Not all heroes wear capes, in fact some are more likely to be found washing them.
Ebenezer locals Sharon and Shaun Brieschke became unlikely saviors to several campers at CMC Rocks on the weekend.
Storms swept through the CMC Rocks campsite on Thursday and Friday, washing out many campsites, soaking items and causing damage.
That is where the Brieschkes come in. Knowing first-hand the inconvenience a washed out campsite can cause and wanting to do their bit to spread a little good in the world, they swung into action.
“We knew about the storms and what they had done to the campsite and we just thought ‘those poor buggers’ and wanted to do something to help,” Mrs Brieschke said.
“It’s terrible to have all your clothes and bedding soaked when you are camping.
“We couldn’t put all those people up in our house but we thought maybe what we could do is some washing for some people.
“So we decided to put the offer out there through the CMC Rocks fan page on Facebook.”
The offer was well received, with the Brieschkes picking up their first items on Saturday morning before returning home to wash most of it during the day for return delivery on Saturday night.
More items were washed and returned Sunday, with about 12 people helped in total.
It took some creative thinking to get all the items dry in time, with the family even pulling out a hairdryer to do the job on some hard to dry denim outfits.
The Brieschkes also came to the rescue of a woman whose campervan was damaged during the storm, helping with a twisted awning, and loaned jumper cables to another visitor whose vehicle would not start.
Mrs Brieschke, a teacher at a St Peter Claver College, said she hoped the random act of kindness brought a little more light to the world.
“I watched what happened in Christchurch on Friday and it had me thinking ‘why can’t people just be nice and help people out’, she said.
“It was a genuine random act of kindness to spread a little joy and help others out.”
Their efforts were cheered by CMC Rocks fans who praised the couple’s generosity.
Comments including “legend”, “such a beautiful person”, “you are a true champion” and “you are an angel” were left on the CMC Rocks fan page in response to their efforts.
Helping each another out was a theme of the weekend’s festival with many country music fans banding together to help others in need – particularly those who were bogged or needed a dry place to sleep – in the face of trying weather.
