An elderly man forced to sleep homeless has been inundated with job offers after a little help from a stranger, in a story that exemplifies the kindness and generosity of our nation.
It was 37C in Melbourne when Sherryn Jackson came across a man named Barry sat on a crate, trying to get people's attention with his sign. She asked him his story.
Turns out Barry had moved from Perth to Melbourne for a job but it had fell through. The situation had left him homeless but Barry hadn't given up on finding work.
"He told me he was approved for a job but when he turned up he found out that it had been given to someone else," Jackson told The Huffington Post Australia
"He was saying I was the only person that stopped by and actually talked to him about his situation," she said. Jackson took a photo of Barry and his sign, she wanted to help.
"I got home and rang a few trucking companies who said for him to contact them. Then I thought I may as well post the picture of him up on a buy, swap, sell Facebook page," Jackson told HuffPost Australia.
Barry told Jackson that he'd never been on Centrelink and didn't want to start now. He said all he wanted to do was work.
Nearly 400 comments, that post was shared and shared. He was inundated with messages of help from job opportunities to people offering up a room to sleep in.
After Jackson posted the photo she was taken back by all the people that wanted to help Barry's plight. The offers ranged from phone credit to jobs to places to sleep.
"Nearly 400 comments, that post was shared and shared. He was inundated with messages of help from job opportunities to people offering up a room to sleep in," she said.
"He said he'd prefer to do driving job, he's been driving for over 30 years but told me he'd clean toilets if it gave him work," Jackson told the HuffPost Australia.
Jackson said that Barry had told her "when everything dies down I want to take you out for dinner, you don't know how much you've changed my life".
She said the last time she spoke to Barry he was sorting everything out but he was also celebrating. "He told me 'I'm actually eating a big meal because I'm celebrating the start of my new life. A better life,'" Jackson said.