Students set benchmark with memorial creation
After nearly a year of toil, woodworking students at Arran High School have completed work on two memorial benches and presented them to the patron of the project at a moving, but joyous, presentation.
The commission, by Graham Chappell of Brodick, was offered to the Arran High School’s woodworking class to design and create two benches in honour of his mother Jean, who passed away in 2016 and father, Peter, who passed away in 2017.
The solidly built and creatively designed benches were designed by the children themselves, with the inlaid features sourced by Graham, and all under the watchful eye of teacher, Steve Garraway.
The design features a quilt pattern – Jean’s major interest – and a real Canadian maple leaf encapsulated in acrylic which was sourced from Moira Lake, Ontario, where some of Graham’s parents’ ashes are scattered. The wood is Canadian Douglas fir.
The link to the inlaid leaf and the choice of wood is owing to the family having strong connections to Canada and it is also the reason behind a grand 10,000-mile journey undertaken by Graham last year.
Prior to scattering the ashes of his parents, Graham took his parents for one last Canadian road trip, driving the entire Trans Canada Highway, one of the longest roads in the world, from St John’s, Newfoundland, to Victoria, British Columbia, and back again, in 25 days. A book detailing the journey is due to be published in December this year. Speaking at the presentation attended by some of the students who helped to create the benches, Graham said: ‘The students at Arran High did an awesome job and a lot of thanks must also go to their teacher, Steve Garraway, for guiding them through the design and construction process. It has been such a pleasure to involve the school in the bench project and in the road trip last year.’
One of the benches will be situated outside Graham’s shop, Arran Graphics, near the busy start of the Goatfell walk and the other will be placed in his garden for quiet remembrance.