By Tyler Wright
Those visiting the Monbulk Woolworths carpark on Wednesday 13 September may have received a token of love and recognition with a local nursery handing out free pots on site.
Owner of Drewitts Bulbs in Silvan, Tim Drewitt, said his company has tipped over about 10,000 pots, delivered to community hubs including Lillydale Lake, police stations, fire stations and triple 0 call centres.
“It started during Covid and the lockdowns; we had literally tens of thousands of potted flowering bulbs that we were unable to sell where wholesale growers, our customers, were closed so they weren’t able to sell the product either,” Mr Drewitt said.
“I’m also a youth worker in my background, and at that point I was the head of well being at a local school and was watching teenagers really struggling and a lot of them were thinking very inwardly about their own problems
“I thought ‘alright, let’s flip this on its head and turn it into what we can do for others;’ so as a business and also in my youth work capacity, we were going out and dropping off the pots beside cars in an effort to bring a smile to someone’s face.”
With each pot comes a note written by Mr Drewitt himself – designed as a random act of kindness.
“This year was the first year we had a professional label designed for them,” Mr Drewitt said.
“Initially when we first started I was handwriting the notes, but I quickly realised that it took too long.
“It says on there it’s a gift and no harm’s intended; we’ve included the phone numbers for Kids Helpline and Beyond Blue as well.”
Melinda Dillon, from Olinda, said she was “simply amazed” when she was given a pot of “beautiful flowers” for no apparent reason in Monbulk on Wednesday.
“I thought it was quite an act of synchronicity as I was talking to my mother-in-law on the phone at the time and she was not okay that day,” Ms Dillon said.
“I had literally just asked her if she had been out in her garden to look at her flowers and get some sunshine on her skin and some fresh air and she said she hadn’t been able to get out of bed lately to do that.
“Her favourite colour is purple and even the walls in her house are purple and the lady giving out the flowers handed me a pot of purple flowers and said ‘here give this to your mother-in-law.'”
Ms Dillon potted the bulb at her own home, as her mother-in-law lives in Tasmania.
“I will think of her every time I water them and send her some love and healing energy,” she said.
“I have realised how we are not just individuals living our own lives but we are collaboration of people helping other people (and ourselves) to live and enjoy our best lives.”
The act of kindness came at a fitting time, with the national R U OK?Day held on Thursday 14 September.
“We are aware that times are tough, and we are sure, that if you are real, it’s hard not to feel like you have had more than enough,” a note on the pots handed out read.
“We want to encourage you, it’s ok to not be ok, but not ok to stay that way. It’s never weak to speak, and now might just be the time to make a little tweak.
“Keep pushing through and hold onto the thought of something new!”
Mr Drewitt said the impact these acts of kindness has on people has been “surreal”.
“There was [a story on Thursday 14 September] that came back via our social media that someone had received some pots and had then delivered them onto an aged care home,” he said.
“Two of the people who had received the pots, it was the last thing they will have received because they actually passed that night; they were sharing how much joy and happiness and excitement the ladies have received in receiving these pots and then the person who dropped them off then got the news the next day.
“You never know what impact it’s going to have and we’ve had people who have tracked us down in car parks and you know it’s a little bit awesome like I say I do it with young people teenagers and it can be quite I guess confronting for them to realise how much of an impact such a small thing can have.”
If you, or someone you know, needs help, you can contact Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800, Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
