Newsletters from a Salvation Army woman officer in Rhodesia (5): 1965-66
NOTE: Letters between June 1963 and November 1965 are missing from my files. We had our second “Homeland Furlough” from December 1964 to June 1965, although I had to return to Salisbury for the beginning of my ‘O Level’ year in January. It was my first air flight, in a Vickers VC 10. My parents were now returning to Rhodesia by boat from Southampton and train from Cape Town to their new appointment in Bulawayo, my father’s birthplace and where his parents had retired. His parents had spent their entire ministry in the London Missionary Society (Congregational) since their marriage in 1915 in rural area of this region (Shangani and Dombodema missions). Three Anderson generations before that were involved in the LMS in South Africa since the first William Anderson arrived in Cape Town in 1800. His younger brother Alec and oldest sister Sheila and their families (eight of my cousins!) were also living there. At one stage two other sisters and their families lived in Bulawayo, so we were more exposed to our larger family than we were in the past ten years. This homecoming for my father was significant, and he also had the advantage of speaking the main language of the region, SiNdebele, fluently. My mother had acquired fluency in ChiShona so this was a new challenge for her. This was to be their last appointment in Zimbabwe before they returned to Zambia, and then to South Africa.
3, Forbes Avenue,
Bulawayo, Rhodesia.
November 1965.
Ever since we arrived back from furlough at the end of June, we
have been kept going with one thing or another. Keith is the Regional Commander
for Matabeleland, and this area is a tough proposition. For one thing, they
have had three years drought, which makes things very difficult, and also in
some areas the people are much more backward than in Mashonaland where we have
previously worked. We have an African District Officer also an African School
Manager working with us, but Keith has the administrative responsibility for
these, also all the financial responsibility. This entails a good deal of
office work. We are very happy with our African District Officer and his wife,
who are a very fine couple, and doing a fine job. They are both so willing to
learn from our experience, and we also learn many things from them.
We have just recently returned from a 10 day trek with Captain
& Mrs. Moyo,[1]
our District Officers, and the School Manager, in the Nata Reserve which is
about 120 miles from Bulawayo. The people there are very backward and the work
is difficult. It is almost like a desert out there now after the drought, and
we have to plough through thick sand everywhere. We inhale, swallow, and get
fine dust in our eyes, ears, nose, and by the end of each day are covered in
brown! At each place Keith and Captain did Corps Inspections, and Census
meetings, and what revelations were forthcoming during those inspections! Many
things had to be put straight, and Officers and Corps Leaders taught the right
way of doing things … Mrs. Captain Moyo and I did a Home League each day as we
moved to different places, also met the Home League Local Officers[2],
and spent several hours training them. … At almost every place we found that
the women would not come to Home League because their husbands would not allow
them to do so. The men in that area mostly have several wives, and do not want
their wives uplifted. They say – “My wives will not obey me, and work hard for
me, if they learn many things”. So it needs tremendous patience and an utter
reliance on the power of God to accomplish anything. At one Corps where I was
trying to persuade the women to become Home League members, they said their
husbands refused to let them come. I saw two men outside the classroom, so I
fetched them in and asked “Is your wife here?” They each had two wives present,
so I asked them if they would allow their wives to come, and they said they
would never refuse. They said that to me, but would probably say something else
to their wives when they got home.
…
…
We spent a week in the Filabusi district, and will be going there
again next week. … As well as doing Home League meetings, and meeting Home
League Locals I spent a good deal of time with Officers’ and teachers’ wives in
their own homes.
There is a great deal of hunger and starvation in this area, and
we are doing what we can to help. We are organising a feeding scheme at 2 of
our schools under the Freedom from Hunger Campaign. At one place in Nata, I saw
a woman with twins, both these babies of over 15 months old, one hanging on to
each breast. I found that these little ones had had nothing but the Mother’s
milk ever since birth, and they looked dreadful. The Mother herself was skin
and bone, and her four older children like scarecrows. I went immediately to
the store and bought milk powder for these babies, and the Officer’s wife was
going to show her how to mix this. I also gave them other foods, but one feels
so helpless to do anything worthwhile, it is just a drop in the ocean. I
treated so many children that week with terrible sores and ulcers, caused by
malnutrition.
…
Allan is still a boarder in Salisbury, and is sitting his G.C.E.
‘O’ level exam. next week. He hopes to come to Bulawayo next year for 6th
Form, to Milton High School, his Father’s old school, so we shall have him at
home again. He is now a commissioned Bandsman and wearing band uniform. Carol
is in Form I at the Evelyn High School in Bulawayo, and is quite happy in the
little European Corps here. …
The eyes of the world are on Rhodesia
at the moment, and we are all praying that a solution may be found to the
difficulties of this country, that we may live together in harmony and
Christian brotherhood. We feel that the best thing for Christians to do is to
pray that God’s will shall be done.[3]
…
3 Forbes Avenue,
Bulawayo, Rhodesia.
4th July, 1966.
I am afraid I am late with my newsletter, but I have not had time
before now. Apart from our immediate responsibility for the African work in
Matabeleland, I have this year started the S.A. Nurses’ Fellowship in Bulawayo,
which entails the arranging of a monthly meeting in our home when some of the
nurses have to sleep at our house for the night, but it has been so good to
discover Army girls who are taking their S.R.N. training at the African
hospital, and we have 16 African and 5 European nurses now. I have also
organised the League of Mercy among our African comrades here, am on the
Matabeleland Committee of Women’s Groups Liaison, as well as being the Chairman
of the Bulawayo District Committee for Women’s Workers. The supervision of Home
League in this area is a full time job, and in between times I am a wife and
mother! At the moment we have the two daughters of Keith’s sister, staying with
us for three months while their parents are on holiday in England, and I leave
you to imagine our home with four teenagers!
