Napier man Malcolm Reid sacrificed his ticket to the France-Canada game at McLean Park when Wales fan Henry Goodburn turned up with a broken-down rental vehicle. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today
Napier man Malcolm Reid sacrificed his ticket to the France-Canada game at McLean Park when Wales fan Henry Goodburn turned up with a broken-down rental vehicle. Photo / Hawkes Bay Today
Malcolm Reid has been inundated with emails and gifts from strangers up and down the country since giving up his only Rugby World Cup ticket to help out a stranded Wales supporter.
Mr Reid, from Malcolm Reid Auto & Electrix in Napier, sacrificed his ticket to the France-Canada game atMcLean Park when Henry Goodburn turned up with a broken-down rental vehicle.
It would take five hours to get a replacement rental vehicle, meaning he'd miss the Wales-Samoa game in Hamilton.
Mr Reid and his wife Beverly hosted Mr Goodburn in their home with beer, a roast dinner and watching the day's matches on television, and in the process gave up their own match tickets.
Mr Reid's hospitality extended further afield to Mr Goodburn's friend in Hamilton. He was waiting for Mr Goodburn to arrive with his ticket.
"When his car broke down he said 'could I use your phone?' and I said 'go for your life'. He spent a long time on the phone to rugby officials because his friend that was in Hamilton didn't have the ticket," Mr Reid said.
Mr Goodburn managed to persuade officials to let his friend in to the match.
Since then Mr Reid's received phone calls, email, flowers, batches of home baking and pizza from locals and people around the country recognising his generosity.
