Kris Massie's memories of Kitwe.
Part 26
We had another fire on the farm, this time it was even more serious. It incorporated the Eucalyptus trees either side of the ‘fairway’, part of the orchard and it burnt half of the long lawn and, threatened to burn the house. I was home that lunch time and in my uniform I sprayed the house and roof with a hosepipe to ward off any embers that might otherwise take hold. It was a close run thing and whether the fires were deliberately lit or accidentally started, we don’t know.
Another piece of bad news was our second robbery. The first occurred when we resided in St Peter’s Close and a person or persons unknown, sprayed a concoction through the open bedroom window to induce sleep. They entered the house via a small high window in the study and got out through the side door of the dining area. They were actually in our bedroom – thank goodness we were unaware. Husband's wristwatch was stolen from his bedside cabinet (I always wear my rings and my watch) and one of a pair of speakers for our music system which rendered the other useless. We got off lightly as in the coming years armed robberies took place more frequently. I clearly remember the first. The family concerned woke and were knocked about with the butt of whatever weapon they had and ended up hospitalised. Many local people blamed the Congolese from Zaire (formally Belgian Congo), bordering Zambia in the north west. (That country had changed name to The Democratic Replublic of the Congo and at the time of writing is once again the Congo!) The Copperbelt was not too far from what is called ‘the Pedicle’ where a piece of the then Zaire juts into Zambia and that country was undergoing a bit of an upheaval at the time. Most Zambians would not at the time have deliberately undertaken such ventures.
The second then took place on the farm one night after we were well in the Land of Nod. The boys were away at school when they cut the mesh at the window of younger son's bedroom. On opening the door Goldie, who thankfully spent her nights in the passage, growled fiercely and they scarpered. We woke to find that they had got away with bed linen and socks. Strange that none of the other dogs outside gave warning and it somehow makes one think that the robbers were familiar to them. Sadly there were some not to be trusted and one always locked away valuables, even sugar and tea. Anyone requiring these were told to ‘just ask'. Husband spent many hours scouring the countryside making fruitless enquiries.
On Jim’s return he became a frequent visitor at weekends. He worked in the Stores Department at Nkana Mine part of Rhokana Mines and had previously been in the British Army. He related that while on a stint in Burma he and his small group of soldiers were ambushed. He was the only survivor and with the shock of such an event he became a Diabetic dependent on Insulin. One other friend Ron was also a frequent visitor.
These weekends were for us social occasions with many friends coming over, enjoying lunch and a swim in the pool. One evening we also held a 25th wedding anniversary for two good friends, Dave and his wife Gwen. We had fictitiously arranged to go out for the evening and they were to collect us … theirs was the surprise when we asked them to come in as we weren’t quite ready yet – everyone was in the darkened veranda when we led them out!
Anthill clearing was a must-do exercise during the rainy season as was grass cutting and weeding – no matter how often cut or pulled, they’d spring up just as profusely within a week - this is the Tropics after all! The anthill on the right of the house under trees needed clearing with the use of a 'panga' (also known as a machete) – a slasher made of iron which the holder would swing from side to side in front of him. A cry went up ‘snake!’ and one of our oldest workers named Zulu chased after it as it slithered away at a pace. Up the veranda steps, over husband's feet as he happened to be standing there and the snake was just down the steps when Zulu caught up with it and performed the inevitable. It was a Boomslang (tree snake), another lethal.
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