By ANEEKA SIMONIS
EVERY morning, Calvin Rees, 74, wakes up and sweeps the streets of Pakenham.
Rain, hail or shine, the Pakenham man can be spotted with a broom in hand from 4am each morning, cleaning Main Street before the hustle and bustle of the day sets in.
He does this without expecting anything in return, getting home before the business crowd make their way to work in the morning.
It’s a community service he has been providing for the past seven years.
Asked why he does it, Calvin had little explanation except to say it helped “keep everyone happy”.
“It takes me about three hours to get up and back … I do it every day,” he said.
But what’s more impressive is that Calvin does it all with just one arm. Affectionately known to some as ‘Leftie’, Calvin lets little get in the way of his morning ritual, daughter Kelly Harrop said.
“He’s never expected anything from anyone. He does it because he wants to … good luck trying to stop him going down there. I have tried many times when he’s been unwell,” she said.
“If he’s not down the Main Street cleaning, he’s tinkering in his shed or doing people’s lawns.”
Though many enjoy the fruits of Calvin’s labour without knowing it, others have taken to social media to acknowledge his generous, ongoing contribution to the community.
“I would recommend him for an Australian of the Year award of some sort,” wrote Cameron Deane on the Gazette’s Facebook page after meeting with the 74-year-old amputee.
Calvin’s wife Karen Rees, 54, agreed she also had a hard time keeping her husband from getting out of bed and into his high-visibility gear each morning.
She said she was “very proud” of him and always makes sure he has breakfast waiting when he gets home from sweeping.
“I also make sure he has dry clothes,” she said.
Calvin has lived in Pakenham for the past 14 years with his wife, who has lived her whole life in the area.
The Good Samaritan lost his arm in a car accident more than 30 years ago which also left him with minor brain injuries.
