Dear Editor:
It is often said that a large city can be a cold and unfeeling place.
Well, not New Westminster!
Last Saturday evening I was disembarking one of the New West shuttles when a rather important package containing my prescription fell from my pocket without my notice.
Losing my prescription is not a disaster - it can be replaced - but I was quite concerned because if that medication fell into the hands of children or youth, someone might have been harmed.
I called what seemed to me to be the most obvious agency - TransLink.
The operator was immediately helpful. To make a rather long story short, the operator I talked to spent more than 15 minutes tracking down an after-hours contact for the company who runs the shuttles, who in turn contacted the bus driver, who found my package. I was advised that I could meet the bus at a specific time and location to reclaim my drugs.
Problem solved, right? Well, not quite. You see, I am arthritic, and I was simply not able to make it to the location in the time allowed. Once I explained that to the TransLink operator, she arranged to have the package picked up by her Staff Sergeant, a Mr. McGregor, and brought back to their office where I could pick it up on Monday. That I could manage, and I thanked her and planned to take the bus over to the TransLink office on East Columbia on Monday morning. All good! The TransLink operator had gone way out of her way to help me and I was very grateful.
About 15 minutes later I received another call from TransLink security informing me that if I
could go to the front door of my building, my medicine would be delivered to me! I was astonished (and delighted)!
Sure enough, a couple of minutes later a TransLink car pulled up in front of my apartment building and Mr. McGregor, after ensuring that I was the legitimate owner of the prescription, handed it to me with a big smile and a quiet "no problem".
I want to thank Mr. McGregor and the unknown TransLink operator who went so far beyond their duty to help someone who, to say the least, appreciates it sincerely. The city of New Westminster can never be called cold or unfeeling if there are people here who are willing to provide that level of service to the residents.
Jess Gordon, New Westminster
