When I was a student, I had occasion to read Robert M. Pirsig’s fictionalised autobiography, ‘Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’. In it, the author describes in detail an incident that occurred when the chain guard of his Honda motorcycle broke while he was riding in the middle of nowhere. Forced to stop and seek repairs in a small and remote town, and finding only one mechanic there, the author seriously doubts that this unlikely mechanic could perform the repair. The author is proved wrong, however. With uncommon ability, the mechanic — who turns out to be an immensely skilled craftsman — effects a seamless and high-quality repair to the author’s chain guard.

Why am I telling you all this? Well, when I discovered that the jungle gym in the main playground was in need of repair, I went on the hunt for a company that could do it not only at a reasonable cost but also with great care and quality. After all, the safety of the children on the jungle gym is paramount. Since none I approached fitted the bill, I asked my brother-in-law, Mac, if he wouldn’t mind seeing if he could do the repair. Mac is a fine and excellent carpenter but I was worried that ‘bolting poles together’ was not quite the carpentry he would be willing to do.

Boy, was I proved wrong. Mac has effected a seamless and professional repair to the jungle gym, way beyond expectation. Like the unlikely mechanic in Pirsig’s story, Mac is an immensely skilled craftsman with an uncommon ability and he has done a truly great job of repairing our jungle gym.

So, on behalf of the school, its parents, teachers and children, I thank you most sincerely, Mac, for a job exceedingly well done.