Joy lies in remembering those bygone skills

At no time in history can the statement be made that certain events have always had the same meaning to all generations. Too many things have changed, certain matters are novelties, some have become outdated or obsolete. Nowadays a shiny new car might be any youngster’s topmost level of joy, whereas the possession of a 17-hand pitch-black stallion could have fulfilled the very same role in the pre-auto period of some 100 years ago.

By the same token handmade articles, before technology became more and more available, fall into the same category.

I stood amazed at my late father’s dexterity when, on a cold winter’s day, he was again tinkering in the garage. He had no scroll saws, no electric planer or fancy router. His hand-held rip and crosscut saws, his large unwieldy planer with the wooden body, one or two chisels that had seen better days, and a square with a wooden handle formed the dubious core of his woodcraft equipment.

Curiosity, characteristic of a lanky 13-year-old, led me to the garage where Dad was toiling away at his idea of a practical and efficient beehive. What caught and held my attention was how he succeeded in shaping the frames – that would eventually hold the honeycombs – out of rather thin and fragile strips of wood. The final product was indeed something to behold and pride and joy emanated from his countenance. He made me proud!

But the cherry on the cake was when he decided to fulfil my boyhood dream: he built an aviary from wood and chicken mesh in a corner formed by the garage and backyard storeroom to house small finches, quails, and the like. He constructed a drinking trough and bent a metal bar to house wild bush as nesting material. The gate displayed a handmade bolt shaped out of rustic metal.



Before long the first zebra finches (at 30c per pair) were obtained, followed by small doves, quails etc. Many happy hours were spent there in the following five years.
When this chick fled the nest, that aviary was still there and thinking about it brings back so many nostalgic memories.



Nickey van Zyl