WILD AND TAMED

1960

CAPE TOWN

We took the train down to Cape Town and back. We stayed in Strand & have seen cine of us there on the beach.

1962

EUROPE

The family took a trip to Europe to visit with friends & family. We flew on a BOAC Comet from the Old Lusaka Airport, in the days where you simply showed your ticket & boarded...sigh!

We spent time in the UK where Dad bought a new, yellow Mini Traveller. We toured Europe, camping. Spent a fair time in Holland visiting with family. It would also be the 1st & last time I met with Mum's mother...Ouma, our only grandparent.

I remember riding pillion on a cousin's motorbike, the canals, Minitureland & the tulips in Holland, camping in the snow in Innsbruck & small gardens in England.

We took the Union Pretoria Castle steamship from Southampton back to Cape Town... winning 3rd prize in a fancy dress competition as Pierrot & Pierette 2 of the classic Italian 16C mime artists...Commedia del Arte... not bad as Mum had made the costume out of rice paper...but to be placed behind Noddy & Big Ears...WELL!

The Pretoria was built at the Harland & Wolff dock Yard, the same dockyard that built the fated Titanic in Belfast. At the outbreak of the war in 1939, Pretoria was converted into a cruiser, then an aircraft carrier before a cruiser again & then returned to Castle Lines as a peacetime cruise vessel. It was scrapped in Barcelona later in '62

From Cape Town we drove back north through South Africa, S Rhodesia & home.

KARIBA

Kariba Lake will always bring back some of my fondest memories. The lake was created when the Zambezi River was dammed & the Zambezi Valley became flooded creating Kariba. Many of the hilltops became islands which we named...Long Island, Rocky Island, Ice Cream Island(looked like a cone), Sandy Island & so on.

We would travel early Saturday mornings returning Sunday evening. The journey was 100 miles but in the early days, there were still strip roads.

Tina & I would often take friends. We used to hire a rondavel (round thatched hut) at the village of Siyavonga. We kids would sleep in the car.

Dad built a small boat that was sailed everywhere. Later we bought a Dabchick (flat sailboat). We used to fish, including spearfishing, catching Bream & Tigerfish mostly, as well as the occasional Barbel (Catfish) which had electric whiskers!

Sadly it all ended when we contracted Bilharzia (a freshwater disease carried by snails living on lake weed)

THE BUSH

In those early yrs of heady, carefree living, I was consumed with all that was in the bush Bundu in localize.

My imaginary games were amongst the thorns, trees, elephant grass & anthills. I would mostly be barefoot, in shorts & in another world. One time, barely 2 yrs old I went wandering off & a search party was sent out only to find me sitting on a termite hill out in the African bush.

God certainly was watching over me...I could have been stung, bitten, or even eaten. There were a few stings from all the various gogos (bugs) but nothing I didn't pull through from.

Yes this was Africa at its potentially deadliest.

How I was never bitten by some of the deadliest snakes around is certainly a miracle.

1964

RHODESIAN SCHOOLS

Tina & I went to Lusaka Infant School for the 1st 2 yrs in 1964. The school put on a drama... PUSS IN BOOTS & to my horror she was made the queen.

Got too close to a lad on the swings & received a bang on my upper lip. Have the scar to this day.

Had my 1st crush on a girl in my class. Wondered what ever became of Ann?

Later that year the British handed over power to the tribesman & Zambia was born & instantly began to die! We had to learn the new anthem, currency & flag.

In '66 I went to Lusaka Boys & still keep in touch with one of my classmates. Had a crush on Mrs Dunn who promoted my work & had one of my plays dramatized when I was 8. Early signs of times to come.

Used to help other boys with reading lessons...again a future work in progress. I did well academically when I worked hard...& that was the key. I played soccer, did track & field & was already known for my speed. I played tennis & swam. Clearly, sport was an important part of my life.

The families in the Buckley area used to share the school run to & from the city. I was also a cub scout & enjoyed camps, games & achieving all my badges. I was a group leader.

GAME RESERVES

Living in the African tropics allowed us to see African game at our doorstep...well near enough anyway. There were 2 reserves we frequented in N Rhodesia... Namely, Kafue which encompassed the great Kafue River with its numerous hippos & crocs but also had good fishing.

We would sometimes motor down to the river on a Sunday for fishing & picnics. The other was Lawangwe Valley South. The camps in both were fairly primitive with not much security, so one had to lock up tightly to keep the hungry animals out at night.

Mum walked into the back of a hippo one night on her way to the bathroom. Her bladder seemed to have toughened up since then. We were chased by elephants, usually with young, on several occasions. I was blessed to see game in such abundance in those days.

Now politics, greed & mismanagement have devastated Africa.

We visited Wankie in the north of S Rhodesia, Kruger in South Africa which had begun already in 1974 to cater to the rich with their 5 * accommodation & Etosha in South West Africa which was fantastically run.

