31/08/2026
A Father, A Sharpener
On Sunday night, after two very busy days at the NSW Cutter Expo, I flew home from Sydney.
It was after 11 pm when I arrived. The kids were already asleep.
On the table, I saw a few little gifts my son Johny had bought for me at his school's Father's Day Market.
And immediately, I thought about a father I had met at the expo.
He looked to be in his sixties.
On Sunday morning, he came to our stand and spent some time looking at one of our sharpeners β a diamond sharpening stone on one side, with a leather strop on the back.
He asked about the materials, how it worked and the price, but he didn't buy it.
Later, just before leaving the expo, he came back.
He told me:
"I've walked around the whole expo, and this is the most creative and best-quality tool I've seen here. I've decided to buy one."
Of course, I was very happy to hear that.
But then he told me something I remember even more clearly.
With a big smile, he said:
"I've finally found the gift I was looking for."
The sharpener wasn't for himself.
It was going to be a Christmas present for his son.
I laughed and said, "But Father's Day is next week. Your son should be preparing a gift for you!"
He laughed too and told me his son was going to cook for him on Father's Day, and the family would have a meal together.
It was a very simple conversation.
But I still remember how happy he looked when he left with that gift for his son.
Then I came home to Brisbane and saw the Father's Day gifts Johny had chosen for me.
And somehow, the two moments connected.
A father choosing a Christmas gift for his son.
A son choosing a Father's Day gift for his father.
At the expo, I thought I had simply sold a sharpener.
When I got home, I realised it was maybe a little more than that.
We go to trade shows to show products, meet customers and do business. But sometimes, the thing you remember most isn't the biggest order.
For me, it was a father whose name I don't even remember β and the sharpener he bought for his son.
I hope his son loves his Christmas present.
And I hope this Father's Day, that father enjoys the meal his son is going to cook for him.
Happy Father's Day to all the dads. β€οΈ