In the midst of the daily complaints in the media about this problem and that, it’s a relief to sometimes see the bright spots. In this past week for example, my daughter in Canada sent me a wonderful story about a group of fire-fighters from South Africa who showed up as volunteers to help with the horrendous bush fires that had hit Alberta destroying hundreds of homes. The Canadian firemen were exhausted after almost a month fighting the raging fires every day; the 281 South African firefighters arrived in Edmonton, Alberta, about a week ago to help battle the 
massive fires spreading across the province – and their first reaction was to immediately burst proudly into song and dance. One of them told reporters that one of the reasons they came was a consequence of Canadian support for South Africa in its apartheid battle some years ago. “This is payback time,” he said. Regarding the singing at the airport, another fireman said that singing together helped the team bond. You can see the story in full online – just Google “South African firemen in Canada.” It’s an inspiring story particularly for us in the Caribbean to see this expression by a group of people who look and sound like us. A Canadian man who worked in Anzac, one of the towns evacuated by the fire, personally thanked each one of the South Africans, men and women, as they walked through the arrival gates. “Welcome to Canada, thank you so much,” he was quoted saying. Many of the firefighters are from the ‘Working On Fire’ programme implemented in South Africa more than a decade ago to give young people a job, and pull them out of poverty.
