Surviving ‘The Crusher’

I admire anyone who can recycle materials into something useful or artistic.

Peter’s father constructed this crusher, after he discovered an outcrop of rock at

Milton suitable for road base. Arnold scrounged anything he could find to

assemble his masterpiece.

Peter inherited his mechanical creativity. Every time he wanders into my garage,

I do my best to offload any items of junk. Peter stands and I see the wheels

turning in his mind. I wait for the verdict. “Yep, I’ll take that,” or “Nah, can’t see a

use for it.”

The story that surrounds ‘the crusher’ nearly destroyed Arnold - a trauma from

which he never recovered. The impact on his family left an indelible mark.

However, I suspect the suffering Peter and the family endured was recycled into

the remarkable achievements they accomplished.