A stranger’s act of kindness saves young tennis dream

When a young boy lost his savings for a new tennis racket, a stranger’s kindness turned his dream around.

Dad Kutz Ali, son Rykin and Constable Liam Knox.

When a 10-year-old boy lost his wallet, which contained months of savings for a new tennis racket, during a day out with friends, it seemed his dream of playing on the court might slip away.

Rykin had been diligently saving birthday and Christmas money, hoping to replace his cracked racket, but when he realised his wallet was missing, his father, Kutz Ali, said his son was devastated.

“He was like, ‘That’s a lot of money, Dad,’” he said.

“We were preparing for a really hard lesson for him … he was going to have to learn the hard way.”

Constable Liam Knox from Smithfield Police station gave the aspiring tennis player an inside look of a police car. Picture: Tim Little

Rykin had spent months saving for the new racket, which he believed would help him improve his game.

“I was saving up for a new tennis racquet, my favourite player is Alex de Minaur,” he said.

Echoing his son’s passion for the sport, Mr Ali said: “Tennis is his life. It means the world to him.”

“He wanted a new racket to get better, to keep improving. It wasn’t just about the gear, it was about the dream.”

A good Samaritan found the wallet at a local cinema and dropped into the police station. Picture: Tim Little.

As distressed as Rykin was, his father said the boy eventually resigned himself to the loss.

But the story took an unexpected turn when a stranger handed the lost wallet into local law enforcement at Smithfield Police Station.

The Cairns Post put a call out on their Facebook page to assist police with locating the owner of the wallet.

Within five minutes a friend of the Ali family saw the post and tagged the rightful owners, the Ali family reached out to Smithfield Police immediately.

Mr Ali said the moment his son found out was unforgettable.

“His face lit up. He had resigned himself to the fact that it was gone, but to hear that there were kind people out there, it was priceless,” he said.

What began as a distressing life lesson for Rykin quickly transformed into a story of “hope and belief in humanity,” according to his father.

Constable Liam Knox said “It always feels good to get something back.” Picture: Tim Little.

“It speaks volumes to me … the amount of kindness they showed speaks volumes,” Mr Ali said.

“The lesson Rykin learned about kindness and compassion is bigger than they think.”

The Ali family is deeply grateful to the person who handed the wallet in and hopes they know just how much their kindness means.

“With everything going on in the world, this shows that kindness can still shine through,” Mr Ali said.

“It’s a powerful thing.”

Originally published as A stranger’s act of kindness saves young tennis dream