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Home / New Zealand

Good Samaritan's heart-warming Christmas offer to Wellingtonians

NZ Herald
21 Dec, 2019 11:24 PM5 mins to read

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Deeia Awad wants to help Wellingtonians get home safely this Christmas. Photo / Supplied

Deeia Awad wants to help Wellingtonians get home safely this Christmas. Photo / Supplied

A Syrian refugee living in Wellington has made the same heart-warming Christmas offer he made last year.

Deeia Awad, who arrived in New Zealand in August, 2015 after fleeing war-torn Syria, has again offered Wellingtonian free rides over the holiday period to ensure families and friends get home safely.

In a Facebook post on local group Vic Deals, he said he had a strong reason to do it this year after he witnessed a vehicle accident in the early hours of Saturday morning.

"Some of you guys remember me from last year. Today I am offering a free rides again for the holiday period," he wrote.

"Today I have a strong reason to be doing this again and again. I was out yesterday with mates having fun. We decided to go home around 3ish am, when I was leaving Wellington and when I just got on the highway, I witnessed a car crashin.

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"It's one of those things you don't want see at the end of a Friday night! I stopped and ran to the car, while my friend was on the phone with Emergency, the person in the car was a young man, looked like he had too much alcohol, his face was covered in blood, blacked out! His car was smoking and I had no idea what to do! All I was think[ing] was getting him out of the car. Luckily there was a security car passing by [which] stopped and helped us. Not long after the ambulance were there with the cops," he continued.

"This post is not for attention or anything, I am just a simple guy trying to help as much as I can to stop it from happening, if you know anyone who does please stop them. If you planning on having a big night out or drinking and driving please don't do it! It's not worth it.

"Feel free to message me if you any help!"

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Speaking to the Herald, Awad explained why he spends the holiday period driving strangers around for free, to make sure they get home safely to their families.

"When I was a kid, my dad and mum used to always help people and I grew up with the idea to always help others as much as I can," he explained.

He said the car crash he witnessed on Saturday was also an added incentive to bring his idea back this year.

It is not the first time Awad has done this.

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Last year, the Herald spoke to him after he posted on social media thanking Wellingtonians for their support and offering to drive locals to family functions over Christmas so they could indulge and still get home safely.

"Hey guys, my name is Deeia and I am from Syria. I came to New Zealand three years ago as refugee," he wrote on Facebook a year ago.

"As a thank you to the nice people here I am offering my car and myself to give safe rides to drunk people on Christmas Day!

"Please personal message me if you need a ride on Tuesday I am more than happy to help out and give little back to this amazing community!

"If you want you can give me a little koha. Thank you and Merry Christmas everyone."

Awad's generous offer has received more than 3600 reactions with a number of people thanking him for his kindheartedness.

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The Syrian-refugee-turned-Kiwi fled Syria to Egypt before waiting more than a year until his application was granted to move to New Zealand.

Awad told the Herald he feels as if he has everything in life since moving to New Zealand.

"I left Syria because of the war. I was just 13 years old at the time we left Syria. We wanted a peaceful life where we can study and my dad can work in peace.

"After being in Egypt for a couple of years we applied to be taken somewhere safer. At first I didn't know where I was going until they told us that New Zealand accepted our application and then we took many health tests to make sure we are able to handle the 30-hours flight.

"Since I've been here it has been amazing. I have everything I need, I have a new life, new job, and I can finally study! And on top of that, I am now one of this great community."

While Awad has been heaped with praise for his helpful offer to Wellingtonians, he wanted the public to know his generosity is nothing compared to Kiwis that have taken him in as one of their own.

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"I want people to know that what I am doing is nothing in comparison! Do you realise how much Kiwis have offered me?

"It's literally a new life to me! I just wanted to pay back what I own this country and as a new Kiwi I would like to help others who need any type of help I can give."

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