These things come in threes

I should have guessed that strange things would happen today when I saw a dog peeing against the corner of a building in Flinders Lane in the city this morning. I have never seen a dog do that in the CBD before. Mind you, I thought it was funny so I didn't expect to encounter anything horrible over the day.

I was on was on the number 5 tram to Malvern this late afternoon, making my way along Swanston Street from Carlton to Flinders Lane to use the City Library when I heard a public announcement asking for passengers (and tram staff) to look out for an elderly person aged about 93 wearing a tan coat and with two walking sticks - the police and tram authorities were looking for him as there were concerns for his health and safety, and I think he was a bit lost. I only really focussed my thoughts on the fact that the person making the announcement didn't clearly specify that it was a 93-year-old man they were looking for.

Now these things never happen to me, but just as I got off the tram outside the Town Hall on the corner of Collins and Swanston Streets I saw the man in question standing at the tram stop! I had a moment's doubt, but he fit the description. So I called the cops, as the announcement had requested. Meanwhile another person (from the same tram I was on) approached the man to check he was okay. While it took me ages to relay all the necessary information to 000, a Yarra Trams official had come across the road from the Collins St 'superstop' in response to some the Yarra Trams announcement as well. When I was sure the the woman from Yarra Trams was going to stay with the elderly gent, and the cops were on their way and didn't need me, and headed off to cross the road to come here to the City Library (where I'm posting this).

While waiting to cross Collins Street, I saw a terrible accident - a young woman seemed to be hit by a tram that was leaving the stop and making its way up the Collins Street hill. It all happened so fast, I can't say for sure what happened. I only know that there was a large knot of people standing in along the tram tracks waiting to cross the street, including some people carrying some large pieced of wood, and I heard a loud crack or whack, saw pieces of a broken signal light falling - presumably from the tram - and then I saw a young woman crumple sideways to the ground! She looked like she was in a great deal of pain and distress. The people crowded around her came to her help and supported her, and called 000 for an ambulance.

It was quiet distressing, but it seemed that there were enough people around to help her so I wasn't needed. I hope she is okay. And I hope that elderly gent made his way safely home with police help.