BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
THE TRADIES WITH BIG HEARTS
CLIVE Harmsworth knows the stereotype, the one that says blokes in construction would rather whack a nail through their thumbs than confess to emotional vulnerability.
Then again, not all blokes in construction have met a father like Sam Othman.
“The day we had a heart-toheart with Sam, we were holding back tears,” the McNab Constructions Gold Coast project manager says of a tale that will restore your faith in the world.
“We work in construction so we’re not counsellors but we could see he’s tired. He’s knackered. He’s got no family here so it’s bloody hard for him … and he’s just so appreciative someone is trying to do something for him.”
Sam is Ahmed’s dad, sweet little Ahmed who was starved of oxygen during birth and six years on battles a myriad of health issues including cerebral palsy.
Sam is also the man who phoned McNab after receiving a notice in his letterbox saying access to his street was going to be impacted by construction of the Iconic at Kirra apartment tower.
“He was concerned about the school bus not being able to come to their door to pick up Ahmed,” Clive recalls.
“We were doing a concrete pour but we made sure our traffic controllers knew to let the bus through before and after school. I then bumped into Sam (soon after) and had a bit of a chat on the corner.”
Clive left that chat with the seed of an idea.
He talked to his project team. He got one of his traffic controllers to ask Sam for his phone number. He then met the Egyptian-born man for coffee and explained how his crew wanted to become Ahmed’s angels.
“I thought we could fundraise and buy something for Ahmed like a wheelchair,” Clive says. “Then Sam told us about his wife.”
The McNab boys listened
with aching hearts as they heard how Nicole has been diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a fatal genetic condition without a cure.
Sam then mentioned his own kidney problems, how he had been forced to sell his Coolangatta cafe to care for his little family and the fear that keeps him awake at night.
“He said, ‘If you’re going to do anything for us, I just want a safety net for Ahmed’,” Clive says. “We’ll probably talk to our company lawyers about setting up a trust fund that could help in the worst circumstance.”
That’s right – a simple gesture is growing into something much more.
McNab is now hosting weekly fundraiser barbecues for Ahmed. Raffles are being organised in his honour. A Go Fund Me page launched last week, along with a plea for other businesses to help push it towards $50,000.
A quiet soul, Sam said: “Like all parents we just want the best for our child.”
And, according to at least one new-found friend, that’s what Ahmed’s dad is giving him.
“Sam’s exhausted and in a very tough position,” Clive says. “But he’s also inspiring because he’s doing the bloody best he can.”
WE WORK IN CONSTRUCTION SO WE’RE NOT COUNSELLORS BUT WE COULD SEE HE’S TIRED. HE’S KNACKERED. HE’S GOT NO FAMILY HERE SO IT’S BLOODY HARD FOR HIM CLIVE HARMSWORTH