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 sun shines bright and hot from the ever blue African sky. The Girl Guide gold trefoil badge symbolized the sun shining over everyone in this bright blue world of ours. In reality, of course our part of Africa was segregated much like the United States at that time. Mom believed she could make a difference to our world through the movement. She wasn’t new to Guiding. She had been a Girl Guide since she was twelve years old in South Africa and was still as enthusiastic in the prime of her life.
When I was a Brownie in the Elf Patrol, I would watch her transformation from doctor’s wife and mommy and housewife and mayoress, to Brown Owl and Guide Captain, as she donned the blue of the Girl Guide uniform with its practical breast and skirt pockets. She folded her kerchief, neatly pulled it tight and pinned it down with the three leaved trefoil. There were two stars cut out of it symbolizing the Girl Guide Law and Promise. She always polished the badge with Brasso and brushed it up with an old toothbrush before meetings. She wanted it to shine in Africa, with its compass needle pointing the way.
Finally, she would turn down her white socks, lace up her sensible brown shoes and slip the lanyard and whistle over her neck. She looked critically in the mirror before stepping out to take charge. She wanted every girl, European, Native and Coloured, to experience the opportunities and joys Guiding had afforded her as a child.
Camping, embracing the great outdoors, was something that went hand in hand with Guiding. After all, Baden Powell had perfected his woodcraft skills here in the Matopos Hills during the Matabele Campaign of 1896 under the tutelage of the American Frederick Russell Burnham.
Camping too was a great equalizer: combining Guiding and camping could be no better character builder. Inter-Racial Camping was the goal but first she started with the Europeans. She got a hold of some WWII army bell tents.
Que Que was barely out of the bushveld itself. So Mom had only to ask A.E. Davies the chemist if the Guides could camp on the fringes of their plot in Hillandale, a couple of miles from town, where monkeys still swung from the mountain acacia, msasa, mufti, and mnondo trees by day and leopards stalked at night.
Having said that, Que Que was growing fast. From a mere appendage to the famous Globe and Phoenix Mine, Dad was working hard on his vision to make Que Que the industrial hub of Rhodesia, which was reported on at length at the dinner table each evening along with his surgical challenges. It was amazing the opposition there was to progress in Que Que let alone the practical obstacles. We’d be well into pudding before Dad enquired what had taken up Mom’s day, and she’d usually dismiss it with the last mouthful and a wash down of tea.
The amazing thing was that with all the patients coming and going through the surgery door, Dad did not hear about the upcoming debut of Girl Guide camping until Al Davies phoned about a prescription. In his Welsh brogue, he said, “My wife and I are very happy to have the Guide camp this weekend. Shall we expect you as well? Perhaps on Sunday afternoon, for tea?”
20 Comments
carla suckow
September 4, 2010Your best memory–possibly because we camped as a family and my daughter was a Girl Scout and also because it is so well written!
We had no monkeys in our campgrounds–just a few bears-
Diana
September 5, 2010Carla,
So glad this one struck a chord with you. We never actually camped as a family, but did stay in all the Rest Camps in Rondavels (thatched cottages) in the Game Parks in Rhodesia and South Africa. The Guiding/Scout movement really is a lasting experience for girls. I was slow to appreciate it!
The monkeys are so destructive, but I’d rather put up with those than tangle with an American bear. It must have been wild up in Wisconsin “in the good old days” not to mention surviving the winters. Each place has its unique challenges.
Thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts.
Diana
Diana
Betty
September 5, 2010We were a big scouting family too, Diana, and those are some of my best memories too! Both Mom and Dad were involved, which meant I always had to follow the rules….or else!! I can s ee how your mother wouldn’t want to bother your dad with silly scouting details, when he had surgery to worry about….and he was the mayor after all! As for the monkeys, we had howler monkeys screaming and flying from limb to limb all night in Guatemala, and it can make you a nervous wreck!
Did you ever have inter-racial camping and was it cuccesful?
