Letter 043 - Kasama

Tuesday 23^rd February, 2010-02-23

My Dear Jeremy,

Cecil Rhodes was reputed to have said, "Go North young man" or something like that. So once again we set off from Pretoria and crossed the border at Beit Bridge over the Limpopo River into Southern Rhodesia, now called Zimbabwe. We stayed with Gerald, Val, Kevin and Michael in Bulawayo. They took us to see the Zimbabwe Ruins. Here was a mystery. Who built the tall walls and narrow passages. At that time it was thought that Phoenicians seeking gold were responsible as there were no other similar ruins in the country. However, recently, I watched a programme attributing the ruins to African people probably from Somalia. Ruins of a town have been discovered along the coast which could have been the seaport trading with Great Zimbabwe.

Back on the Great North Road which was made up of strips of tarmac with a gap in the middle. When meeting another car one would move over on to one strip and leave the other for the oncoming car. This would give support from dust in the dry season and mud in the rainy season.

In Lusaka we stayed at a government Guest House. Michael went to Headquarters to receive details of his posting to Kasama as an Education Officer. He was to go on tour in the Bush inspecting the work and the buildings and seeing that the teachers received equipment and their salaries. It was pioneering work and he looked forward to it.

I think we turned off the Great North Road at Mkushi but I will have to check the map. We were then on dust roads. The dust flew up and got into everything, on our skin, in our hair and it was red dust. That night we spent at a government camp where a caretaker was on duty to see we had water for baths and to cook our meal.

The next day we crossed the Chambeshi River on a pontoon hauled by African men.. Later we were told that it was at this place that the news that the 1914-18 war with Germany was over. There was a monument there commemorating this event. Years later we met Tom Webb's father who had carried the dispatches on his motorbike.

I do not know how long it took us to reach Kasama but we knew we were there when we reached a signpost saying KASAMA 0 miles. That really amused your Father.

We were welcomed by the CEO, Chief Education Officer who was a South African, Ken Balcomb. We were given a meal by another Education Officer in his home then taken to the house we were to occupy

It was an old German house with three rooms down the middle surrounded by a verandah which ran all the way round the house. It was enclosed with mosquito netting and each end had been made into bedrooms and a bathroom. This bathroom had three doors. The kitchen was outside with a woodstove and the bathwater was heated in a drum outside behind the bathroom but it did have a tap leading into the bath.

Of course our possessions had not yet arrived so we were given pillows and rather coarse grey service blankets from the store to sleep in that night. Kasama had no electricity so they also lent us some paraffin lamps also from the store.

We must all have been very tired by then but when we were going to sleep we heard this strange sound a duum, duum kiduum. W ell I just shot up in bed wide awake and Michael dragged himself from his sleep. It was very eerie and disturbing Michael searched the house but could not find anything making this noise. The next morning we discovered that the house had linen ceilings and a wind had sprung up during the night and caused them to flutter causing the noise. I suppose we got used to this eventually.

Michael donned his Education Officer's outfit of his own design Khaki shirt, shorts, long socks and a sleeveless tunic, belted, and with many pockets. He always needed lots of pockets for his pipe, tobacco, matches, Extra strong peppermints, his pens and pencils.

I, in the meantime, became acquainted with the village and the shop and hired a cook and a house boy. There was much washing and cleaning to do. To my horror I discovered there was no baker so had to bake my own bread. I think I got quite good at it - there is a triumphant photo somewhere to show you.

Jill and Christopher went to the local school and Celia kept escaping through the back door which had to be kept open for access to the kitchen.

I was disappointed to find the garden very dry and uninteresting and there was no standard tap so it could not be watered.

Most of the woodwork had been eaten by ants and was all soft and fell apart when touched. The day the window fell out of the wall in Christopher's room I felt I had had enough so went to see the PWD, Public Works Department, and they promised to give us a new house which was being built along by the golf course..

Much, however, happened before that happy day.

Love you, Mum

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