A nuts and bolts narrative

N. Andrew McPherson wanted to know if anyone remembered Meccano (C8). The short answer is: yes, multitudes, including Peter Craig of Dulwich Hill who says, “For decades my wife and I had the Meccano set which had belonged to her uncle John as a child. He had given it to us when our son, now 44, was a baby. I then passed it on to John’s great-grandson. The set is at least a century old.”

And it’s still popular, according to Peter Stuart of Carlingford, who points out there are 56 members of the Meccano Modellers Association Sydney Inc. “We held our annual exhibition recently, at which there were well over 100 models ranging from small cars to large steam engines, bridges and cranes, one of which is 2.4 metres high.”

“I don’t think my husband ever recovered from losing his Meccano set,” empathises Nola Tucker of Kiama. “While he was away for work, his mother cleaned his room and gave away his set to a friend’s son. He was still brooding about the infamy years later.” Like Granny, no doubt she’d stepped on the odd piece.

“Something’s seriously wrong with Australia,” reckons David Rose of Nollamara (WA). “Our supermarkets no longer sell rolls of our childhood staple: wax paper. We’re being coerced to wrap our sandwiches in plastic film. My supplies have to be obtained over the internet and are made in America. A dire situation.”

Bookworms across the pond play the fame name game (C8) for keeps. Peter B. Buckley of New Ulm, Minnesota, USA, says: “My wife Susan and I are sometimes mistaken for husband-and-wife authors Peter and Susan Buckley, particularly if we’re browsing used bookstores. They are known for writing Ernest and Eating with Peter respectively. While we try to correct the misunderstanding, sometimes the inquirer can’t believe it and insists on a selfie with one or both of us, holding the book(s). I even had to autograph a copy just to make a person go away, as he was so enamoured with the book.”

“One of my namesakes portrayed the Wicked Witch of the West in the original Wizard of Oz movie, while another was the chief scientist who wrote the flight software for the Apollo 11 moon shot,” says Margaret Hamilton of North Sydney. “The latter’s system saved the mission when things went pear-shaped during the lunar landing. I don’t think her contribution rated a mention.”

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