Sebakwe Dam the second largest dam in Southern Rhodesia completed 1957. Monitoring progress. Climbing the dam wall in 1956. Height 154 feet high (47 meters). David Hirsch, Wendy Allen, Michael Lannon (of Johannesburg), Brian Hirsch, Diana Hirsch. I was afraid of heights (still am). A Contribution Not Etched In Stone.

Baobab Trail near Tshipise northern Transvaal                   Height 24m (79 ft), Circumference 23m (75 ft), water content 200 tonnes (441000 lbs),     Wood 50 tonnes (110000 lbs)                        One of many drawings by Chatty. There’s Peace in Baobabwe I remember having lunch at Parliament House in Salisbury when my Dad was  a

Back Row: Robby Fletcher, Clive Menhennick, Victor Crowther, Allan Bull, Godfrey Opperman, Norman ?, William Bueck, Henry Gerber. Third Row standing: Gillan Lyon, ?, Gywneth LLoyd, Gail Fowler, Marilyn Gaskell, Anna Naude, Elizabeth Gillham, Ann Christinson, Melody Hannaford, Wendy Allen. 2nd Row sitting Mr. Clelland, Betty Botha, Sheryl Poupart, Allison Smith, Gail

One Hundred Trillion Dollars One Hundred Trillion Dollars Sums were never my strong suite in school.  Luckily my brother, David, two and a half years younger than me, given the introductory sample to work from, could always be counted on to do my homework in a jiffy. One Hundred Trillion

Blowing Out the Candles on my Eleventh Birthday at our New House Tenderi, Hillandale, Que Que Coke Is It! I sympathize with the sons and daughters of the clergy, trying to live up to the pious expectations of parents and the scrutiny of the congregation.  Although quite different, I had

Mr. Mc Gaw Sees to the Laying out the Foundation of our New House, Tenderi, in Hillandale, Que Que 1956 Making the Grade We had a perfectly good architect in town, Vic. Jenkinson, but Dad decided no one knew our house needs and wants better than us. Making the Grade

Tenderi, Our Hillandale House Swimming Bath 1957. Mom, Diana, Brian and David with Manzi our cocker spaniel Hillandale Hillandale, as it’s name implies, was a lovely area just outside of Que Que with lots of ups and downs. It looked onto a range of undisturbed hills, wooded with msasa,

Rise ‘n Shine Mom had often mused that she would love to have a farm and now she had one.  In a country where ranches were sometimes 30,000 acres, she was ranching on 288. Rise ‘n Shine Dad was far too busy to participate in ranching.  It was enough

Our Family at the Farm. Far L Brian, our “cookboy” John, Mom, Felon head “herd boy”, “herdboy”, middle me and David, crouching another “herdboy” and Sugah our “gardenboy”. We Had a Farm in Africa The farm was acquired as a foreclosure when the second Hunt brother (of Hunter’s Road)

New Years Eve Dance at the Globe and Phoenix Hall late 1940s Mom and Dad far L standing Mr. Forster 2nd R standing Mrs. Davies seated left Mr. Al Davies 2nd R seated New Year’s Eve in Africa In the 1940’s Old Year’s Night was bigger than

The Nganga (witchdoctor) Christmas Day visit to our house Christmas Day in Africa Christmas begins, officially, in America, on Thanksgiving with the arrival of Santa Claus, on a red sleigh, pulled by a team of reindeer at Macy’s Department Store at the end of the New York Macy’s

The King Family. My maternal grandmother (center front) and her siblings Pre WWI. A King Tradition When I was growing up in the 50’s we always had a house servant and a gardener to help keep the household running smoothly.  Our ‘cookboy’ was John.  Mom hoped to keep him

The coral creeper smothering the wrap around verandah of our house. Photo courtesy of Tess (nee Banfield) Harris Chanukah in Africa Jews had made their way to Rhodesia in its earliest days, before the turn of the century.  Josepth Schattil had come north before the Mafeking to Bulawayo railway was

Our arrival at the Aerodrome, Lilongwe, Nyasaland, mid 1950s A Hirsch Holiday Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) is landlocked.  Geographically it had always been well defined naturally, with great rivers bordering it, north and south. To the west was semi-desert and to the east the beautiful Eastern Highlands falling away to

The Opening of the Que Que Minicipal Swimming Bath 1953 by Governor Sir John Kennedy Perseverance Pays Off Some days, months and even whole years slip by uneventfully and we wonder, looking back, what ever happened to them.  Occasional ones are banner years: 1953 was one of those, not just

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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