Oh what a feeling!

By Lia Bichel
A LUCKY Narre Warren North firefighter and his wife have used their good fortune to help friends in need.
Senior firefighter Mike Garoni and his wife Kim donated their 1994 Toyota Corolla to a struggling fellow firefighter after winning a Toyota RAV4 in a Scouts Association raffle draw.
“We were over the moon when we won. I think it was the first time we’ve ever won anything,” Mr Garoni said. “We never bought the tickets in expectations that we would win, we bought the tickets as a donation to the Scouts.”
The duo already owned two cars, so Mr Garoni said he and his wife decided to donate their 1994 Toyota Corolla to someone in need of a car.
“As a firefighter, my first instinct was to give it to someone affected by Black Saturday, but then my wife and I thought there would be a lot of people in need at the moment because of the financial crisis,” he said.
Mr Garoni said he learned David Graham, a firefighter from Lovely Banks Brigade near Corio, had broken his leg leaving him unable to work. Because Mr Graham was self-employed, he could not claim work cover and the loss of income caused the finance company to repossess the family sedan.
“I knew David, and he had visited our station a few times,” Mr Garoni said. “He embodies everything a firefighter should be- loyal, honest and has integrity. He would do anything for anyone to help them out. So we decided to donate the car to him and his wife.”
Mr Graham said he and his wife were “blown away” by the Garonis’ gift.
“The fact that it came from a fellow firefighter was humbling,” he said. “They paid their good luck forward, and when I am in a position to do so, I’ll pay it forward to someone else in need.”
Mr and Mrs Graham’s church pastor, Doug Whiteford from the Corio Christian Centre, also lent a helping hand. He took the car to Hand Brake Turn to ensure it was roadworthy, and the congregation pitched in money to help pay for the car’s expenses.
Mr Garoni said he and Mrs Garoni were thrilled to give a gift to the Grahams.
“Seeing a smile across their faces put a huge smile on ours.”