Singapore’s Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth and Transport, Baey Yam Keng, has shared a heartwarming Christmas experience from a recent family trip to France, after a stranger went out of her way to help return his lost wallet.
In a Facebook post, Baey said he had accidentally dropped his wallet while paying at a parking meter, only realising it was missing later while having dinner with his family at a nearby restaurant.
While waiting for their food, a woman approached him and asked if he was from Singapore and worked in the ministry. Baey initially thought she might have recognised him from her time living in Singapore.
It later emerged that the woman had lived in Singapore about a decade ago and had identified Baey after finding his wallet, which contained his name cards. She had already handed the wallet to a nearby police station but decided to search the car park in hopes of finding its owner.
“She must have looked through the restaurant windows, spotted my Singaporean-looking family and decided to try her luck,” Baey wrote.
Describing the incident as “more my lucky day”, Baey said the woman then offered to accompany him to the police station to retrieve the wallet. Although the station had closed for the day, a police officer reopened the premises to assist them.
Baey added that the officer had attempted to contact him by calling the number on his name card and even left a message, as it was already past midnight in Singapore. The officer had also tried reaching him via Messenger.
Reflecting on the encounter, Baey said such acts of kindness often leave the strongest impressions while travelling.
He thanked the individuals involved for their generosity, writing: “Many thanks to Gabriella and Maxence for making my trip to France so special. And Merry Christmas!”