I loved every detail of your Mum’s uniform….with the Brasso cleaning of her trefoil pin and her sturdy shoes and crisp uniform. She seemed to do everything with dignity and a passion…just like you, dear friend!
Diana
September 6, 2010Betty,
I knew you must have been a Gril Scout! Always Prepared! Yes, its a bit tough being judged a little bit closer and harder becasue your mother is in charge.
You should write a book about that Guatemala ruins experience! You tell it so well. I still remember your description of the mosquitoes. Guatemala sounds as though it tops Africa by a long shot as untameable!
Yes, the multiracial camps took a while, wasn’t easy. She was a bit ahead of her time. I’ll be writing about that in my next few blogs. Stay tuned.
She did set a high standard. Thanks for the compliments and checking in each week especially on the holiday weekend. Hope you’re having a good one.
Diana
Tess Harris
September 14, 2010Hi Diana,
I have read all your stories and thoroughly enjoyed the trip back in time to Que Que in the 1950’s. It was fascinating to read about the first camp at Hillandale – I was there!! I remember, it was my first camp as a girl guide as I had just moved up from Brownies, and of course I remember many of the pantos specifically being a skeleton all dressed up in a dyed mutton cloth outfit. (I can still recall the smell of the dye.)
Also loved to view the photos taken at 1 Silver Oaks road, which we moved into when your family moved to Hillandale. Phil and I had our wedding reception in the garden there in 1967 and my folks remained there until they moved to Bulawayo in 1972.
Just checked my old photo albums and have lovely photos of a guide camp at Dutchmans Pool, Rhodes and Founders 1959.
Yes, many years have passed since then and I have lost touch with all of those girl guides. Hope your website will reveal a few more of them! Would love to hear more details of your life in USA, and Phil is interested to know where Brian is now.
I have subscribed so that I can receive more stories as you add them.
Tess (nee Banfield)
Diana
September 14, 2010Tess,
Wonderful hearing from you! I’m glad you are enjoying the trip back in time. I’ve got quite a few pictures of the camps at Dutchman’s Pool with you in them too. I’ll do a blog with those soon. Do you have some nice pictures of the exterior of the G & P House? Ours were taken in 1948 and the quality is too poor to copy. The lawns were lovely for a wedding. I was married the same year in the garden at Hillandale.
I think I have a picture of you in the skeleton costume!
I still remember the swimming team days at QQHS and the Dolphins and our rivalry! (You’re a year older.) I’ll write about that too. Such rich free lives we had. Didn’t we share a room at the boarding house in Sby briefly?
Where are you now?
I retired here to the Oregon coast 6 years ago. after living all over the US since I emigrated in 67. Brian and Carol are still in Vancouver BC. David in Jhb.
So glad you subscribed. Yes I have heard from a lot of ex QQites and the numbers are growing.
Regards to your family
Diana
Tess Harris
September 15, 2010Yes, I have a couple of black and white photos of the house at 1 Silver Oaks road that might interest you. Will have a go at scanning them and can forward them possibly by email? I can remember attending your wedding at Hillandale, also your bridesmaid Glynis who was a friend of Phils family. Now that you mention it, I do remember sharing a room with you at Sacs House!
Phil and I emigrated to South Africa in 1968 – to Ramsgate, Natal. We lived there for 40 years and then emigrated to New Zealand at the end of 2007. We now live in Whangarei, in the North Island and have a son, daughter in law, and 2 granddaughters nearby. Our other son and his wife live in Ireland. Dad died in 2000 in Bulawayo and Mum moved down to SA to be close to us – she passed on in 2005. My brother Alastair and family are in Perth. In fact it was Alastair who came across your website and passed it on to me.
Stella and Jerry Wilkinson lived not far from us in Ramsgate and Stella was always a great source of QQHS information. Are you in contact with her? If not, I will send her your blogsite. Otherwise I keep in touch regularly with Margie Lawrence (nee Keough) who lives in Brisbane with her husband.
Keep up the interesting stories!
