just been wonderful. I just can't thank people enough,’ he said.
The South Coast has been plagued by a housing crisis since before the Black Summer Bushfires in 2019-2020.
It was reported that almost 50 people live in an unpowered campsite north of Moruya and that social services are struggling to keep up. In 2022, the South Coast Council ‘begged’ roughly 7,500 holiday homeowners from Canberra and Sydney to rent out their properties to ease the region’s housing crisis.
Eurobodalla Mayor Mathew Hatcher wrote to a total of about 8,000 non-resident ratepayers who own homes along the South Coast and urged them to consider renting out their homes for one to two years while solutions were being established.
Following this event, Mr Hatcher revealed that he was not surprised to hear that Mr Buchanan struggled to find a place to live.
‘It’s just another crisis that we're going through as a community, that we take on as a community, just like during the bushfires,’ he shared.
However, he claimed that it was ‘encouraging’ that small business owners – even those who were hit hard by the economic repercussions from the fires and the pandemic – were still willing to give back.
‘People feel very helpless, but they don't know where to start. Things like this give us all hope,’ he continued.
We know Valentine’s Day has come and gone, but while we’re on the subject of heartwarming tales, read about this chance encounter on a plane that ended up becoming one of the biggest surprises in a couple’s life. The story of Vickie and Graham remains a reminder that serendipitous moments can change our lives for the better. More details about their love story can be found here.
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