Toy hero: Anonymous man pays off $12,500 worth of lay-bys at Bunbury Toy World

The spirit of Christmas is alive and well in Bunbury, with Toy World business owners revealing an anonymous Bunbury man has paid off the entire waiting list of lay-bys, gifting thousands of dollars in presents. The total amount of lay-bys bought is $12,500 The two owners of the store, brothers Rick and Harvey Baker, said the lay-by purchase could not have come at a better time, with the cost-of-living crisis making buying toys harder this holidays. “It’s been huge because this has been a tough year for everybody,” Mr Baker said. “With the uncertainties of everything and interest rates, it’s definitely slowed the economy down, and I just think people haven’t got the money to come out and buy what they were buying for Christmas.” The shop owners said the response from the public has been overwhelming, with many families not knowing their lay-bys had been paid off until they went in to collect their purchases. “We’ve just been waiting for them to come though, we wanted to keep it a surprise,” Mr Baker said. “We wanted to see their reaction, it’s been unbelievable. “We’ve had tears.” This is not the first time this has happened, with another benefactor paying the company’s lay-bys in 2021. The owners of the business have been tight-lipped on who the Secret Santa is, but have assured this year’s donations come from a different person than the one two years ago. “He’s a local businessman, supporting local business,” they said. “That’s one of the best parts, he’s supporting local business, he hasn’t just gone in and paid off the lay-bys at Big W.” Mother of three Rhiannon Williams was shocked when she went in to pick up her $1100 purchase. She’s been saving for three years to get her eldest son something he’s been wanting for ages: a Lego model of the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. “I was super dooper surprised when they told me someone had paid it off, I said “are you kidding me?” Ms Williams said. The present for her oldest son is extra special, Ms Williams said, as Lego is something very important to him. “He’s autistic and type-one diabetic and Lego is something he’s really into, it’s so hard to find things to keep him interested.” “I’m so profoundly thankful, words can’t express how much this means to me and my family.”