Tess
Diana
September 15, 2010Tess,
Marvelous hearing back from you so so quickly with your family news. The Rhodesian diaspora is amazing and the www getting us connected again equally amazing. Yes, do pass my blogsite on to Stella and Margie and anyone else you think might be interested, that’s what its all about. I’d love to get back in touch with Glynis again too.
Say hello to Alistair from me! Enjoy those granddaughters nearby!
I’m posting every Friday so stay tuned!
Diana
John Nee
March 30, 2011‘Skip’ Morrison (owned the garage on the left as you entered Que Que from the Gwelo side) was scout master, later replaced by Mr Hannay circa 1967. Mrs (Mary?) Morrison, his wife was involved in the guides with your mum and later became Akela (Lead wolf) in the cubs. We had an old WW11 ambulance which was painted half blue and half green, the length of the vehicle! The Guide badge was painted on one side and the scout badge the other. It had no front doors, wooden floors and the windscreen lifted to allow air flow. There was a ‘jump’ seat between the two front seats and when we went out to Dutchman’s Pool for camping or bushcraft, one of the scouts or guides was allowed to sit in the jump seat to open gates or whatever. The name of the camping area eludes me at the moment (Msasa Park?) but I think Vic Jenkinson, through the town council, was instrumental in giving it to the scouts and guides. His ashes are scattered there and a memorial plaque fixed to a large boulder can be found within the park.The scouts and guides built a big dormitory from a very oversized log cabin donated by some well wisher. It was quite easy as before it was knocked down for transportation, all the joints were colour coded! The guides matched the colours to a drawing and the scouts wrestled the logs into place. There was multi racial scouting. Once a year we competed with other troops (of all races) throughout the midlands for the ‘Midlands Log’ – a trophy made from a log with a small axe embedded in it. The scout and guide ‘kit’ room, where you got your badges and uniforms, was, for a time, the paper house at the Globe and Phoenix. The scouts and guides also participated in the annual first aid competition at the G&P Mine against the shift first aid teams, all of whom were africans. I think your dad, along with some of his colleagues and hospital staff, were judges.
Diana
March 30, 2011John, Great memory. I have a picture of the ambulance. I’ll have to dig it out and post a blog on it. Echo Park (in the Dutchmans Pool area) was donated by Rotary jointly to the Guides and Scouts in 1959. Olave Baden Powell visited the park that year while on an African tour. Bricks for the Lodge were donated on condition the Guides and Scouts cleaned the bricks by Mr. Varkinvisser (?sp) who was demolishing a building. I have pictures of this also. Someone else donated the transportation of them . I dont know who donated the logs. Thats how things worked those days. I didn’t know that about Vic Jenkinson’s attachment to the park. I know he was mayor of QQ after I left.
The ambulance was very difficult to drive…the gears hardly worked, tough to steer, brakes questionable. My older Brother Brian and Mark Gilby were the ones who drove it in the early days…before Brian went to university. It wouldn’s pass any kind of DMV inspection today thats for sure. But what a joy it was to so many children getting them to camp, see Rhodesia and so on some of them might not have done without it.
Love your description of the jump seat! Great memory.
Bill Atkinson, the last manager of the Globe and Phoenix Mine, was instrumental in getting the Paper House made into the National Mining Museum which still stands today.
I’d love to know more details of the First Aid Competitions. They were a fixture in the life of mining and much looked forward to and the trophies coveted. Dad felt they were very important to ensuring mining safety. A.J. Leibenberg the assistant mine manager coached the G and P teams. You don’t have pictures of this do you?
Thanks for sharing these vivid memories.
Diana
PS I did write quite a few blogs about my guiding days in the mid 50’s. You might browse the pictures and read the stories. I am a decade older I think (born 1946) but the movement lived on in QQ well into the 70’s I believe. My parents left in ’75.
