Boy's sweet act for bus driver after racial abuse: 'Blown away'
On a bus packed with commuters, an 11-year-old passenger was the one who spoke out.
After one aggressive passenger threatened to ruin a Newcastle bus driver's day, the next swooped in and soothed his "hurt" in the most wholesome way possible.
On an otherwise uneventful work day last month, bus driver Sanjay picked up a passenger who began to "yell" and demand he removed a fellow passenger from the bus. After deeming the driver's actions insufficient, the passenger began to hurl racial abuse toward him.
"It's hurtful and everything, it's upsetting," Sanjay told 2GB radio, before adding, "But I've copped some of this stuff before."
Despite the bus being packed with almost 30 people, it was the unlikely figure of 11-year-old Brock that appeared by Sanjay's side, uttering words that caused the driver to "tear up".
"You shouldn't be treated that way. I hope you're OK," Brock said, before the pair shook hands and the young boy hopped off at his stop.
Bus driver 'delighted' by Brock's kindness
Recounting the interaction, Sanjay described what the "beautiful words" meant to him and how they helped him to quickly recover from the horrific encounter.
"I felt like he applied some first-aid to my hurt," Sanjay explained. "He saw the injustice of it."
After reporting the incident to his managers, the bus company were able to track down and identify Brock by using the bus's CCTV footage, with mum Melissa thinking the worst when she received a phone call from the school principal. Brock hadn't mentioned a thing.
"I guess we often wonder at times if we're doing the right things as parents, but Brock showing that act of kindness makes you think, 'Maybe we're not doing so bad after all,'" Melissa said. "I was blown away".
Sanjay and Brock were reunited again when the bus driver visited his school with chocolates, thanking the young boy for his kindness.
"Be like Brock," Sanjay said.
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