One good turn deserves another

Snells Beach leatherworker Bob Simpson is thanking his lucky stars there are still honest people in the world.

After spending five months meticulously designing and hand crafting a leather music stool cover for his brother in Wellington, he accidentally left it on the roof of his car and drove off.

“I was leaving the Kowhai Art and Craft building at the showgrounds and must have been distracted,” he says. “It wasn’t until I got to The Grange that I realised what had happened.”

After searching unsuccessfully along the roadsides, he decided it was lost forever and set about the task of trying to make another one in time for a special celebration next month.

But three weeks later, one of Warkworth’s itinerant residents, Paul, walked into the clubrooms with the leatherwork in hand.

“He had found it in a flax bush along State Highway 1, not far from the clubhouse, and had put two-and-two together.

We’d actually met on a couple of occasions as he’d brought his dog Mr Nibbles in and asked if I could do some minor repairs to Mr Nibbles’ collar.

I guess when he saw the leather work, he perhaps remembered I was the guy.” Bob says he can’t thank Paul enough.

“A lot of time and thought went into the work and I am just so very grateful to have it back.”