Man who helped stranded commuters given free pizza for a year
A Queensland man who bought pizzas for stranded people during last weeks floods has been rewarded with a years worth of free pizzas.
Andy Cooper has been revealed as the kind-hearted stranger who gave 15 pizzas to people who were stranded at Petrie Station last Friday night.
The father-of-three from Deception Bay, was among 100 people who were stranded when the rail service stopped as the storm hit its peak around 4.30pm.
Mr Cooper told the Pine River Press that he decided to order the pizza’s from a nearby Dominos after four hours had passed.
“People’s spirits were down and that’s why I got the food,” he said.
Word of Mr Cooper’s generous act spread far and caught the attention of Domino’s CEO Don Meij, who refunded the money Mr Cooper spent on the pizzas.
Mr Meij also brought lunch for 50 of Mr Cooper’s workmates and offered the flood hero free pizza for a year.
“It’s people like Andy in our community that we can all be really proud of,” Mr Meij told the Pines River Press
“It’s a small token of our appreciation for Andy going above and beyond during a difficult time.”
The local community has hailed Mr Cooper as a legend, with people taking to the Pines River Press Facebook page to thank the ‘top bloke’.
“Thanks Andy. I was one of the people stranded at Petrie and really appreciated the Pizza,” wrote Jillian Canton.
“Andy I very much appreciated your actions last Friday night….So happy for you receiving this well-deserved recognition for your actions,” wrote Vine Dayboro.
Mr Cooper said the reward was a pleasant surprise and said he hoped it made people realise the value of paying it forward.
“One small thing can change a lot of people’s life,” he wrote on Facebook.
He has also thanked everyone else who went out of their way to help others during the flood.
News break - May 8
