He attended a wedding on Saturday, and after the ceremony headed in the direction of Orange Ex-Services’ Club for the reception.

He was walking out of the Orange Central Square Shopping Centre carpark when he took a tumble.

While “the loss of dignity was horrifying”, the man, who wishes to remain anonymous, was delighted to find offers of assistance flooding in from all directions.

“Within seconds there were six or eight people there to help me,” he said.

One of the good samaritans, a registered nurse, took them man’s arm and tried to surreptitiously check his pulse.

“Tell me how you really are,” she asked with equal parts suspicion and concern.

Happily, the man was in fine health, afflicted only by a sizable case of gratitude for living in such a caring community.

“I’ve seen people fall over in Sydney and they’ll walk over them,” he said.

“Out here, the town’s still with you.”