SUBURB’S STREET A-PEEL
A NORTHERN Gold Coast suburb has gone bananas thanks to the generosity of a fresh food truckie.
Damien Van Twest rescued 2600 cartons of bananas from going to waste when wholesalers were left with an oversupply following the Commonwealth Games.
Mr Van Twest brought the unwanted fruit north to Oremeau and began handing them out to locals, who christened him the ‘Banana Man’.
“It really galvanised the community and had a ‘pay it forward’ effect,” he told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“People were picking up boxes for schools, child care centres, nursing homes, and for neighbours who couldn’t get there ... the bananas went as far as Ipswich ... the response has been unbelievable.
“A bunch of bananas for me isn’t a big deal but a bunch of bananas for a family who can’t afford it is a really big thing.
“Who honestly would have thought that a few bananas would infect a community with such joy and an amazing want to share? I didn’t. We love where we live and live for moments in times like these where the world seems a little brighter and life that little bit easier.”