An Early Glider Crash at Umtali

By Lewis Walter (Intaf)

 Does anyone remember what may have been the first glider crash in Umtali ?

 In the late 1930s an "air show" was organized at the Umtali landing ground. This may in fact have been the opening of the Umtali Gliding Club in April 1938, but I was only about five at the time, so cannot be sure.

 To little kickers like my brother Austin and me, this was a most exciting event - particularly to Austin who was to be given a "flip" in Mr. Perrem's aeroplane in an effort to cure his whooping cough.  I can't remember if it cured his cough, but he certainly enjoyed the experience.  Mr. Perrem then offered to take me up, but I refused point blank unless Daddy came up also - which he did with me on his lap.

Later there was a gliding display.  We all watched in fascination as the glider circled overhead, gaining height - and then gasped in horror as it seemed to go out of control and plummeted to the ground.  Everyone rushed to the site, and I have a clear recollection of crumpled wings and struts, and a young man (probably in his late teens or early twenties) still strapped into his harness and begging the medics "Please don't tell my Dad - I promised him I wouldn't go up".  His main injury was a broken spleen, so presumably Dad was later fully informed of the event !

I don't know if the young man was the pilot or passenger, but have often wondered if he went on to join the Air Force and serve in the Second World War which was then on the not-too-distant horizon

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Thanks to Lewis for sharing this memory with us all.

If you can assist with information or would like to record a comment (complimentary ones please) please send them to Eddy Norris at orafs11@gmail.com

A flip in a glider for whopping cough! Jeepers we all know what the cure for a tummy ache was in those days - the old and faithful village pump ( enema) came out and you were soon sprinting sensation.

I know that in the 2000s a family from a small village in the Eastern Districts used "Worm Tablets" for an upset tummy.

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Ref. Rhodesia

Crook's Corner

By Lewis Walter (DC Intaf)

I wonder how many of our readers will remember the remote Portuguese wine shop at Crooks' Corner on the Limpopo River where Rhodesia, South Africa and Mocambique came together at single point. This area was beloved of "Bvekenya" Barnard, the well-known hunter/poacher, and other miscreants. The story is that when the police of one or other of the countries in which they were wanted got too close, they would merely move a few yards to the safety of a neighbouring country...... Some of Bvekenya's offspring still lived thereabouts in the 1960s.

The photos were taken in 1963 when I was stationed at Nuanetsi.

Innocence Personified

Where do we start?

 In the wine shop are Rob Knights (Intaf), Albert Blamire (Schoolmaster, Bindura School) and Henny Olwage (Intaf). All off-duty of course !

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Many thanks to Lewis for sharing this information with ORAFs. It is so rewarding to learn of these oddities for the first time and to read the personal experiences thereafter. Boy it certainly makes my job a lot easier.

Please send your recollections. memories of Crook's Corner to orafs11@gmail.com and share them with all ORAFs and fair amount of other readers who are mainly not-Rhodesian.

The book " The Ivory Trail" is a story of a larger than life hunter and poacher told by one of South Africa's most popular travel and adventure writers.

This is the story of legendary hunter/poacher S.C. 'Bvekenya' Barnard who lived in the Limpopo River region. It tells of his hunting expeditions that revolved around Crook's Corner, where he could take refuge from the country's police. An outlaw for twenty years, Bvekenya was one of the most colorful personalities in Africa, who fought a one-man war against all control and authority. The life of Bvekenya and his exploits as an ivory poacher, blackbirder, outdoorsman and perhaps surprisingly for some, a conservationist, was told to Bulpin by Barnard himself.

Please refer to http://www.amazon.com/Ivory-Trail-Thomas-Victor-Bulpin/dp/1869194640/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1371752912&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Ivory+Trail for further details. 

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Ref. Rhodesia

Further information received from Lewis.

 Crooks' Corner

By Lewis Walter (DC)

Thanks to John Hill and others for comments on Crooks' Corner.  Re John's remark that the building may have been washed away, this is very probable. This photograph shows just how close the wine shop was to the river bank, and the big tree was already being undermined fifty years ago. 

I wonder what has happened to the DC's Field Quarters at Malipati, and Palfrey's store which was right on the Mozambique border some miles north of the Limpopo.   

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To view the complete story, please click on the image or on the link below.
Visit.

Thanks to Lewis for making the photograph and story available to ORAFs.
 

Comments are welcome - please send them to Eddy Norris at orafs11@gmail.com

 

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Ref. Rhodesia

Rhodesians in Antarctica

By Lewis Walter


SS Europa

Thanks for most interesting articles on Rhodesians in Antarctica. Here are some photos of an alternative method of travel to that wonderful continent - under sail in a century-old three masted barque. Five days to cross the Drake Passage, encountering a gale of Force 11 on the Beaufort Scale, and later returning via Cape Horn

Note the Rhodesian flag in the top left-hand corner of the photo of the young lady in the bar of the Ukrainian base at Vernadzky Island. This is at 65 degrees 15 South, and was taken on a previous voyage. I left another in the bar of the main Argentinean Antarctic base, and raised one on the Antarctic mainland to claim a portion for Rhodesia.......


What are they?


Cold Control Centre



No models on-board!



No model either


Land Ho

There is an old whalers' saying : "Beyond 40 degrees South, there is no law. Beyond 50 degrees South, there is no God". We can add "Beyond 60 degrees South, you will find Rhodesians ! ".

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Lewis served in the Southern Rhodesian Native Affairs Department which was later named Internal Affairs (Intaf) and was District Commissioner in several different districts of Rhodesia.

Thanks to Lewis for sharing his memories and photos with ORAFs. Lewis undertook this journey in 2010.

He has also visited the Amazon basin and hopefully ORAFs can get him to share a few lines and photos with us all.

Also please remember that comments are always very welcome. Send them to orafs11@gmail,com

ORAFs is currently working on another article from Lewis, it is entitled "Umtali to the Alps" It is the story of The Southern Rhodesian Armoured Car Regiment 1942-45 who were initially based in Umtali and during the WW2 got to the Alps.