I topped up at $1.26 last Feb and again today at $1.28 with an...

I topped up at $1.26 last Feb and again today at $1.28 with an average price of 82c. What gave me confidence later today was the reply to my email to TFS in which I questioned the sudden fall today. The reply referred me to their announcement but invited me to ask further questions as required.

I once sent the company a detailed email criticising the board's public spat with a prior director, and to my surprise, received a detailed reply. I have sent emails to numerous companies and rarely received a single word in response. TFC respect their investors. That is the feeling I get from my communications. Try for yourself. TFC are not afraid to deal directly with humble investors seeking clarification or reassurance. Indeed they seem eager to respond to concerned parties. Rebecca Rahmani, the Retail Investment Coordinator, does the company's name no disservice with her quick response to investor questions or criticism.

TFC are my biggest of 40 holdings and comprise about 8% of my portfolio. I love the intricacy achieved in sandalwood carvings and the smell of the timber and oil. In 1981 I purchased 3 small quality statues and in 1986 bought one large statue in the same art shop in the old Delhi underground market. Ivory had been banned in the intervening years, and sandalwood was being used to recreate the detail and intricacy of the former ivory carvings. In 5 years the price of sandalwood had markedly increased in India. I developed a passion for sandalwood that has persisted to this day.

When I heard of TFC 5 years back, I felt genuine affinity with the company and its operation. TFC produces Indian sandalwood not the Australian variety, which in its many forms will always command a ready market throughout the world. Where I fear to top up on weakness with other holdings, I believe in TFC's management and product.

So it's not been a great day for TFC but because of their willingness to communicate, I feel that I have not topped up today in vain. Patience is a virtue and a necessity for a TFC investor, but has rewarded me to date.