In his letter to MP Paul Gibson, Richard Van Bueren of Doonside reported that he suffered injuries while riding a bus from Blacktown on his way home to Doonside. He sent a copy of the letter to Philippine Tribune.
According to him, the bus was full and he was standing behind the driver waiting for his ticket to be issued.
In standing position, Van Bueren was still finding a place for his trolley when the driver suddenly drove off, causing him to lose his balance. He was thrown to one side and his head hit the metal post behind the driver. The injury made him dizzy and caused his vision to be blurry. He eventually reported the incident to Senior Constable Michelotti of Blacktown Police who in turn directed him to establish contact with the Bus Depot. Van Bueren was later treated for head and eye injuries at Pacific Medical Centre in Kildare Road, Blacktown.
In a subsequent incident with the same bus driver whom he identified only as “Graham,” Mr. Van Bueren reported that the driver got off his bus to chase him. The driver reportedly held his arm, calling him a “Wog.”
MP Paul Gibson endorsed Van Bueren’s case to the Minister of Transport John Watkins. As of press time, a reply has not yet been received.
Maurice Hogan, Operations Manager of Busways Blacktown Pty Ltd wrote that the management has reviewed the CCTV and have interviewed the driver of bus number 721. Van Bueren was instructed to make a written claim addressed to the bus company in Glendenning.
He has also written to Solicitor Jess Diaz but as of press time, he is still waiting for some action from the Filipino lawyer.
Van Bueren is popularly known among the Filipino community as “Brother Richard” of Rosa Mystica. He has declared himself as half-Filipino.
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