Australia Diary is a weekly collection of reader stories reflecting Australia’s unique character. Share yours with us. For more information, see our first installment.

Melbourne

Tied Together

By Krystal Ha

Recently, I was on a morning peak hour train in Melbourne, and there was a tall, middle-aged woman sitting down on one of the disabled seats, with a young man in front of her standing up (they didn’t know each other).

After some pointed observation, the woman spoke to the man — asking permission, I suppose. She leaned down and tied the laces on the man’s brogues, as he looked on, smiling.

I was laughing to myself. It was such a motherly thing to do.

Sydney

My Sweet Goodbye

By Evelyn Yang