A homeless man asking for spare change in Sydney received a different kind of help when gardener Nathan Stafford offered him work instead.
asserted
Stafford → ask → work
Stafford was cleaning up a residential street when the man, who introduced himself as Robert, approached him and asked for money because he needed to eat.
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he → clean → money
Robert was pushing his belongings in a trolley while standing in the pouring rain, news.com.au reported.
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news.com.au → push → rain
He told Stafford that he lived on the street and that the trolley contained “everything” he owned.
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he → tell → everything
Rather than simply handing over money, Stafford asked if Robert would help him clear leaves from the street.
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Robert → hand → street
“I’m happy to help you out, but would you like to give me a hand?” Stafford replied.
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Stafford → ’m → hand
“Sure,” Robert said.
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Robert → say → ?
Stafford then gave him a rake, and the two men worked together to clear the leaves.
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men → give → leaves
Once the job was finished, Stafford gave Robert $100.
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Stafford → finish → 100
The exchange was recorded and later shared online, where it drew a strong response from viewers.
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it → record → viewers
“You helped me out, so I want to help you,” Stafford said as he handed Robert the money.
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he → help → money
“Beautiful, I’m very happy with that.
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I → ’m → that
That’ll last me a long time; I’ll have a lot of meals.
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I → last → meals
Thank you brother,” he said.
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he → thank → you
Stafford explains why he offered work
Stafford, who runs Nathan’s Lawns and Gardens, later explained his thinking behind the encounter.
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who → explain → encounter
He acknowledged that some people might question his decision to ask Robert to work while he was already wet and living on the street.
uncertain
he → acknowledge → street
some may say I got it wrong,” Stafford wrote while sharing the video online.
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Stafford → say → video
He said his own experience of homelessness influenced how he responded.
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he → say → homelessness
Stafford explained that he understood why Robert was asking people for money because he had also done the same when he was living on the street.
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he → explain → street
“As someone that has lived on the street I totally get where this man is coming from,” he wrote.
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he → live → where
Stafford recalled an incident from his own past when he was homeless.
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he → recall → past
He said he once asked someone for money, but the man refused and instead offered to take him in and buy him dinner.
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man → say → dinner
“I actually was so hungry that I was so glad he did.
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he → do → ?
I never forgot that man and those moments in my life many years ago,” Stafford said.
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Stafford → forget → life
That experience shaped the way Stafford approached Robert.
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Stafford → shape → Robert
He said that while Robert was already soaked by the rain, helping him for a few more minutes would not change the fact that he was wet.
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he → say → fact
The gardener said the work was his way of allowing Robert to earn the money while also showing him respect.
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Robert → say → respect
“I like to call it giving him some respect in a pretty awful situation and letting him earn that money with some dignity and pride,” Stafford wrote.
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Stafford → like → dignity
Robert was also offered food and warm clothes
Stafford also said there was no way he would allow Robert to leave without getting something to eat and receiving fresh, warm clothes.
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Robert → offer → clothes
“If you never have lived on the street count yourself lucky as it isn’t a fun place...
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it → live → street
Also you should know there was no way I was letting him leave without a meal on me around the corner and getting him some fresh new warm clothes,” he wrote.
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he → know → clothes
Some viewers said that giving Robert a chance to work had helped him feel useful and maintain a sense of dignity.
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him → say → dignity
One commenter wrote that Stafford had allowed Robert to “earn the money and feel useful”, adding that this could be something he had not experienced for some time.
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he → write → time
Another said, “You gave him a sense of purpose, and that’s what’s important.”
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what → say → purpose
The video gained attention as Stafford's social media following has grown to 13.3 million across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
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following → gain → Facebook
His accounts feature videos of him cleaning gardens and streets for no charge.
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him → feature → charge
The Aporia