Diana
John Nee
March 31, 2011Hi Diana – if I could remember what happened yesterday I’d be chuffed! I’ve spoken with les (nee Jenkinson) today and she said to tell you she’s back in Zimbabwe where she will be in a better position to email you. Sorry, no pictures of the first aid competition (Kodak Brownie Box Camera – treasured possession of my mum) just the memory. At one time, we rented a small farm from Old Man Haddon next to the Roasting Plant on the Gaika Mine Road. I believe he was a past GM of the G&P. He had a house keeper Miss McGennet – a real martinet – very intimidating. He had the most wonderful stamp collection and he gave me lots of ‘swops’, old revenue stamps and a number of first day covers. I kept them for about 15 years but sadly they went astray in one of our many moves. He also had loads of tales of the early days of Que Que. As a young policeman in Gatooma, I captured 1 large python (4m +) and a second (of about 2m) that had got into a farmers chicken house. I phoned Vic Jenkinson and he drove through in his Citroen DS20 and collected them from me for release into Echo Park. He told me that he opened the sacks at the park and stood back with a couple of labourers prodding the sack. No problems as the first metre left the sack but when the second metre came out, the labour backed off and by the time the third metre came out they were trying to climb on his car!
Diana
March 31, 2011John,
Jan’s dad came out to Gwelo initially with Bata Shoes in 1939 from Czech. he had a story about a pyton in the chicken run when he was boarding with Mr. Shirley one of the old pioners. Africans have always been afraid of snakes, but then I’ve got a very healthy respect for them too!
Glad you were in the spirit of catch and release. I’m going to write about Operation Noah in one of my next blogs.
Jan’s mother and my dad both kept first day covers…they span the history of the BSAP Company, Southern Rhodesia, Federation, Rhodesia, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe and Zimbabwe. it seems the more obscure the country the more beautiful the stamps. Jan has first day covers from the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea as well. Wondering what to do with the trunk full.
Yes, Mr. Haddon was one of the old G and P Mine Managers and was a big land owner in QQ.
You are a great story teller.
Diana
John Nee
April 3, 2011I spoke with my 81 year old mum last night and told her of your impending book and blog. I mentioned some of the names and events you write of and she sparked like an old Morris Minor – such a felipe! I have instructions to buy your book for her when published as she awaits in anticipation… So, your fan base grows! Keep the momories flowing ….
PS I was born 1952 and arrived in Que Que via the Iron and Steel works, Bulawayo and then Redcliff in 1957. I joined the BSAP in late 69 as a cadet in Que Que and went for training in 70. My parents stayed in Que Que until 75 when they returned to the UK. Like most of the youth, the swimming pool was the centre of our universe….
Diana
April 4, 2011John,
Great to have your Mum on board too, yes do spread the word that is what it is all about.
Yes the swimming pool was a godsend. The BSAP chaps used to congregate there (they were a handsome lot) and were our top water polo players. I have a picture of the 1962 Midlands Swimming and Water Polo teams. I should do a blog on it.
You must have had many interesting experiences in the BSAP in the 70’s as the terrorist war hotted up. Are you still there now?
Diana
John Nee
April 4, 2011first the spelling mistake – fillip! I spent my entire service 70 – 80 in uniform and camouflage – even as a CID copper, none of us were spared our ‘stints’ in the bush. I had many interesting experiences, some sad, some exhilerating, and witnessed first hand the agony of the emerging Zimbabwe – the euphoria of the subjugated masses which turned to fear and repression – they suffer still but that’s another story!
No, I no longer live there. In 1980, a month after Mugabe came to power, I moved my young family to SA – what a culture shock!. In 2000 I moved to Tanzania where one can still find the ‘raw Africa’. I’ve sailed the length of the country (and more) and visited most of the islands. I never appreciated the connection between the history of Rhodesia we learnt at school – Livingstone, Stanley, Speke, Selous et al and East Africa. I’ve sailed to the mouth of the Rufiji River and travelled up the delta in a rib to find and plot the wreck of the Koenisberg, a German WW1 battleship raider which inspired Wilbur Smith’s book ‘Shout at the devil’. The adventurous blood of my youth still flows but it’s getting harder to do things! The cavalier bravado of youth has been replaced by thought and circumspection. That’s why memories are so good – we can transport ourselves back to the cavalier days when we were ‘bullet proof’, even though the body wants to linger!
