A donation by an elderly Hastings man with a big heart has helped put a smile back on the face of Flaxmere papergirl Kimberley Kindelan.
The 73-year-old, who wants to remain anonymous, has donated $200 to help Kimberley buy herself a new bicycle, after her original bike was stolen from her
home last week.
The theft of the bike came as another blow for the plucky 14-year-old, who was left unconscious with cuts, bruises and grazes after being hit by a speeding drunk driver on Plymouth Road, Flaxmere, on April 16.
The driver of the vehicle, 44-year-old Kapene Kingi Eugene Te Amo, was later found to have almost double the legal breath-alcohol limit of 400. He was travelling at about 80km/h in a 50km area.
He was jailed for two years and three months.
Kimberley's bike was wrecked in the accident, and last week the replacement bike provided by Hawke's Bay Today was also stolen.
Kimberley's mother Margaret Crouch spent most of last week trying to track down her daughter's bike, which was uninsured, but with no success.
Speaking to Hawke's Bay Today this morning, a tearful Miss Crouch said news of the donation "lifts me up."
The generous benefactor told Hawke's Bay Today he had a lot of respect for paperkids, and was hopeful those responsible for the theft of Kimberley's bicycle would be caught.
"If they happen to catch them and get the bike back, that's good luck to them - the little girl will have two bikes" he said.
