All U Need angels

Mr Hemming recently came across a cry for help from a single father of two on the Backyard Restorations Facebook page, asking for anyone to help fix his car enough to get it back on the road so that he can take his four-year-old son to doctors appointments.

His son had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a few months ago during a month-long stay in hospital being treated for the kidney disease, Nephrotic Syndrome.

The plea instantly touched Mr Hemming’s heart and he knew he had to help.

“I thought I’d send a message to let him know we’re willing to help,” he said.

“When I read his plea for help on Facebook and went through the comments, I saw some people saying they would help but it sounded like he wasn’t getting any help, so I sent him my phone number to text and he replied with his and I rang him,” Mr Hemming said.

“When I spoke to him I felt for him - he told me what had happened with people who promised to help and hadn’t...it touched my heart.”

Mr Hemming offered to pick up, restore and take back Alick Hinds’ 1977 Holden LX Torana, which he’d been working on for the past six years.

“He hasn’t got a car - it’s been sitting in his mother’s garage for six years, it was his project “[Not having a car] didn’t matter to him before but now he needs it to go to the hospital with his son.”

Earlier, Mr Hinds took his car to a panel beaters in Wangaratta to get a paint job and paid $1500 for it but the panel shop went bankrupt and rang him to come pick up his car.

When he went to get his car, the shop was closed and the car was sitting out the front with parts missing, including the bonnet and backseat.

Another blow for the Hinds family was when their flat was broken into while Mr Hinds was staying in hospital with his son. Their TV and various other items were stolen.

“He’s had a bit of a rough trot,” Mr Hemming said.

A lot of work needs to be done on the Torana including plenty of panel work, upholstery and trim, paint, mechanical work, repairs to rust, fabrication and the replacing of the front and back windows.

Mr Hemming and his team at All U Need Restorations will do all the work free of charge and in their own time because they are so busy with other jobs.

“It is a big job and it’ll cost us some money but a lot of it is in our labour,” Mr Hemming said.

“We want to try and get it done in a month...my aim was to get the car back as soon as we could so he can have a car to drive to get where he needs to go.”

The rest of the team are also more than happy to help out with the job and Mr Hemming hopes they’ll be able to put in three to four hours most days.

“I don’t expect these fellows to work 18/20 hours a day, but they just want to stay,” he said.

“The whole team’s on board.”

Mr Hemming and All U Need manager Julie Dawes made the trip to Wangaratta on Tuesday to pick up the car and said the reaction of the Hinds family was well worth it.

“He couldn’t thank me enough and his mother was in tears,” Mr Hemming said. 

“You could tell it meant a lot and their hearts were lifted by someone willing to help.They’re very overwhelmed with the kindness.”

Mr Hemming and Ms Dawes took hats and shirts for the kids - five-year-old Charisma and four-year-old Brock - who were very excited.

The team at All U Need want to put a call out to anyone in the Forbes community who wants to help this family.

Any donations, whether monetary, parts for the car, a TV or even toys for the kids, would be very much appreciated and can be dropped off at All U Need and will be taken to the Hinds when the car is returned to them in a special unveiling with the whole team from All U Need.

“It’ll be so nice to say, this is from the Forbes community,” Ms Dawes said.

“We’ve had so many people already wanting to help and telling us what a fantastic thing to do it is.”

Mr Hemming said he’s just so happy to be able to help this family.

“You can do it to anyone...he touched my heart so I’m willing to help him out,” he said.

“To me, it’s something big. I always wanted to do something for somebody and this is a start.”

All U Need will be posting updates with photos of the progress of the job but won’t reveal the finished product so that Mr Hinds can be surprised. 

To keep up-to-date with what’s happening, like the All U Need Restorations Facebook page and if you want to help out, contact Julie Dawes on 0488 517 778.