Diana
April 5, 2011John,
The old Scout ambulance and the jump seat was just the start of a very adventurous life for you! Have you read the biography of Baden Powell by Tim Jeal? I hadn’t fully appreciated BP had leaned his woodcraft skills in the Matopos which he considered essential to the movement. They seem to have stood you in good stead too.
I am currently reading The Fear by Peter Godwin just released in March in the US but it had an earlier release in the UK and SA. Godwin writes so well but this one is hard to take, an endless chronology of atrocities without let up. I am not sure if I can finish it.
We have a number of Wilbur Smith’s but I havent read this one. My husband likes these (he certainly has a talent for churning them out!) They are good entertainment, but too James Bond and formulaic for me.
You must have some thoughts on the current piracy going on around The Horn…perhaps some first hand experience? You certainly have had experience enough for lots of books. We write best what we know. I hope you are doing a page a day at least.
My husband visited a 102 countries in his day…exploring the high seas looking for oil. He also has a story or two to tell, which my boys enjoyed as bed time stories when they were small. Its a case of having the discipline to get busy at the key board and preserve them. Agree, we no longer feel bullet proof!
Diana
John Nee
April 6, 2011I loved my scouting days. I used to pore over the colour photos of the badges in the back of Arthur Mee’s Encyclopeadias (yep – my folks, like a lot of others in Que Que, bought the 10 volumes on the never-never) and dream of becoming that holy of holies, a Queen’s Scout! Got close (Bushman’s thong – in those days a thong was a piece of rope, rolled, knotted and looped for hanging on your belt – somewhat different to the thongs of today) but no cigar!
I haven’t read Jeal’s autobiography on Baden-Powell but I did have a copy of Scouting for Boys. I didn’t know that it’s readership in the 50’s was second only to the bible! I wonder what the bible to Quran stats. look like today….
I haven’t read Godwin’s latest but I’ve a trip to the UK coming up and always like something fresh to read on the plane. I’ll keep an eye out for it …
Pirates – yes, I do have first hand experience of them. A friend, Peter (the finger)Eldridge, (ex Que Que – RISCO – mettallurgist in the metal labs circa ’69 – 73′) recently sailed from Dar es Salaam en route to SA. He had a crew of a man and woman with him. He was well off shore when he was captured by Somali pirates. They took his boat ‘Choizil’ and crew north up the coast towards Somalia when they were intercepted by a warship which they fired on and then ran Peter’s boat aground. They tried to force him off the boat with his crew but he refused, even though they beat him up. His crew went ashore under duress and are still there today. Peter was rescued and returned to Kenya. A ransom of $4 mill has been demanded for the release of his crew. All our Yacht Club members have made donations to their fund but it will be a very long time before that kind of money can be raised.
He got ‘the finger’ nickname after sailing with me up the Zanzibar channel to Mafia Island. A stay wire parted and his mast came down. I was in the water cutting away the rigging when the boat rolled awkwardly causing two stay wires to tigthen visciously. His hand was between the wires and before he could snatch his hand away,the wires lopped off the end off one of his fingers! To attend to his injury, cut away the rigging, mast and sails and then get him back to Zanzibar to fly back to hospital in Dar es Salaam was testing to say the least. I returned 2 weeks later with a couple of divers to successfully recover the broken mast with all the kit and then motored Choizil back to Dar.
