Justin Quill: ‘Trolley Man’ has taught us all a lesson in caring

Trolley Man might not have been a big help during the terror attack in Bourke St but he put others before himself, and we can all learn from that, writes Justin Quill.

It’s hard to see any good in the events that took place in Bourke St last Friday. It seems tragic in every sense.

Think of the man who died, Sisto Malaspina, and his family — including his wider “family”, which appears to be much of Melbourne, based on the enormous sorrow over his loss.

Think of the other, slightly more fortunate, victims. They will be forced to carry forever the scars — physical and emotional — of terrorist Hassan Khalif Shire Ali’s attack.

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That includes the brave police officers — especially the officer who was out of the academy only five months and found himself in the position where he had to shoot Ali to protect his own and others’ lives. He will always carry the mental anguish of those few dreadful moments.

Watching those officers fight off Ali reminded me of the often thankless job our police do. At the races at Flemington the following day, I stopped a couple of officers and thanked them for all they do for us.

There was so much evil and anguish caused by Ali’s disgusting attack. But, as well as the action of the police, amid it all I saw another glimmer of good.

‘Trolley Man’ Michael Rogers. Picture: Nicki Connolly

And it came in an unlikely form. The man who has become widely know as Trolley Man, Michael Rogers, epitomised much that is good about people.

But before you shout “he got in the way”, hear me out. I think that with the other civilians who tried to help, Trolley Man was a shining light of hope for society and how we interact with each other.

Where one person — Ali — was demonstrating all that is bad about humans, Rogers was putting his life at risk to help police officers try to subdue Ali.

Sure, Trolley Man was a bit awkward and bumbly. Some have argued that he didn’t really help at all. Others looked at what could have happened if he’d got in the way more.

In fact, within hours, my colleagues and I were in heated debate about whether Trolley Man had been a help or a hindrance. That debate has gone on all week in workplaces around Melbourne.

Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton even gave an assessment that was a little critical of Trolley Man.

He said: “I don’t like to criticise people in that situation, he’s acting instinctively about what he’s looking at in front of him.

“If a trolley had hit a police member and knocked him over and then this offender got on top of him, we could have had a tragic consequence.”

Ashton warned people in similar circumstances to leave it to police if they’re around. I get that and I don’t necessarily disagree with it.

I don’t care whether he was a help or no help at all. What I do care about is that this bloke put himself second and others first. Picture: Twitter

I also understand those people who think Trolley Man didn’t help much. But that’s not the point. Or at least, it’s not my point.

I don’t care whether he was a help or no help at all. What I do care about is that this bloke put himself second and others first. If that happened more in Melbourne, we would be better off for it. It’s that simple.

I’m sure even those who think Trolley Man was in the way don’t doubt his desire to help. And that’s what I’d like to bottle and distribute among Melburnians.

It came out later that Rogers is homeless and has spent much of his life in jail. But I don’t think that takes away one bit from what he did last Friday.

And many people agreed. More than $136,000 was raised for Rogers. Is that over the top? Maybe. Unnecessary? Probably.

But it is another example of people trying to do the right thing, the decent thing. And again, that’s something to laud, not bag. It might not be particularly logical but who cares? It’s some good in a world that has a great deal of bad, as Ali’s actions last Friday clearly demonstrated.

Watching those officers fight off Ali reminded me of the often thankless job our police do.

THAT is the critical point here. Ali wanted to spread his hate and make us worse for it. He wanted to divide us.

Yes, he managed to inflict much pain. But he still failed dismally because he gave those there last Friday the opportunity to demonstrate that his hateful message — the message of all terrorists — won’t work. We won’t abandon our way of life and our values.

Trolley Man, irrespective of his usefulness, proved that.

So to those discussing Trolley Man’s usefulness: don’t bother. Focus on the good he was trying to do.

And to any would-be terrorists out there, know this. You can’t win. Not only will our intelligence agencies most likely catch you before you are able to do anything, but even if you are able to attack, bomb, stab or maim us, it will only bring us closer together.

Throughout history, people have bonded against a common enemy. So every time you attack us, we remain solid and become stronger. It has the opposite effect to what you want. Hate will always lose to love.

And in his awkward, bumbly, perhaps even not-so-helpful way, Trolley Man has proved that.

Justin Quill is a media lawyer who acts for the Herald Sun

@JustinQuill