Channelling His Inner MacGyver

Back in the 1980s, MacGyver was a staple on television. As a scientist and government operative, our hero always carried a Swiss Army knife and a roll of duct tape, along with other essentials such as chewing gum, paper clips, an ID card, a watch, matches and a flashlight. Personally, if I'd been MacGyver and had to deal with bad guys on a day-to-day basis, I would have preferred a bazooka in my back pocket.

However, MacGyver only used weapons if absolutely necessary, had a sensitive side and sported a classic mullet haircut. Definitely, a must-have fashion accessory. He usually drove a Jeep which contained his toolbox - obviously a treasure chest full of useful gadgets which would come in handy whilst defending himself.

Jokes have flown around for decades that MacGyver could always improvise to make some sort of device to thwart the latest villain. As being like MacGyver means one uses the materials on hand to design an outlandish albeit simple solution for a vexing problem at hand.

Today, Michael had to channel his inner MacGyver. The leaking plastic gizmo that had lead to the loss of all our water from our storage tanks had to be fixed. Having a state-of-the-art caravan and not being able to turn on a tap and fill a kettle with water for a cup of tea was not on our agenda. Instead, Michael retrieved all four of his tool bags from various nooks and crannies and pondered whether any of the contents could help us in Our Hour Of Need.

Gradually, a plan began to emerge. He decided that his tube of silicone, designed for gutters and downpipes, could provide an answer to our prayers. Duct tape be damned! Pasting the silicone liberally into the pesky hole and all around the pipe, Michael not only turned into MacGyver but also impersonated the little boy with his thumb in the dyke at the same instance. He also managed to smear the sticky stuff all over himself and on Digger's door.

Now, we are waiting for the silicone to dry so we can test the repaired pipe. If we are lucky and Michael's hunch has paid off, we will fill the water tanks in the morning and not spring a leak.

With time on our hands, we caught up on the dirty washing, cleaned Digger's dusty surfaces and then went for an exceedingly pleasant afternoon drive. Robyn at the Gascoyne Junction tourism information was a wealth of good humour and knowledge about the town. The little museum was a delight and we also discovered all sorts of quirky local sights that we never would have found without Robyn's excellent directions.

Dinner at the Tavern under the command of the efficient and cheerful Ali was another great affair. A Kiwi by birth, Ali has lived in this part of the world, often on stations, for years and has been managing the Gascoyne Junction precinct - roadhouse, cafe, caravan park and tavern - fulltime for five months. She is thoroughly enjoying herself and is a natural for her position.

We are once again sitting around our table inside Digger. Michael is attempting to plot a course to an abandoned mine and is concentrating intensely on this task. And knowing his perseverance, he will, like our hero MacGyver, triumph in due course.

A Postcard of Gascoyne Junction -