I would like to tell you a lovely story that happened last week involving my Mum, Mrs Marlene Poteri. She is usually a nervous driver and only drives around her local Taigum area.

However, on this Wednesday afternoon she was returning from a medical appointment at the Clayfield Specialist Centre. She was traveling along Sandgate Rd, Virginia at 5 pm in peak hour traffic when the water pump in her car burst and forced her to pull over. She had only just got out of her car when a man stopped behind her to offer his help. His name was Brian Connelly, and he said that he had stopped because he had seen the “Nudgee” sticker on the back of her car. He was fantastic to Mum, locked her car and drove her to her home. There he met my Dad, James Poteri and he then continued on to his home at Boondall.

After arriving home late, Mum sat quietly and reflected on what had just occurred. She was very shaken up, as her health has not been good since a quadruple bypass two years ago. She had no mobile phone, ( I would never use one, she constantly would tell us) no way of getting home and then found herself getting into a strange man’s car! All because of a Nudgee sticker!

As Mr Connelly and my mother chatted on the way home, he told her that his 30 and 32 year old sons, Luke (1984-87) and Adam (1987-91) attended Nudgee and that they were the best years of their lives. Mum explained that she had the sticker on her car because her two grandsons were Nudgee boys, Ben Mortimer (2001-05) and Joshua Mortimer currently in Yr 11. She also told Mr Connelly that her husband, James (Jim) had attended the College back in 1946-48. What a network this Nudgee family is!! A gentleman who was associated with the College more than 15 years ago is helping the wife of a man who attended the same College 60 years ago.

My Dad loves to receive his NCOBA Newsletter and files away every copy. He regularly attends the NCOBA Masses and is very involved in every sporting match my boys have/or do play.

He was truly delighted that the ‘Nudgee Family’ is not a myth to be talked about, but in this case provided Mum with much needed and appreciated assistance. This random act of kindness has put a shine on all our faces and reinforces again that the decision for my sons to attend this College was a great one.

Thanks for reading this and I hope that if Mr Connelly or his sons receive the NCOBA newsletter that they will know of my family’s gratitude for Brian’s timely assistance.