Mudgee resident Ken Brown was so moved by an act of kindness he experienced that he wanted to share it with you.

The Mudgee Guardian sat down with Ken at his home in Mudgee and - from a safe distance - he retold his story with a smile.

Ken had ducked down to Coles one night to pick up some groceries. When he got to the checkout he realised he had left his card at home.

"I was at the checkout and I realised I didn't have my card. I said 'oh God, put it aside I'll dash home and get my wallet with my card in it'. I'd forgotten to take it with me - bloody dill I am. Anyway this young lady said 'I'll take care of it' and paid the bloody bill and it was sixty bucks!" Ken said.

"I thought sufferin' cats, you know. I said to the young bloke behind the counter, what can I do to catch up on her credit card and put some money on it? He said 'no you can't do anything like that'.

"He said the best thing I can say to you is you try and help someone else. I thought, 'good stuff'.

"I was embarrassed. But I've been around long enough to really appreciate the generosity and expression of help that came from a total stranger and I wanted to pay her back you know.

"She didn't know me from a bull's foot and she didn't even hesitate."

Ken said the act was notable, not just because of the reasons above but because it came during a time when lots of other people are doing it tough.

"The bloody times we're going through are bad enough," Ken said.

"I've never known anything like this."

"In World War II, you could buy Australian butter in London cheaper than you could buy it here, and you had a book to get a pound of butter or get a packet of tea, that's hard times but nothing like this.

"It's bloody beautiful, it just goes to show that we live in a good town. But I just thought hell, the people should know about that because it encourages people to help one another.

"She's a role model."

I sat down with Ken one afternoon in April and honestly we talked about his interaction with a good samaritan for a fraction of the time I was there. Instead he told me about his life working on vehicles for the military and his love for machinery and his time spent in different places that his career took him around Australia.

It paid off too, being among the most read stories all year. Which goes to show that a bit of good news can go a long way.

This story was originally published in April, 2020.