I have a silver fob watch, that my grandfather bought for my grandmothers 18th birthday before he ventured out to Australia from England in 1912 to start a new life here. He became a farmer in Gilgandra, and went into a ballot for 1000 acres in Neilrex area, and won the ballot, so asked my grandmother to come out, to be married and start a new life in Australia. My grandfather met my grandmother off a ship in Sydney Cove, as it was in those days in 1914, and took her 300 miles by horse and dray to a cabin he erected on his acreage to start a new life together. This Fob watch was given to me after the death of my grandparents, and over the years it had lost bits and pieces out of it, but I treasured it so much,and I tried desperately to get a new movement in it every where I went. Every Antique Shop, every Jewellery shop I passed, until one day at Armidale, a lady asked me had I tried Sandy McKinnon in Tamworth. We ventured in to Tamworth, and Sandy said he would try and find a watch out of his many discarded watches and time pieces that would fit in it and work. Sandy had my watch for about 6 months, then one day a phone call at home (Port Maquarie) had us excitedly travelling to Tamworth to inspect my fobwatch. Sandy had found an old watch that fitted perfectly, it is a wind up job, must be wound everyday, and I wear it proudly on a heavy chain around my neck, mostly in winter time, it is my most favored piece of jewellery, and I so appreciate Sandy's effort for bringing it back to life for me, in memory of my dear Grandparents, I dont think there would be many other Jewellers who would put in the effort to do this for a customer.
Thanks Sandy, Mary Sharman