I am the daughter of a watchmaker.
My dad is the last remaining teacher of watchmaking in Australia - a lone soldier in an ongoing analogue vs. digital battle that has spanned the last century. He teaches at a school of watchmaking that opened in Sydney in 1946. In its nearly 80-year history, there have only ever been three teachers. My dad is one of them.
Passionate about the art of horology, the study of time and the phenomenal stories that lie behind the creation of intricate time pieces, old and new, in 1992 he was awarded the Churchill Fellowship to study in Switzerland at the world’s most prestigious school for watchmaking alongside fellow supernovas of his trade. His personal collection of watches and clocks rivals the museums of Australia – and the books inside him yet to be written will shape and inform Australia’s horological history.
All this was born through a mentorship that evolved in 1976, when a fresh-faced 15yo Papa Firth trundled down Beacon Hill Rd to begin his apprenticeship with a kind, wise and humble neighbour who was an old school tradesman and highly skilled watchmaker. Don McKinnon aka “Boss” instilled in my dad a deep curiosity & passion for learning – and a love of the intricate art and science that is watchmaking.
In August, 2017 my papa lost his mentor. The Boss passed away aged 85 after a cruel dance with alzheimers and a quick battle with pneumonia. I’m left reflecting on the marvel of how one humble man - one humble life - can truly shape and impact another. How we all have the capacity in each and every moment that we spin around this sun that we share, to champion what we value, embody what we stand for and bring to the world what we truly love.
“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”
- Unknown
Every day, I sit with people at the most sacred edges of life - the joy of weddings, the sorrow of funerals, the deep transformation of transition ceremonies. I see, up close, the preciousness of time. It’s finite. It’s fleeting. And yet, knowing this doesn’t have to fill us with dread. Quite the opposite - it can invite us into a profound, daily gratitude. Because when we live with an awareness of time’s limits, we start to cherish the small things. And when we cherish the small things, the big things become truly magnificent. We make more time for what matters: love, laughter, connection - and passing on what we love, just like Boss.
This was all a part of the 2013 TEDx London talk titled: Watchmaker’S Daughter.