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Once Called Home

Thinking Big

The Town Hall (now Reps Theatre) 2010 courtesy of Melody Annandale Thanks to Maureen Riley (nee Bowden) for contact Thinking Big At the very first council meeting, Dad presented his case, proposing that the municipality undertake maintenance for a swimming bath to be constructed with State Lottery funding, for which

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Change

Globe and Phoenix Mine Swimming Pool 1950 George Banfield and daughter Tess photo courtesy of Tess Harris NZ Change It was 1947 when Dad resolved to run for office.  The issue was the preemptory rejection, by the Mayor, of Mom’s proposal to council for a municipal swimming bath for

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Challenge

Our First Paddling Pool at 1 Silver Oaks Road Globe and Phoenix Mine Que Que Southern Rhodesia Brian and I late 1940s. Challenge The Globe and Phoenix Mine gave us everything we needed: jobs, houses, Que Que Stores to meet our material needs and wants and the club which had

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An Unavoidable Disease?

Girl Guides Search and Rescue Dutchmans Pool Que Que Southern Rhodesia Gail Owen on branch R Jennifer Combrink Leslie Candy An Unavoidable Disease? Mom wished she had never grown up and remained fourteen forever.  She wanted to prolong the first stage of teenagedom through Guiding for every girl she could.

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Firing up a Penny

Rhodesian Penny compared with the US Cent Firing up a Penny and the Imagination Guiding was something to be experienced in that phase between eleven and sixteen after which the opportunity vanished. Firing up a Penny and the Imagination Mom believed Baden Powell’s camp and woodcraft activities engaged every

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Prefab

The Paper House by Leslie Johnson courtesy of Morris Sloman Prefab The  first prefabricated building in Southern Rhodesia, erected at the Globe and Phoenix Mine as its first manager’s house, was constructed out of panels of paper maché on wire netting, hence the name, The Paper House. Prefab The

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A Memorable Picture

Que Que’s Main Street, Rhodesia A Memorable Picture This charming picture has come my way through the blog.  It was painted by a Que Que artist sponsored by Arthur Chapman in 1972, but it’s the same Main Street, Que Que of the late 50’s that I remember.

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Wash Your Hands

Wash Your Hands Last week my friend Betty Goolsby shared her illuminating experience with Girl Scout latrines in Conroe, Texas.  Some things are universal.  Wash Your Hands The mine manager’s Phoenix House, and our house at #1 Silver Oaks Road were the only two houses on the mine that

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations I thought I knew quite a bit about camping before I ever experienced it, what with Mom’s all absorbing preparations for one camp or another.  Finally, I flew up to Guides from Brownies and actually went myself. Great Expectations Guiding and camping were great equalizers.  The shrill

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Be Prepared

Be Prepared   I went along with Brownies, but the objective really was to turn eleven and ‘fly up’ to Guides with elaborate ceremony, which Mom relished.  Every ceremony began with the Color Party presenting the Guide flag along with the flag of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and the

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Going Beyond the Barriers

Going Beyond the Barriers Mom’s Guiding ambitions grew by leaps and bounds after that first foray at the Davies plot.  She now turned her attentions to training Katie Bosman to run a Coloured Troop, and Florence Chileshe a young school teacher from Amaveni Township to run Wayfarers (a modified

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A Uniform of a Different Sort

Mom, in her Prime  A Uniform of a Different Sort  As you recall in last weeks blog I hoped that I would fit in at school wearing a school uniform like everyone else.  My mother too believed in uniforms as a great equalizer.  A Uniform of a Different Sort The

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Anticipation Is Best

Anticipation Is Best Last week I wrote about the Swiss embroidered muslin dresses that my mother made for me.   They marked me outwardly as different at church on Sundays.  I had other reasons too for being different.  School and a uniform held great promise for me. Anticipation Is Best I

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Transparency

Transparency  In the past weeks, I have been writing about Que Que’s pantomimes, highlighting a few of the townsfolk that made them the success that they were.  We could go on for quite some time with these tales, and perhaps I’ll return to it later.  However, I thought

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The Roast

The Roast Mary Morrison was Mom’s right hand, reliable, amiable and ‘absolutely vital’ in the smooth organization of the front of house and finances for all the pantos: all the things that were not Mom’s strengths.  Mary would trundle the pram with first one baby and then the

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Donkey's Years

Jiminy Cricket Lynn Jelks Pinocchio Wendy Allen Pearls Leslie Opperman June Mackey Me Lesley Candy Lobster Susan Harman Donkey’s Years Mom remembered the magical Pantomimes she had seen every Christmastime at the Empire Theatre in Johannesburg as a child.  It began with the tram ride from her home in

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Backdrops

Backdrops in Peter Pan Tiger Lily (Lesley Candy) Smee and Starkey (Steven Combrink and Norman Fullwood) Mermaid (Judith de Beer) Backdrops I’ve devoted three blogs to a few incidents in Mom’s first play In Mother Nature’s Garden.  Of course, it and the subsequent more ambitious pantos wouldn’

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The Insect Orchestra

The Insect Orchestra G du Pressis Jennifer Arnott L Pretorius J Hutcherson The Insect Orchestra Last week I mentioned that Henrietta Fox had aspirations much higher than being an insect in Mom’s pantomime Mother Nature’s Garden. But there were lots of other children happy to be musical  insects.

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Catch a Falling Star...Never Let it Fade Away

Early Morning Sunflowers Far R Heather Heap Far L Jennifer Morrison 2nd L Sugar Bressler Milkweeds of Autumn Center Front Eileen Sloman imm behind Davidge-Pitts Front R Hillary Jelks                     Catch a Falling Star…and Never Let It Fade Away Last week I introduced you all to Mom’s first play

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In Mother Nature's Garden

In Mother Nature’s Garden  Every mother has hopes and dreams for her offspring, but my mother encouraged lots of kids.  I hope that wherever you hail from, you’ll enjoy my family’s dynamics as I remember them.  In Mother Nature’s Garden.  My parents didn’t spend much

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Goodness Gracious! The Queen Mother is Coming to Town

A Royal Welcome along the length of the Railway Platform A Shy bob as a Sunbeam presents a bowl of wild flowers to Princess Margaret The formal welcome to Que Que by the Mayor Goodness Gracious!  The Queen Mother is Coming to Town Tuesday 7th July 1953 Queen Elizabeth The

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The Roar of a Lion and Shots Heard Around the World

Mom at the Fever Hospital Johannesburg, 1936 The Roar of a Lion and Shots Heard Around the World Last week, over breakfast, the family discussed a school assignment of mine to recount a hunting or fishing experience.  We needed to bring along a related memento or photograph to share with

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Hunteen, Shooteen & Fisheen

Dad with his Smith & Wesson Revolver When the Lions Roar at Night Personal note:  My word count has been creeping up over the weeks!  I don’t want to presume on too much of your time so this week I’m just giving you Part 1 entitled Hunteen, Shooteen

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The Jubilee Bicycle Parade 1950

Beehive of Industry Jubilee Bicycle Parade Last week I wrote about the float winners at the Que Que Jubilee Celebration of Rhodesia in 1950.  This week I am continuing with the bicycle parade that accompanied it.  There were all kinds of entries: clowns, and fairies, goblins and witches, Noddy in

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The Jubilee Float Parade 1950

Slomans Jubilee Float 1950 Que Que Hospital Float for the Jubilee Parade 1950 Southern Rhodesia was a slow starter by anyone’s standards. Since its founding by Cecil John Rhodes in 1890 its development had been stalled for a host of reasons.  Ever present were the host of pestilences which