We had a wonderful week in the Semokwe Reserve with our District
Officers, Captain and Mrs. Moyo. Keith and Captain conducted Corps Inspections
etc while Mrs Moyo and I did Home Leagues, met the Locals and inspected books. We
did village meetings every evening, visitation when we could and staff meetings
with teachers. … We finished up at the Tshelanyemba Institute and had a grand
meeting when a number of the senior students came to the Mercy Seat, as well as
a teacher about whom we had been rather anxious. We were able to watch the feeding
scheme at the Hospital where the matron, Major Evelyn Munn has done a wonderful
job feeding the starving children. It
was so moving to see these youngsters queueing up for their cooked food with
their little bundle of firewood with which they paid for their food. We have
been most grateful for the food given by the National Council of Women which
has helped a great deal, and I have had the privilege of going to several of
the European schools to speak at their Assemblies about the Children of the
Drought Scheme.
…
…
…
Allan and Carol and very happy in Bulawayo Corps. Allan passed his
G.C.E. O level with flying colours, and is now in Lower 6th doing “A”
level taking English, History, and Religious Knowledge at Milton, his father’s old
school. The little Band is doing very well under B/M [Bandmaster] Ted Horwood and is now playing marches and selections.
They have also started a Rhythm Grouo in which Allan plays the drums, and Carol
is a soloist. Carol is now in uniform and has just signed her Corps Cadets Application
Form (it just doesn’t seem possible that our baby is now a Corps Cadet). Easter
weekend a carload of them went down to a Youth Camp near Johannesburg, had a
wonderful time and all came back enthused and in love with the Army in South
Africa. …
I expect you are wondering how we are
faring under U.D.I.[4]
and I can only say that we are carrying on with our work as usual, everything
is quite normal, except that prices have risen, and it is difficult to make ends
meet sometimes. The whole country is quite peaceful, and we move quite freely
among the African people. The Army is accepted everywhere because we keep
absolutely free of politics and keep to our main purpose – preaching the Gospel,
and we thank God for the way He is helping us with that.
3 Forbes Avenue,
BULAWAYO, RHODESIA.
15th November, 1966.
Special Christmas Greetings to all our friends.
We have just returned from a week’s trek and what a week! The weather
turned cold, wet and windy, and you can imagine life in the Bush under those
conditions. The first Home League I attended I was very pleased to see the
enthusiastic way in which the women are trying to do what we want. The next day
we went to a Mine, and under a tree in the Compound I taught the women how to
scrub a table properly, as we are doing Housewifery this quarter.
I have recently been elected as Chairman of the Matabeleland Provincial
Committee of the Women’s Groups Liaison, and am trying to get District Committees
going in various places. I was able to call a meeting of European and African
ladies at Filabusi which we held in our hall there, and am very pleased that
this Committee is now functioning. A great deal of good has been done by the co-ordination
of Women’s Groups, and I have been able to send a number of our women to
Training Courses run by Governments or Municipality Depts. It has been good to
share ideas with other organizations.
…
We have had 4 very inspiring Congresses in our Region, the last two
of which were conducted by our Territorial Commander and Mrs Lt. Commissioner Fewster.
The first one at Filabusi we slept in a three roomed house (mud and brick) with
insufficient thatching on the roof, and on the Saturday night we were soaked
through in the middle of the night by unexpected rain, and spent the rest of
the night in the two cars! Our African Salvationists, bless them, stood up most
of the night, or crawled under lorries and buses, but in spite of wet and cold
turned up in full force in wonderful spirits for Knee Drill [prayer meeting] early next morning.
We had a wonderful Congress in Bulawayo itself with all the urban
Corps and outposts uniting … the large Welfare Hall was packed to overflowing.
I was particularly thrilled with the display of needlework and handcraft done
by Home Leagues at each centre, much better than before…
…
The other evening Allan arranged a special meeting for the Rhythm Group
and the Citadel was absolutely packed with mostly young people. We were so proud
of our 6 young people who did very well indeed. Then on the Sunday evening Allan
gave his first sermon, and spoke for 18 minutes as if he had been doing it all
his life.[5]
Even his sister listened attentively and his Mum was so proud, yet so grateful
to God for the way he is turning out.
We are glorying in a lovely airy
office which has been built in our garden by an African builder with storeroom
attached. What a boon to have adequate space as for years the office has been
in the garage and one could not move. We are hoping to have 3 weeks’ furlough
in December but are not leaving Bulawayo. We have been offered the use of a
lovely home at Hillside while the owners are away, so can get away from people
coming constantly to the office, and have a real break which we both need,
before we tackle the demands of another year.
[1]
They later became the first African Territorial Commander (national leader) for
the Salvation Army in Zimbabwe.
[2]
Local Officers, usually referred to as “Locals” in these letters, refers to lay
leaders in a local church (Corps).
[3] During
this time, negotiations between the Rhodesian Front white government under Ian
Smith and the UK Labour government under Harold Wilson broke down, and the
Unilateral Declaration of Independence was made in November 1965. This resulted
in international sanctions and a guerrilla war leading to the independence of
Zimbabwe almost 15 years later.
[4] Unilateral
Declaration of Independence.
[5] I
would have just turned 17 years old.
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