By Chris Evans
I’ve mentioned how lucky I am to meet and speak to so many interesting people on my travels around the Didim area. A recent encounter highlighted this more than ever. Oz Cafe in Sagtur seems to be the base where wonderful conversations happen and new friends are made.
I’ve had an affinity with Norway since my first night at boarding school, where my roommate came from a Norwegian family. My concept of how friendly Norwegians are was confirmed with a four-hour random conversation at Sagtur beach recently. We covered a lot of topics with a huge amount of laughter.
One topic continually seemed to come up. Our mutual love of animals. It’s when a couple of my English friends stopped by and explained who this lovely woman was I was talking to and the amazing thing she’d done for Didim Animal Shelter.
Guri is incredibly humble about everything she does in life. She shrugged off what I was told with the words, “I don’t feel I do much.” The words of someone who truly does things for love and not praise.
Guri is the woman who gifted a new X-Ray machine to Didim Animal Shelter in memory of her husband and her stray street dog, Radar, who she looked after for many years.
Her story with the shelter started when the street dog was hit by a car. The journey to the nearest X-ray machine took two hours over bumpy roads with the dog crying in pain. It’s when she and her husband vowed to buy an X-ray machine for Didim Animal Shelter when they had funds. Guri stayed true to her word.
The connection was strengthened when the street dog became ill and spent three months in the shelter fighting its way back to full health. One can only imagine the emotions the day Radar came home.
It meant, when life offered the opportunity, Guri was always going to fulfil the vow she and her husband had made.
Many others have gifted the equipment required to use the X-ray machine safely. This is alongside the large amount of people who give their time to walk the dogs, clean the kennels, and gift items the shelter requires. Thanks to these efforts, and Guri’s generosity, Didim Animal Shelter now has a fully operational X-ray machine.
Guri’s life has been surrounded by people who love animals. It started with her cousin’s farm in Norway, which she used to cycle to after school almost every day as a child. That early love of animals has never disappeared. It has even led to her gifting medicines to the shelter as a birthday present to her niece. A whole family who loves animals.
As Guri says, “The real stars are the people who come during rain and shine to walk the dogs and clean the kennels. All I did was to give some money.” She is being very humble as she now looks after several street cats. Another dog has never come along to live in her street. I’m sure if one did, it would have a wonderful home.
The most amazing people we meet in life aren’t those who look for praise, but those who do things purely for the love and care they have. It’s a lesson we would all do well to remember.