[ad_1] An elderly man who, after 42 years of being an “extremely dependable” employee, was offered a sad barbecue and certificate has had an incredi
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An elderly man who, after 42 years of being an “extremely dependable” employee, was offered a sad barbecue and certificate has had an incredible change in luck.
The sub-par recognition of John Bartlett, who without fail travelled 40 minutes to work on public transport every day for the “minimum wage” job, caused mass upset last week.
One of his colleagues, Sonia, was so devastated over the injustice that she shared a clip online of Mr Bartlett, writing that she wished his hard work had been better recognised.
“He loves working here so much he didn’t want to retire. [He got] No bonus, just a barbecue and a certificate. Don’t be a slave to your job. Thank you John for your loyalty,” she wrote.
After sharing Mr Bartlett’s story to social media, she was swiftly inundated with messages from people desperate to contribute to his retirement.
Many were fast to spring to action after Sonia created a GoFundMe where the public could give “a little something for a better retirement”.
In a matter of days, the account was flooded with donations and messages from donors in all parts of the world, including many from Australia.
The fundraiser was shut down after more than 1900 people contributed to Mr Bartlett’s fund, which ended up amassing A$57,454.
Mr Bartlett, in his 70s, appeared speechless when Sonia broke the incredible news to him.
“You have inspired the world with your story, you are so inspiring. There’s so many people who related to you, so many people from Australia, the UK, Scotland – all over the world,” Sonia told him.
All he could do was smile and nod as she told him how his story had resonated with her audience.
“They [the donors] left messages for you, so I’m going to print it out and go ahead and make something nice for you so you can read it on your own time,” she said.
“We started the GoFundMe because they wanted to give you something for your retirement on their part and it just blew up overnight.
“You deserve it, OK? I’m going to make sure everything goes to your account, just for you.”
Mr Bartlett was shown smiling in a photo with a man, speculated to be his brother, who held a printed copy of the GoFundMe fundraising page.
Supporters, in messages left for him on the page, encouraged Mr Bartlett to use the money on treating himself to something special like a big holiday.
“Hey John, go and relax my friend. Take a trip to Disneyland or hang with your nephew,” one donor wrote.
“John, have a fantastic retirement. ‘Do not go gently into that good night’. From Sydney Australia,” another said.
“Dear John, What’s next for you? This is a new beginning, not just an end to your job that you did so well for so long,” someone else wrote.
Sonia thanked donors and assured them that every cent would be going directly into Mr Bartlett’s pocket.
“Hello donors! Today is the day we will get these funds over to John! Thank you for being so kind to our fellow co worker and sending him so much love for his retirement,” she wrote in her final update to the GoFundMe account.
“I will guarantee you that he will receive every single penny. Nothing is going to myself. I actually would rather celebrate all of you. YOU did the work, I am just the messenger! Best wishes to all of you.”
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