At about 15:00 on Sunday, March 8, my father (72) was alone at home when four guys, driving a Toyota Camry, broke into his house and brutally assaulted and robbed him.
We were out of the area when this happened. When we heard what had occurred, we realised that being so far out of the area and not knowing how bad the situation was, we needed to get assistance for him as soon as possible. We posted a request for help on our Winchester/Gillview Alerts Group.
On arrival at the scene, to our amazement, there were at least 40 neighbours and patrollers from not only the Winchester/Gillview area, but also from the Ridgeway area. They had already contacted ER24 who was on the scene.
Two months after the incident, on May 18, my father suffered a massive heart attack at home. Two of my family members who were there with him, once again called out for help on the alerts group. They first tried to call an ambulance by phoning 10111 and were told to call another number. When they called that number the first question asked was ‘how old is he?’
Then they phoned one of the patrollers from Amanzi Pools, asking him to please get ER24 there ASAP. My nephew, who pressed the panic button connected to SA Rangers, also asked for them to contact ER24. Once again, I stood in amazement when I arrived at the scene. ER24 and all of these amazing people were there to assist, support and just be there for us. We were offered counselling by one of the members (no cost) and given a car guard by SA Rangers (no cost). My beloved father passed away that evening.
These wonderful people have no idea how much they are appreciated. They give up their time patrolling our area, without compensation. They give up the time they could be spending with their families to keep the rest of us safe. I want to let these wonderful people know that they are now considered as our extended family.
Cathy Brondani
