Kris Massie's memories of Kitwe.
Part 15
The Stanley (now named the Savora Stanley) is a famous hotel in Nairobi established in 1902 with tables and umbrellas outside a restaurant called The Thorn Tree and inside the foyer were shops and a hairdresser. I attended the latter as I needed a trim for my shoulder length hair. The hairdresser turned out to be Greek and with an ‘I could do things with your hair …’ so shocked was I by his words I shot out of my chair and made my way outside to where some of the girls were seated. They looked at me quizzically and burst out laughing when I related what had happened …
I must relate of our return flight home when the cabin staff encountered a problem on descent after the ‘fasten seatbelt’ signs were illuminated. One passenger was in the toilet and had not returned to her seat. Try as they might they couldn’t communicate with her nor could they open the door at this late stage and the situation was left until we landed. They then had to break the door down and out fell the body ... our passenger had committed ‘hari kari’ in the loo! The Hawker Siddley 748 we were on had its exit door at the rear and cabin crew wished to disembark passengers before the required removal of the body and the investigation by the police, so we were requested to step over the body to get out …
We missed our connection of course and there we sat in the terminal until another aircraft could be found to take us to Kitwe. It eventually arrived close to midnight and we piled on board a converted ex-military 748 with spaces between the floor boards where the air wafted through! I was in dire need of a tranquilliser at this stage of the game! However we arrived safely at Kitwe's South Downs Airport – it goes to prove how safe flying really is!
An American team came to Zambia in 1970 on tour and play, not only the Zambian squad, but several home clubs also.
They had experienced international players and we were certainly getting practise! It was from them that we learned we were playing ‘field’ hockey as there is also ice hockey played where the winters in the Northern Hemisphere are that much colder – snow and ice were unknown to us.
(As a matter of fact I once saw roller skating hockey in Holland. We came across the game by sheer chance and I was intrigued to say the least. The pitch had a high chicken wire fence around but this did not stop the puck from whizzing through one of the eyelets, and only just past my head to embed itself in a tree next to which I stood! We made a hasty exit after my lucky escape … no second chances …)
Selected for the 4th year not only as player but Manager too, our Scottish tour in 1972 was extraordinary. We were in part sponsored by Zambia Airways and flew with them via Rome to London. A change of aircraft and we arrived in Scotland. We were based in private homes rather than in hostels or hotels and our hosts were wonderful. In one home our coach and I had to share a double bed … we discovered the wretched thing sagged in the middle when we kept embracing each another at night. We held onto our respective bed sides and I know what it is to sleep on the thin edge of the wedge!
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