BACK TO EARTH
Like many men of his generation, my great-grandfather was a fixer, in an era when every home had a shed and people had the time to tinker. His little workshop was at the top of a steep suburban Sydney backyard, near the chooks and a cluster of fruit trees. It was a bit of a climb for Grandma, so he rigged up a little bell-pull system so she could summon him down for tea or to the phone.
The house had ticking clocks in every room, from the deep-chiming grandfather clock in the hallway to one on each mantelpiece, and there was always one in a state of repair on his workbench. Grandpa, an electrician, fixed everything for everyone. He made a bright red double dinky so my grandmother could tow my mum and her siblings to school. And the amazing marble game he made when I was a child is now delighting a new generation.
Sarah Pickette’s story, page 60, about a new wave of fixers, is a feelgood piece in every way. It will no doubt prompt memories of the tinkerers and makers in your own life – hopefully present tense rather than past. Aside from being thrifty and just plain useful, the kindness and goodwill wrapped up in mending and making for others is just what the world needs more of right now.
There has been much discussion around waste these past few weeks, prompting plenty of nostalgic chat about the pre-plastic days of string bags and other good household practices that have since been overturned. Meanwhile, as governments dither and power bills continue to rise, thousands of Australians – including one former South Australian environment minister (see page 96) – are taking matters into their own hands and installing solar-storage systems in homes country-wide. Looks very much like a new era of self-reliance to me.
A good vegie patch is an easy and satisfying step in this direction and there are several stories this month about productive gardens that are sustaining families and wider communities. Like the garden of Mary Loucas, page 113, my great-grandparents’ patch, while far smaller, had a bit of everything, a fruit tree of every variety guaranteeing an in-season treat whenever we visited.
Happily, remnant fruit trees, generally lemons, have survived inter-generational change and remain standing in even the most built-up suburbs in every state of Australia. If you have one in your backyard, treasure it. And if you don’t, it might be time to plant one.