18-month-old Oscar and five-year-old Nixon Dranguet with their teddy bear. Photo: Supplied
If you go out for a walk today in Te Awamutu, you’re in for a big surprise.
Dozens of residents have joined a worldwide movement to bring “a ray of hope in a very difficult time.”
Te Awamutu’s Vicki Dranguet posted on the Grapevine on Monday about how people around the world had started putting teddy bears in their windows so families with “little ones” in isolation, or lock down, can go for a walk – or hop in their car on the way to the supermarket – and go on a bear hunt around town.
“We will be popping a bear in our front window, would anyone else like to join?,” Vicki posted.
And they have – dozens of others around town responded saying they would do the same, and as today’s News went to print the post had nearly 400 likes and more than 100 comments.
More than 130 others had shared the post on their pages to spread the word.
Vicki, a supportive care nurse at the Waikato Bay of Plenty Division of the Cancer Society of New Zealand, has three young children, 12-week-old Madeleine, 18-month-old Oscar and Nixon (5).
Her husband Julius is a volunteer firefighter with the Te Awamutu Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Vicki told the News she was simply looking for ways to entertain the kids during lock down when she came across the teddy bear concept online.
“I was just looking for a way to bring some positivity, and I’ll need to keep the kids entertained,” she said of her post.
“And I thought this was just so cute.”
Her sentiments have well and truly been echoed.
In amongst a myriad shots from other Te Awamutu residents who had put their own bears in their windows too, a quick snapshot of the comments on the post included Sally Tabram saying, “That’s perhaps one of the cutest things I have seen in a long, long time.”
“What a great idea,” Alex Ashmore commented. “I will definitely be putting one in the window.”
“Our house is away from the road but I might tie one on the mailbox,” Claire Thompson added.
Angela Hill said she knew her kids would have fun.
“I will tell my kids! They will love filling our roadside windows sills with their soft toys.”
Vicki said she couldn’t believe how positive the response to her post had been, adding that it just proved how special a place Te Awamutu was to live.
“It really just shows that our community loves our community,” she said.
