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Back in 2006, My journey took me to Canberra for an admissions interview for medical school. I assumed I would book a place to stay when I arrived, yet when I arrived, a large conference was happening and every single youth hostels and cheap hotels were completely sold out.

As a visitor from Singapore, I considered maybe I could bed down in the airport – but quickly found Canberra airport, not like the one back home, does not operate 24 hours. With no idea how to proceed and getting a bit desperate, I boarded a bus into town and found myself drifting near a gaming venue, believing I could pass those hours in a place operating 24/7. That wouldn’t put me in the ideal condition to succeed at an interview the next day, but as a cash-strapped student, a pricey hotel was out of reach.

Our society requires more individuals like that woman.

Apparently, I appeared lost because a young woman noticed me wandering around the city and wondered whether I needed help. I shared the story of my accommodation crisis and right away she suggested I could crash on a spare mattress at her university residence at ANU – a perfect solution, considering that was where my interview was the following day. Generously, she also provided a meal: one of the stuffed baguettes she brought back her part-time job. I was able to use a hot shower and a protected spot to rest to sleep.

With hindsight, I now understand the enormous leap of faith she took as a young woman inviting a man she’d just met stay in her room. Back then I operated under a bubble of male privilege and was oblivious to the potential danger. As a dad now, I am astonished she took that chance – yet deeply appreciative.

Ultimately, I did not attending the Australian National University, and I never saw her again, yet her memory has stayed with me her amazing act of generosity. My sincere desire is that karma has repaid her act of kindness many times over. Our society requires more people like that woman.