By Melissa Davies
A 15-year-old boy has become a community hero in South Auckland for an act of honesty many might not have done themselves.
Kyrone Toko found a wallet with thousands of dollars inside. He immediately reunited the wallet with its distraught owner, who has now repaid Kyrone with a reward to change his life too.
Muni Naidu, the wallet's owner, knows luck in both extremes. Since a work accident last year he has needed extensive physiotherapy to walk again. His finances were so strained that he was surviving on food parcels until ACC compensation finally came through for him last Wednesday.
"I had $2500 dollars. That's a huge amount of money," he says.
He had an equally huge shock later that day when he realised the wallet had gone.
"I didn't know I'd dropped it," he says. "When the cops called me I was just crying and running to catch the train."
Fifteen year-old Kyrone had found the wallet lying in a carpark - as well as the $2500 there were also 16 unchecked Lotto tickets inside.
"I was feeling sad for the person who lost it," says Kyrone.
He and his young sister went straight to the police station.
"I was really proud of my brother bringing it here," says Chrisharna Toko-Moses.
Mr Naidu rewarded Kyrone's good deed with $50, some school books, and today - another surprise. Kyrone has walked with a limp since an accident two years ago, so Mr Naidu's physiotherapist has offered him free treatment.
"We want to invite [Kyrone] to come and spend some time with us to let us look and see what we can do in terms of rehabilitation, and work to help you just as you helped Muni," says Glenn Gallagher, physiotherapist.
Mr Naidu says he can never repay Kyrone enough.
"I would describe Kyrone as a hero - a hero for his honesty and I'm very proud, very proud."
They now share a priceless friendship.
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