Kris Massie's memories of Kitwe.
Part 22
We had a few incidents of small birds flying into the window from the dining area – they see the reflection of the world from behind. Only one ever met with tragic consequences and was buried in style in a shoebox under a flower bed. We ended up putting a brick over the grave having seen one of our cats eyeing the area suspiciously. Another bird, only stunned, was located on the ground and luckily survived after some TLC and being put on a tree branch. He soon recovered and flew off.
By now it was time to think seriously about the boys schooling. With the advent of independence many local children entered all available schools and standards had to be lowered to accommodate them and which I hasten to add, was the right thing to do. The majority came from poor homes where parents could not afford all those challenges that other parents start their children off with. There were no funds for children’s story books, coloured pencils, crayons etc. Many parents had limited schooling themselves but many had none and were unable to read or write.
Ours had the usual parental encouragement of having stories read to them, drawing and painting and so on plus they had earlier attended a nursery school. Further education now beckoned, and boarding school became necessary. With my friend we put our heads together and we managed to find and select a good school for our collective children. Lilfordia School established in 1909 by the Lilford family known as the ‘little school in the bush’ on their farm, approximately 20km north east of Salisbury in Southern Rhodesia.
As parents we felt dreadful at having to do this but in order for them to have the appropriate education, this was the only option. It was with sore hearts that we saw our boys off on the school bus in Kitwe which would take them all the way to the school. No1 son was 11½ and his younger sibling a mere 7 year old …
During their time there they would return home for holidays by the same method and if there was a 10 day break, families living in that country with their children attending the same school would ask ours to spend the holiday with them.
It was a day or so later that I went into the younger son's bedroom to give it a once over and an awful smell hit my nostrils. I searched everywhere and it was only when I finally checked the chest of drawers that I found the offending source. He had been taken a few days earlier by the parents of his friends to Mindolo Dam and whilst there, had caught his first little fish! The dam is to the west of Kitwe where there were facilities for sailing, fishing, making a braai (the shortened Afrikaans/Dutch word for braaivleis meaning meat barbeque) and where they also swam. It boasted a large play area for children.
So proud was he that that he brought home his fish for safe-keeping. There it was nicely tissue wrapped in a little box! It had to go of course but a photograph remains to recall his catch.
On entering his room the day after to put his clean clothing away I spotted a small white scorpion … it scuttled out from under the bed which I jumped on top of while frantically calling for Luka! I was taking no chances and the rest of the house was searched – for just in case – but happily we found no others.
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