Stranded woman helped by taxi driver on freezing night

A woman in her early 20s had to fight to keep control of her vehicle after a tyre suddenly blew out while she was driving home from a fancy dress party. She managed to wrestle her Toyota Corolla to a stop without crashing and remained in the driver's seat with a pounding heart, wondering what her next move should be.

It was 1982 in Canberra on a foggy, bitterly cold night in the middle of winter. The driver was dressed in a silly flapper dress and high heels, and she was not even sure if she had packed a jacket. Although she had a spare tyre in the back of the car, she had little idea how to change it.

Her options were to make the one hour walk home alone or wait to see if another car passed and could offer her a ride. For 30 minutes she sat in the driver's seat helplessly, unsure what to do. The roads in Canberra were always empty at that hour, and there was nothing in the way of public transport, while taxis were rarer than hen's teeth.

It felt heaven sent when she eventually saw a taxi approach with its light on to signal it was available. She flagged the taxi down and asked for a ride home, explaining that she would call a tow truck and come back for her car in the morning. The driver had another idea and offered to change the tyre for her instead.

In the middle of a freezing winter's night, this cheerful, older taxi driver hopped out to change the tyre. He waited to see her drive off safely before leaving and refused her offer of payment for helping. According to the driver, his words were: “Don’t be ridiculous, love!”

The woman stated that if she ever sees that taxi driver again, she would love to give him a great big hug.