Two grade 6 students, Roy Manning and Jake Grimshaw, have come to the aid of an older Victorian in need on Halloween night, prompting COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria to issue the heroes with special commendations.
Jake and Roy were trick or treating in Ferntree Gully last Tuesday night, and arrived at the home of 82-year-old Esma to hear her calling out for help.
“I was laying on the floor [after a fall],” Esma told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell. “I said, ‘help me, help me’.
“They were so good,” she said of the boys. “We hear such bad things about people growing up; [kids] get a bad rap.”
“These two kids are wonderful.”
“I heard her calling out for help,” Jake said, speaking to Channel 10’s The Project. “She said… ‘I’ve fallen over, I can’t get up.”
I ran across the street and got a lovely couple… to come over and help out.”
Esma directed the boys to a spare key; Roy kept her company while Jake went off in search for it.
“Jake went to go get help while I was telling her that it’s fine and my mate’s getting help,” Roy recalled.
Currently recovering in the hospital, Esma said she hopes to see her heroes again and thank them in-person.
“I’d like to see them again at some stage too,” she asserted, prompting Jake’s mum to organise a visit.
COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria have issued both Roy and Jake with special Halloween Heroes certificates of commendation for their actions, alongside movie vouchers as a small reward.
“Organisations around Victoria have applauded Jake and Roy for their bravery and quick thinking, and COTA Victoria and Seniors Rights Victoria are no exception,” said CEO Chris Potaris.
“It’s so very important that we look out for one another, and these two grade 6 students coming to the aid of an older Victorian is a perfect example of that.”
“The benefits of intergenerational interactions are vast,” Mr Potaris continued. “We hope this is the start of a wonderful, beneficial friendship between Roy, Jake, and Esma.”
