Dhaima Brookes (left) collects her reward from Craig Morrison, managing director of Guardsman Armoured Limited, for handing over $1 million to the Waterford Police Station in Portmore, St Catherine. Guardsman Group Managing Director Valerie Juggan-Brown looks on. The presentation took place at the Guardsman head office in Kingston yesterday. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

"You are one in a million!" Such was the adoration bestowed on Dhaima Brookes by Valerie Juggan-Brown, group managing director of Guardsman Limited, when Brookes stepped into the security firm's offices in St Andrew yesterday.

Brookes had been invited to the Guardsman offices to collect a reward for finding and returning $1 million inadvertently left at an ATM in the Portmore Mall, St Catherine.

"Others would not do what you did and for that we are truly thankful," said Guardsman Armoured Managing Director Craig Morrison as he made the presentation to Brookes.

Bashful

Overwhelmed by the token of appreciation offered to her by the security firm for her act of goodwill, Brookes was bashful as she accepted a cheque for an undisclosed sum of money.

Throughout the banter, Juggan-Brown and Morrison discussed the many security measures in place which would have tracked down Brookes had she made a different decision. She was adamant that even if she could not have been caught, her choice would have been the same.

Brookes told Juggan-Brown that her conscience would not be clear had she listened to the naysayers.

"A lot of people have been negative," she said. "But they couldn't tell me what to do because if I had taken the money, I couldn't sleep at night."

Honesty has brought even more rewards as several corporate entities have contacted The Gleaner to get in touch with Brookes to praise her with gifts for her integrity.

After finding the cash at the ATM on Sunday, Brookes handed the find over to the Waterford police in Portmore with the assistance of Michelle Lewis, a policewoman attached to the Elletson Road Police Station in Kingston.