the mechanic

When my dad was a boy he taught himself the basics of mechanics by fixing and overhauling lawnmower engines (Petrol lawnmowers). When he was in his young adulthood, he did his apprenticeship as an auto mechanic at Volvo in East London. They set high standards and he was the top of his class. From there he went and did his national service, and worked on the Bedford convoys which travelled long distance across the country. If a truck broke down on the road, the mechanics had to fix it. He worked for a while at a Radar station of the air force near Mafikeng, when I was born. He was a mechanic all his life and worked for Atlas, the Air Force and in his last years in the private sector as a foreman for Toyota. He was a mechanic of the old school and referred to the mechanics of later years as ‘new part fitters’. He was a real auto mechanic and could fix cars, and car parts, not necessarily just change the spares. He was a man that really knew the trade…