When I first heard about Nelson Mandela he was in prison on Robben Island. We had just moved from Rhodesia to South Africa and were living in Cape Town. We were told that Nelson Mandela was a dangerous terrorist. He served 27 years in prison before he was released in 1990.
I remember seeing Robben Island from the window of a Sikorsy 58 Helicopter that my dad was flying to drop off supplies at a light house. The thought that was mainly on my mind was that Nelson Mandela was in one of those buildings down there.
Nelson Mandela could have had a lot of bitterness when he got out of jail but he chose to forgive his persecutors as well as the rest of the white tribe that had treated him so badly. He could have called for a bloodbath but instead he called for peace and proved to be a true statesman. The country of South Africa is indebted to"Madiba."
For similar Stories of Africa you can read my book "How I battled the demons of Bipolar Disorder" in Kindle books.
Monday 22 July 2013
Saturday 6 July 2013
Friday 5 July 2013
Lake Kariba
Kariba Dam was built on the Zambezi river from 1955-1959 at the cost of 86 lives. Some of whom were buried in the wall while the concrete was being poured. The dam floods 280km upriver and has a surface area of 5400 square kilometres making it the largest dam in the world until it was superseded by the Aswan Dam in Egypt. During the flood several thousand animals were rescued from the hills that became islands and the disappeared beneath the water. The rescue effort was named Operation Noah.
I first went to Kariba with my family when I was 8 years old. We stayed at the Air Force chalets which were built on the shore of the lake. There was thick indigenous bush on the other three sides. We also brought our cook to prepare meals. One morning I, my younger sister and baby brother, began to play on a fallen Mopani tree. After a few minutes I noticed movement in the bushes near us. We were slowly being surrounded by baboons. My Dad came out the chalet and started yelling for us to come inside. We all ran inside until the baboons had gone on their way.
Later on I went fishing in a small canoe with the indigenous caretaker. I caught a tiny bream which I was very pleased with. While we were fishing a green mamba swam past us. I often wondered what I would have done if I had hooked the snake instead of the fish.
In the evenings my parents liked to go to the casino at Kariba Town. One night we came back in the rain along the power line track when a lioness ran in front of the car. It got a fright and tucked its tail between its legs and ran off into the Jesse Bush on the side of the road. That was the first time I had seen a wild lion.
A couple of days later our cook got the giggles because the caretaker told him the news that an African man had been eaten by some lions that night and all that was left was his hands. Our cook was actually very nervous but the only way he could express himself was to laugh about it. He was very relieved when we left a few days later. I loved Kariba so much I wanted to live there.
I first went to Kariba with my family when I was 8 years old. We stayed at the Air Force chalets which were built on the shore of the lake. There was thick indigenous bush on the other three sides. We also brought our cook to prepare meals. One morning I, my younger sister and baby brother, began to play on a fallen Mopani tree. After a few minutes I noticed movement in the bushes near us. We were slowly being surrounded by baboons. My Dad came out the chalet and started yelling for us to come inside. We all ran inside until the baboons had gone on their way.
Later on I went fishing in a small canoe with the indigenous caretaker. I caught a tiny bream which I was very pleased with. While we were fishing a green mamba swam past us. I often wondered what I would have done if I had hooked the snake instead of the fish.
In the evenings my parents liked to go to the casino at Kariba Town. One night we came back in the rain along the power line track when a lioness ran in front of the car. It got a fright and tucked its tail between its legs and ran off into the Jesse Bush on the side of the road. That was the first time I had seen a wild lion.
A couple of days later our cook got the giggles because the caretaker told him the news that an African man had been eaten by some lions that night and all that was left was his hands. Our cook was actually very nervous but the only way he could express himself was to laugh about it. He was very relieved when we left a few days later. I loved Kariba so much I wanted to live there.
Wednesday 3 July 2013
Don't Lets Go To The Dogs Tonight
This story is about a girl growing up on a cattle Ranch in war torn Rhodesia and how she and her family coped. When I read this book I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it twice from cover to cover. I highly recommend this remarkable story from Africa.
Tuesday 2 July 2013
South African Air force
When I was 22 years old I was accepted onto the South African Air Force Pilot training course.
This was despite the fact that I had been diagnosed with manic depression (Bipolar Disorder) when I was 16. I had always wanted to be an air force pilot like my Dad so getting into South African Air Force was a dream come true. However just before intake I got sick again and didn't make it onto the pilots course as I was declared unfit for military service. My Dad always wondered why they accepted me in the first place knowing my medical background. This is just one of the stories in my book "How I Battled The Demons of Bipolar" which is listed below.
This was despite the fact that I had been diagnosed with manic depression (Bipolar Disorder) when I was 16. I had always wanted to be an air force pilot like my Dad so getting into South African Air Force was a dream come true. However just before intake I got sick again and didn't make it onto the pilots course as I was declared unfit for military service. My Dad always wondered why they accepted me in the first place knowing my medical background. This is just one of the stories in my book "How I Battled The Demons of Bipolar" which is listed below.
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