My dad wasn’t one for long, meaningful conversations—his way of speaking was definitely through actions and tasks. This was demonstrated in the time he spent with us and the many projects we worked on together.
Recently, I started listing all the things we did together, and the list just kept growing. When I mentioned this to friends, many were very surprised and few had experienced that level of time with a parent. Looking back, it’s astonishing how much we did together; it’s a wonder he had any time left for himself.
One example that stands out from my childhood is the model train set we built together. We designed a layout that ran all around my bedroom, complete with electrically operated points. I remember him carefully wiring each one—15 to 20 points, each with three wires taking these back to a board and wiring the board to enable control. It was a huge task. We also built model buildings from cardboard kits, crafted trees from wire and string, and glued model grass to the board. This was in evenings after he had carried out a full day’s work.
From around the age of nine until I began working at eighteen, we spent a lot of weekends immersed in building projects. During those years, he taught me countless practical skills—mainly carpentry, but also plumbing, electrical work, and tiling. I look back on that time with deep fondness.
Years later, in the late '90s, we had the opportunity to work together again. A colleague and I suggested to our boss that we bring my dad out of retirement to serve as the Developer’s customer care manager. He embraced the role wholeheartedly and helped countless people settle into their new homes.
He taught me so much—some lessons obvious, others more subtle. I just want to say thank you, Dad. I hope I’ve given my own children the same time, care, and dedication that you gave to me.
Terry
18/12/2025
