quality

One Christmas when I was boy, my father and I went to a shop called ‘Van Aswegens’ to buy me a present. It was a popular retailer in those days, and was situated in the centre of town. I chose a plastic submarine, which was battery operated, and that could go underwater. It was a gadgety thing, and I was pleased with it. After Christmas I played in the pool with it, but my father, seeing me play with it, said it was a piece of junk (Made in Hong Kong) and that it wouldn’t last long. He made me go back to the shop where we bought it, and had me exchange it for a Dinky Toy. A solid little truck, green in colour, and with no batteries or gadgets. This, he said, was quality, and would last me much longer. He was right…