Large ramifications can reverberate from the smallest of actions.
A Discovery Primary School family were tired of simply complaining, choosing instead to provide the solution themselves. Nine-year-old learner, Liam Augustine and his 13-year-old brother, Connor, were led by their father Selwyn on a mission to fill the potholes outside of the school. The daily drive through Box Street had become a game of chance that the team were no longer wanting to play.
“When daddy drops me off he has to look where to move. He kept asking ‘when are they going to fix this?’,” said Liam. “It started off as a small hole and the hole just was getting bigger and bigger. I took it upon myself to say to the boys instead of complaining and waiting for someone to get hurt why don’t we do something about the problem,” said Selwyn.
The father would take his sons to the nearest Builders Warehouse where they collected asphalt and made their way over to the problematic strip of road. In just over an hour, the two growing ditches where neatly covered up, hopefully saving someone a trip to the mechanic in the near future. Selwyn also revealed the hidden bonus, adding, “I must say it was also a nice way to bond with my boys”.
The acts of Liam and his older brother Connor, who has moved on from Discovery Primary to Hoërskool Roodepoort, are just the motivation young people and their families need to get out and make a difference. “As small as they are, young children can still be an inspiration and example that we adults can follow” said Discovery Primary School principal, Raymond Peters.
Hope is that a spark can be lit in the community, encouraging further engagement between neighbours and residents. “This message goes out to the parents – let’s start with ourselves, let us be the example in our children’s eyes. You may not know how to fix a pothole but there are other ways to make our area look beautiful again. Make your street beautiful again. God bless you all,” Selwyn concluded.
