A LITTLE OLD WOMAN And THEIR PACKAGING SERVICE

Once upon a time, the daughter of a little old man and a little old woman, summoned their help. She had commissioned the printing of hoardings displaying the prices of goods to be sold in their cafe. The boards had finally been printed and were ready for dispatch to a distant point of the NT. They would be sent by weekly barge service.

The daughter was reassured that everything would be done by the printer to ensure the boards were delivered to their far distant destination in good order. They were important for advertising purposes and cost several hundred dollars to produce.

Notwithstanding reassurances offered, the daughter had a premonition that all might not be right. So she asked her parents to visit the printer, arranging to receive the boards if this was necessary.

Upon arriving at the printers, the little old man discovered the boards to be ‘bare’. They were not wrapped. The little old man thought that intervention might be wise. Dispatching the three bare boards without wrapping seemed an unwise option – but not one seemingly apparent to the most prominent printers in Darwin.

The little old man and woman took the boards home in their car. The boards were SO BIG that it took some imagination to manoeuvre them into the vehicle. Once home, the couriers cleared their table and took the boards upstairs to rest on its timber surface. They were ever so glad their table was large.

The two looked at the boards and felt a little daunted. How to prepare these fragile statements for a journey of hundreds of kilometres across rough seas on a shipping barge. (Shipping was the only option because the boards exceeded maximum size for posting).

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. They set about the task.

Bubble wrap was the first order of the day. Metres and metres and square metres of plastic bubbles enveloped the boards and were held in place by unbelievable metres of tape.

Whew! After all that, they needed a long spell and an overnight rest.

Next day, it was up and at it again. The barge to Gove was accepting freight the next day, in readiness for sailing the day after.

But first, a trip to Bunnings to buy plywood timber, that needed trimming to almost the exact size of the menu boards. Trimmed, then home to Leanyer to await their usage.

The table was laid with a cloth (a chair cover), in readiness for the reception of the plywood protection.

What followed was hard work. It took some doing for the daughters parents, no longer as supple and dexterous as ‘once upon a time’, to enclose the boards into their protective casing. But it was done. And done to a ‘T’. The package (to date) was gigantic but neat, secured by metres of tape.

Surely this handiwork was worth admiring.

But there was more to be done. That package (with the boards expertly anchored by tape to the backing ply) was still someway from being a complete work.

There was a need for brown paper. Lots of brown paper. The package was wrapped and taped with one paper skin, then wrapped and taped with a second paper sheath.

Now, the package was really secure. It looked as if it would withstand its journey to Gove.

Looking at the package, the little old man and the little old woman spoke with each other.

“Label time”.

Not being given to neat writing, the little old man deferred to his wife’s more professional calligraphic skills. And shortly thereafter, the package was clearly addressed and readied to go.

Job done. Into the car and out to the barge for ‘tomorrow’s shipping’.

The last news is the best news. The boards have arrived and been fastened into place on a wall of the Peninsular Bakery and Cafe.

Yes, Yes, YES!

The boards are up and are selling their message.