1965

INYANGA

Mum & Dad had spent part of their honeymoon in the highlands in the east of S Rhodesia. We went there for a vacation spending time in the same hotel they had been at in 1955...TROUTBECK INN. It is near the town of Umtali & was then a beautiful area.

1966

BULAWAYO

Mum, Tina & I took a train trip from Lusaka to Bulawayo in S Rhodesia. I loved the train ride with its sleepers & dining. We stayed with the Thuey family whom we knew from Lusaka. They later moved back to England.

RHODESIA...FOR  CHOSEN PEOPLE

So much poor judgment, backstabbing & betrayal by the British & black tribes that were settled in & around The Fed of N & S Rhodesia happened in these tumultuous days of the '60s & '70s that culminated in a vicious civil war. 

The Rhodesian forces were limited but packed a punch way beyond people's expectations. I do not doubt that man for man they & the Israelis have proved to be the best fighting forces in modern times.

Sadly sanctions brought an end to hostilities (which the Rhodesians were winning...even taking on the might of USSR & China)

Like S Africa in yrs to come, the country under Muzarera & then the butcher Mugabe slid down the slope to the victimizing of the whites, particularly the farmers only to turn this once prosperous bread basket into a dust bowl while the black fats squirreled away the wealth of the country starving their own people.

ZIMBUSTWE BECAME THE 2ND POOREST COUNTRY IN THE WORLD...ONLY SOMALIA WAS WORSE!

The whites of the Rhodesias were innivotive,hard working & fair people.

For those who want to know the truth, there are books especially published by Johan van Zyl, Hannes Wessels & others.

I have written a paper on the truth of the black man from God's perspective...richmaine.co.uk

1967

BEIRA

We took a drive through Eastern Zambia & out through the narrow corridor separating the 2 Rhodesias & Mozambique. It was still run by the Portuguese & so in good shape.

Our destination was Beira where we rented a tent & had a great time. The coast line was the closest point for the ocean to our landlocked home.

We enjoyed the typical Portuguese East African cuisine including liver & spicy sauce later to make such a huge smash around the world as Nandos.

My abiding memory was flying a kite so high I had an audience taking bets on whether I could bring it down safely...I did!

SOUTH AFRICA

We were so excited. We were driving down to South Africa for our summer vacation. We drove through S Rhodesia into SA stopping in Pretoria to see friends of my Mum & then to Jo'burg where we stayed in the Forests' house whilst they went on a trip to Europe.

On to Durban where we met up with my Mum's brother Gerard & his wife & the Lutmers family whom we knew from back home days.

We traveled along the coast to Gonubie & stayed at the Hepburn's house whilst they were away. I shall always remember that time with great fondness. The beautiful beaches & safe places to play as well as outside cinema. Little did Tina & I know it was also an exploratory trip as well.

DURBAN

1968

SOUTH AFRICA

Again back for our summer vacation. We added a trip to Port Elizabeth but now we knew what was afoot. Our parents were also investigating schools. Anyway, we had a great time.

It was like hitting the great metropolis... everything on a grander scale although SA would have seemed backward to others from Europe & USA, etc. Yet that was the allure of the place. It was safe & well run. There were moral acceptances that were dying out or had already in other parts of the world.

Zambia was collapsing & Mum & Dad had looked at all the options. Friends were leaving & now so were we.

A MORE RECENT BUT NOT ENTIRELY ACCURATE PORTRAIT

1969 

DALE

The countdown to leaving N Rhodesia had begun. Mum took Tina & me & we flew down to East London on several flights via Botswana. We stayed at the Esplanade Hotel whilst she bought uniforms & all the paraphernalia of going to boarding school.

We were excited at this new adventure. Finally came the day for our enrollment & settling in. Tina went to a school in EL but I went to Dale Junior in King Williams Town 50 km north of EL. All went well at first but as the days passed I began to realize that this was a whole new chapter with strict rules & regulations & I realized my former life was passing away quickly.

I enjoyed the food but not the hazing. I was in trouble a lot for not regulating properly but soon that changed. I was made a dorm prefect sometime later & excelled in many sports, even participating whilst having German Measles.

We were a crafty lot, often running around in the streets at midnight. We enjoyed marbles, Jewish harps, dingbats, tops, yo-yo's & of course the tuck boxes until they emptied!

I learned discipline & manners as well as becoming very domesticated. We had to dress formally for dinners. Saturdays was down town & sports or the flicks at the only cinema. Sundays saw us in our spivvy suits & boater hats off to church.

Throughout the year we had session dances with the girls from the other schools. Everything was done formally with no-nonsense & it taught me a great deal about etiquette, sadly missing today.

Friends like the Hepburns, Van der Huevels & Jordans would take us out on W/E & vacations sometimes. They had also moved down south from Rhodesia. Our matron Agnes Wilmot later Victor would be someone I kept in touch with. It was a remarkable time & taught me a great deal.

An abiding memory were the great milk shakes from The Nest, still the best I've tasted!