Jason

Before Jason can begin a physically demanding day working as a tree lopper in Sydney, he first has to get there from Mittagong.

When he cannot borrow a car, that means catching a bus and a train, followed by the same journey home at the end of the day. More than four hours of travel wrapped around a full day spent working outdoors.

Whatever it takes, Jason gets up and goes.

At home, his partner Caitlin and their one-year-old twin boys, Ryder and Theodore, are waiting for him. Four hours is a long commute by any measure, but its real cost can be found in the smaller moments. Leaving before the boys’ day has properly begun. Arriving home when there may be little time left before bed.

At one, Ryder and Theodore are changing quickly. The time Jason spends travelling is time with them he cannot get back.

When asked what keeps him going through the long days, his answer is immediate.

“Kids.”

Jason says he was not handed much growing up. That experience has shaped the way he approaches fatherhood and the life he wants to build for his sons. He believes in working for what you have and wants Ryder and Theodore to grow up seeing that example in him.

Finding a Way

Life with twins has brought plenty of joy, plenty of noise and very little predictability.

During their first few months, both boys experienced severe reflux. Jason and Caitlin spent long days and sleepless nights trying to understand why they were crying and how best to help them. The boys continue to require medical care, including appointments at Westmead.

More recently, Ryder and Theodore became seriously ill and spent close to a week in hospital. Jason and Caitlin stayed beside them while the practical demands of everyday life continued in the background.

Without a car of their own, even getting home for a shower or something to eat meant finding a vehicle they could borrow and working around when it needed to be returned.

The boys did not know transport was difficult. They simply needed their mum and dad beside them.

Jason and Caitlin found a way.

The family is currently living with Caitlin’s mother while saving towards a home of their own. When they need transport, they rely on her small Suzuki Swift, which she also needs for work and everyday life.

Fitting two child seats, a double pram and everything required for twin toddlers into a small car is not always possible. Sometimes the pram has to stay behind, turning something as simple as a family trip to the park into a carefully planned exercise.

Jason does not present any of this as extraordinary. His family needs him, so he keeps showing up.

What Others Could See

Through a personal connection, Helen, a member of the easyauto123 Blacktown team, came to understand Jason’s circumstances and saw a young father who worked hard, helped others and kept going, no matter how tiring or complicated life became.

She also knew that Jason was unlikely to ask for help himself and suspected that, if nominated for Cars for Good, he would probably insist somebody else needed the support more. For Helen, that was part of the reason he deserved to receive it.

Her nomination set in motion a surprise that would change daily life for Jason and his young family. When he arrived to meet the team, Jason believed he was simply taking part in another interview for the nomination process, with no idea what the team had waiting for him outside.

A Surprise Waiting
 

After the interview, easyauto123 Blacktown team members Helen and Louise walked Jason towards a Hyundai Tucson.

There was room for two child seats. Room for the double pram. Room for Jason’s work gear and everything a young family needs to take with them.

Then, on behalf of the easyauto123 Blacktown team, they told Jason the Tucson was his.

Jason began by taking in the practical details. Sitting behind the wheel, he noticed the space and the leather seats before the significance of the moment began to catch up with him.

“I don’t know what to say,” he admitted. “I’m not used to this.”

For someone accustomed to finding his own way through difficult situations, accepting that something had been done for him did not come easily.

But as he sat in the driver’s seat, the difference the Tucson would make began to become clear.

More Time Where It Matters

The Tucson will not remove every pressure facing Jason and Caitlin.

There will still be workdays, medical appointments, sleepless nights and the everyday demands of raising twin toddlers while saving for a home of their own.

What it does provide is independence.

Appointments at Westmead will no longer depend on finding a car to borrow. Family outings will not have to be planned around somebody else’s schedule. The double pram can come with them. Jason can carry his work equipment and still have room for his family.

Most importantly, it changes the long journey between Mittagong and Sydney.

Jason can leave home a little later and return a little earlier. After years of simply doing whatever was required, he has one less thing to work around and more time with the people behind everything he does.

Tomorrow, Jason will get up and go to work just as he always has, but when the day is finished, the road home will be shorter and Ryder and Theodore will have their dad back a little sooner.