Tuesday 2nd March, 2010-03-02
Dear Jeremy,
There was much political unrest in the country during this period. UNIP (United National Independence Party) led by Kenneth Kaunda, an ex-teacher who had been missionary trained, was gaining support and strength to break away from the Federation and become independent of the colonial power, Britain. The movement was not without physical clashes with a more moderate party prepared to co-operate with rather than to overthrow the Government. Southern Rhodesia was the dominant partner with Sir Roy Welensky at the helm. Each province also had a British Representative in the form of a Governor.
I suppose my story is divided by our stay in the two houses. Behind the old German house was the hospital. There were two doctors who lived one on either side of us..
One morning I had such a fright. A tin of paraffin had been delivered to the back door for lighting the lamps and there I found Celia splashing with her little hands on the top where some paraffin had spilled. She started choking and struggling to get her breath. I scooped her up and dashed to the hospital in the car. By this time she was breathing normally but I was worried that she had perhaps swallowed some of the paraffin. After a thorough examination Alan, the doctor, decided she had just breathed in the fumes and she was not suffering any ill effects.
One morning while the houseboy was cleaning the house he suddenly threw down the broom and raced off down the road joining a yelling and whooping crowd. This is it I thought, they are rioting. I knew a committee member of UNIP had been visiting Kasama. Finally he came back laughing and chattering with the next door servants who had also joined the wild dash down the road. I enquired what all the fuss was about only to discover, to my relief , that a rabbit had run down the street and all the employees down tools and dashed after it hoping to catch it but four feet were fleeter than two feet so it made its escape.
The garden was big and in the back was a huge mango tree. The children found the fruit delicious and Christopher recalls they got sore mouths if they did not wash the juice off immediately. He also said I put Celia in the bath to eat hers as she got so messy.
I discovered people were coming into the garden and stealing the mangoes so I told all the servants surrounding to help themselves as I knew they would chase away the thieves.
Mentioning the bath I remember that the drum that was heated outside for hot water was called a Rhodesian boiler.
Michael's work now meant he had to go out on tour to visit and inspect schools in the Bush. He would be away for several days and nights. He had a vanette and a driver and an orderly. The orderly pitched his tent in the school grounds and the school children would heat water for his bath each night. The bath was made of canvas.. The orderly would also prepare his meals mostly which came out of tins. One of the places he visited was Mporokosa and another was the White Fathers Catholic Mission. Once he took Christopher there and the White Fathers made a great fuss of him pointing out and naming the stars and taught him to shoot with a gun.
One time Michael came home all shivering and with a temperature. He had caught malaria. I found this very scary as he just lay there with the sheet up under his chin and never complained. I had always been very careful to see everyone took their Daraprin a prophylactic . I suppose he forgot to take his while away.
It was a very anxious time for me alone with the children and it was worse when Christopher went off to boarding school. I would sit up until 2 o'clock in the morning when Michael was away, sewing and writing letters. I knew the cook and houseboy would be in by about 5 o'clock cleaning the house and lighting the wood fire so felt safe that they would be about.
It was Christmas and part of the celebrations was a fancy dress party for the children. Christopher went as Lawrence of Arabia, Jill and Celia as The lady and the Tramp. The Tramp borrowed Michael's pipe on which she happily sucked. She had turned one at the beginning of November.
The political tensions were mounting and two young administrative officers were fired on at Chalubi Island and I think one was injured. I just recall a great sense of shock and horror but not the details. Perhaps you could look this up. It is possible Dad recorded this incident so will elaborate when I seek out his early diaries.
Next: Christopher goes to boarding school at Silver Rest near Lusaka.
Love you lots, Mum