The shocking photo of a homeless man sleeping on the grass meters from one of the most famous places in Australia divides the Internet
- Camper caught sleeping in popular Sydney park
- The handyman chose not to disturb the ‘happy camper’
A powerful photo of a homeless person sleeping rough in a park meters from Sydney Harbor has divided the internet.
A passerby came across the extraordinary scene where the maintenance staff decided not to disturb the lone camper lying on the grass, instead mowing the grass around him.
“Instead of disturbing the happy camper, they mowed the grass a safe distance away,” the witness said.
The photo, which was taken at First Fleet Park, sparked a furious debate over whether the maintenance staff were lazy or courteous.
The photo shows a lone camper sleeping on the partially cut grass at First Fleet Park.
Debate broke out online as to whether the maintenance staff had done the right thing by leaving the caravan alone.
“Rather than risk interacting with a homeless person, the minimum wage groundskeeper avoided the situation,” one person wrote.
Another added: “Remember, this is a council worker, nothing to do with being nice and everything to do with not having to deal with him.”
A third believed that the handyman was lazy and should have woken the camper to complete the job.
“As someone who mows to the side I would have mowed up to here, I stopped my mower and politely asked the person if they would mind moving while I mowed below them, it would only take 15 minutes and help them out.” move and move’, they wrote
Online debate raged over whether the maintenance staff were right to leave the caravan alone.
Others praised the maintenance staff for the state of the park, as well as their courtesy.
“I’m 99% sure if you asked nicely and gave the person the same respect you want in return, they wouldn’t mind moving out for 15 minutes.”
Others praised the maintenance workers for not disturbing the camper and the state of the park.
‘The lawn mower has spent hundreds if not thousands of hours mowing the lawn while the ‘upper class’ look down on them. They would never look down on anyone, not even this happy camper,” one commented.
A third wrote: ‘How nice that grass looks. It makes me want to put my booty down.
Some were captured by the powerful photo.
“That’s not something anyone should forget,” wrote one.
Hundreds of rough sleepers take refuge on the streets of Sydney’s central business district each night (file image)
Some pointed to the author who uploaded the photo.
“Sounds like the spin a politician would put on a homeless problem, no, no, they’re happy campers, not homeless,” one person commented.
Another added: ‘1000 percent agree. The biggest problem is lost in ‘compassion’.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Sydney City Council for comment, which redirected inquiries to Place Management NSW, which manages the historic precinct.
A city of Sydney street count conducted last year shows 225 people sleeping rough in one night, a 17 percent drop from the previous 12 months and a 48 percent harvest in five years.