The Koenigsberg story is fascinating and well worth the read. The guns of the two ships, HMS Pegasus and Koenisburg, which engaged each other at sea, were later recovered from the ships and modified for use on land when, once again, they engaged each other. A wire and canvas aeroplane was used as a spotter in the Rufiji battle and a SA by the name of Pretorius dressed himself as an arab overseer and went on board to observe the activities of the Koenigsberg. So many ‘firsts’ … guns at sea vs same guns on land, sea plane used as spotter, pseudo overseer etc. One of each of the guns are parked outside Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Kenya. Kevin Patience, the author of ‘Koenigsberg – an East African Raider’ came up the delta with me as did the grandson of the captain of the Koenigsberg. A lot of footage was shot for a National Geographic documentary but, unfortunately, there was a bust up between a couple of interested parties and the documentary has not been completed. I, however, have footage shot with my little video camera …..
Diana, I fear my ramblings detract from your excellent writings and I stray from the essence of your stories. I very much look forward to your next blog!
P
Diana
April 6, 2011John,
I think I still have a sash with all my merit badges on it stashed away in a box as are my youngest son, Jonathan’s. He’s an Eagle Scout and I always thought he would become a National Geographic photographer, but he’s ended up in commercial photography, specializing in high speed photography (1/12,000 of a second for liquid), but currently doing an add for Chev Malibu on location in Malibu, otherwise food photography pays the bills here in LA.
Your adventures are really something. Wilbur Smith for real: The Koenigsberg a winner. Non-fiction is finding a much better market than fiction these days and you should chronicle you adventures. Looks as though you have several books in the making. That’s what agents are looking for these days…authors with more than one book in them that will establish a stable of readers. For them its all about sales, sales, sales.
The Somali story is really current and on going. You have Peter’s whole back story going back to QQ/Risco. You have no time to loose there.
So glad you are enjoying the blog. It offers the joy of keeping one connected, growing readership and interest while you slog away…one page at a time!
Stay connected.
Diana
John Nee
April 17, 2011Hi Diana – do you remember the beautiful ‘sheath knives’ we were allowed to wear after passing out ‘woodsman/woodcraft badge’? 6 inches of sharp steel blade with an antler horn handle – absolutely ‘de rigeur’ for a senior scout – a bit like a spare nappy pin in a woman’s blouse heralding her as not just a woman, but a mother! Fred Vernon of Globe cycles (just along the road from Sloman’s) had them displayed in a glass counter in his shop (he also examined us for our cyclist badge). Selecting your knife was like the culmination of a rite of passage. Fred Vernon was very patient with us. He would discuss the merits of the various knives and eventually steer you away from the daggers and half swords with serrated blades which would look better on ninjas, into buying a very practical, hard wearing knife which could keep an edge and withstand the rigours of 14 year old boys let loose in the african bush! Nowadays, kids in the UK cant buy a knife with a fixed blade and even adults have to have fishing licences etc to be carrying one and even then, the blade cant exceed something like 4 inches …. crazy world…..
Diana
April 18, 2011John,
I do remember Fred Vernon of Globe Cycles and his store well. No the guides as I recall didn’t have sheath knives…we did however all have a Swiss army knife with a couple of attachments: tin opener, cork screw, I think that was it. Nothing like the fancy Leathermans we have today with all those options…Mom passed on her’s to my son Jonathan, as well as a small sheathed axe that fitted on her belt which she probably got at Globe Cycle. She passed that on to Francis Stevens (one of the cousins Jan’s family adopted when they were orphaned) who was a Queens Guide and went on to Rovers. She passed it on to Jan’s much younger brother, Michael. He died unfortunately at age 29 and it came full circle back to us and my son Jonathan has it now. In this current throw away culture of ours it does stand out. Do you still have your sheath knife from all those years ago?
Yes, urban children today seem to skip childhood altogether with organized activities filling every minute of the day: working two parent families allowing no free time to play. The ridiculous emphasis on safety, in all aspects does make “adventure” these days a redundant word.
Of course the Muslim world has changed ours. I had to surrender my Leatherman at the airport last week, forgot to take it out of my handbag before I left home. David was stabbed four times with a pen knife at Melville Kopjies in Johannesburg on Christmas Eve. Licensing isn’t going to prevent crime or accidents. It’s education, responsibility and human values that need monitoring and attention.
Be safe! Diana
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