DAD WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME

The trip in the char-a-banc to Torquay with Gwen seated next to the driver.
The trip in the char-a-banc to Torquay with Gwen seated next to the driver.

I am convinced that if my dad was alive today he would make his mark in the world. He always seemed to be ahead of his time.

On winter’s nights, he would take me into the yard and gaze up at the stars twinkling above. He would point upwards and say: “Look, that is the Great Bear, there is the Pole star, there is Mars, and see the moon? One day, my girl they will put a man on the moon.”

People scoffed, but nothing shook his belief. He would spend hours reading and studying the stars, instead of taking an interest in his shop.

A good carpenter, although self-taught, he made a smart little desk “for children’s little treasures”. He also made a matching
stool and took it and me to the photographers. The prints were sent to a Sunday newspaper. “Mother,” he said, “we’ll make a fortune when the orders come in from the advertisement.”

We waited eagerly for Sunday and scanned the paper. There it was in black and white for all to see. But alas, no orders came, not a single desk was sold!

So it was not surprising that when he mentioned his latest venture mother received the news with understandable reluctance. “This man,” he said, “needs a partner, so I have said I will go in with him. He renovates cars, has a paint shop, and is making a char-a-banc. He needs help with the hood and I think we can do it together.” In those days, hoods that were not permanently fixed had to be hauled up by hand while passengers huddled in the rain until it was secured.

Hours and hours they spent working on a system that would raise the hood when the driver pressed a button.

The shop was neglected when dad was off to talk “Hood”.

Little Gwen models the desk and stool her dad built that he hoped would be sold nationwide.
Little Gwen models the desk and stool her dad built that he hoped would be sold nationwide.

It soon became a dirty word in our house. “Don’t mention that!” exploded mother. Sometimes they nearly got it to work and dad would be all excitement: ‘You should just see it, marching along on its metal legs.”
Yet another day would bring: “We don’t seem to get it quite right.”

One day, in order to placate mother, dad announced he had bought a second-hand car, cheap off his partner!

“We are having it painted,” he said. “It will be ready on Sunday, so get out your best bib and tucker and we will go for a drive in the country.”

When dad went off to fetch the car, we waited in excited anticipation. We went outside and looked open-mouthed while mother took a deep breath and said icily: ‘You don’t expect us to go out in that, everyone will stare.”

We could understand her reaction. All cars then were painted black.

This car was a pristine white – and, to complete the picture, the mudguards were painted a bright purple!

“It’s like an advertisement,” Dad explained gently. “When people see it they will all want a pretty colour.”

Unconvinced and truly embarrassed, mother eventually gave in, and off we went.

We had a lovely ride round the lanes and, nearing home, came to cross-roads where a policeman was standing in the middle directing traffic. It moved smoothly as he waved it along, then he turned to call us on. The engine stalled.

Dad tried in vain to start it and, after a few embarrassing moments, the policeman grew impatient and turned to wave through the other row of traffic. Immediately our engine spurted into life and we waited for the policeman to call us on once more, but he ignored us for a while before deciding to give us another chance. The engine died on us once more and again we were unable to move.

Dad was getting rather red in the face and cursed softly under his breath. Mother threatened to get out while my sister and I were convulsed with laughter as cars behind us started to hoot.

The policeman gave a big sigh and decided to try again – so he waved us on as dad eventually coaxed the engine into life and we were able to proceed home.

It was along time before mother went in the car again!

Gwen Larkins

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DAD WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS TIME

The trip in the char-a-banc to Torquay with Gwen seated next to the driver.
The trip in the char-a-banc to Torquay with Gwen seated next to the driver.

I am convinced that if my dad was alive today he would make his mark in the world. He always seemed to be ahead of his time.

On winter’s nights, he would take me into the yard and gaze up at the stars twinkling above. He would point upwards and say: “Look, that is the Great Bear, there is the Pole star, there is Mars, and see the moon? One day, my girl they will put a man on the moon.”

People scoffed, but nothing shook his belief. He would spend hours reading and studying the stars, instead of taking an interest in his shop.

A good carpenter, although self-taught, he made a smart little desk “for children’s little treasures”. He also made a matching
stool and took it and me to the photographers. The prints were sent to a Sunday newspaper. “Mother,” he said, “we’ll make a fortune when the orders come in from the advertisement.”

We waited eagerly for Sunday and scanned the paper. There it was in black and white for all to see. But alas, no orders came, not a single desk was sold!

So it was not surprising that when he mentioned his latest venture mother received the news with understandable reluctance. “This man,” he said, “needs a partner, so I have said I will go in with him. He renovates cars, has a paint shop, and is making a char-a-banc. He needs help with the hood and I think we can do it together.” In those days, hoods that were not permanently fixed had to be hauled up by hand while passengers huddled in the rain until it was secured.

Hours and hours they spent working on a system that would raise the hood when the driver pressed a button.

The shop was neglected when dad was off to talk “Hood”.

Little Gwen models the desk and stool her dad built that he hoped would be sold nationwide.
Little Gwen models the desk and stool her dad built that he hoped would be sold nationwide.

It soon became a dirty word in our house. “Don’t mention that!” exploded mother. Sometimes they nearly got it to work and dad would be all excitement: ‘You should just see it, marching along on its metal legs.”
Yet another day would bring: “We don’t seem to get it quite right.”

One day, in order to placate mother, dad announced he had bought a second-hand car, cheap off his partner!

“We are having it painted,” he said. “It will be ready on Sunday, so get out your best bib and tucker and we will go for a drive in the country.”

When dad went off to fetch the car, we waited in excited anticipation. We went outside and looked open-mouthed while mother took a deep breath and said icily: ‘You don’t expect us to go out in that, everyone will stare.”

We could understand her reaction. All cars then were painted black.

This car was a pristine white – and, to complete the picture, the mudguards were painted a bright purple!

“It’s like an advertisement,” Dad explained gently. “When people see it they will all want a pretty colour.”

Unconvinced and truly embarrassed, mother eventually gave in, and off we went.

We had a lovely ride round the lanes and, nearing home, came to cross-roads where a policeman was standing in the middle directing traffic. It moved smoothly as he waved it along, then he turned to call us on. The engine stalled.

Dad tried in vain to start it and, after a few embarrassing moments, the policeman grew impatient and turned to wave through the other row of traffic. Immediately our engine spurted into life and we waited for the policeman to call us on once more, but he ignored us for a while before deciding to give us another chance. The engine died on us once more and again we were unable to move.

Dad was getting rather red in the face and cursed softly under his breath. Mother threatened to get out while my sister and I were convulsed with laughter as cars behind us started to hoot.

The policeman gave a big sigh and decided to try again – so he waved us on as dad eventually coaxed the engine into life and we were able to proceed home.

It was along time before mother went in the car again!

Gwen Larkins

More Stories

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