Chronicle-1965

Last year, during the winter, I attended a very interesting course of the "Outward Bound' up in the Chimanimani Mountains, where we startedach day at dawn with a dip in a mountain pool(one morning the temperature ofthe pool was 47°). During the course we iearnt about rock climbing, abseiling, mountain rescue,and carried out various expeditions, walking as muchastwenty miles a day in the mountains. Some of our trips took us well into Portuguese Territory. Only a few weeks ago I was asked by a Missionary, whom I knew down in the Zarnbezi Valley, if I would accompany him, and a friend of his, down the Zambezi from Chirundu in some boat, which I imagined had an engine. Well, to my horror, after saying I would go,I found that the boat was a rowing boat, with no motor and no oars, only three home-made paddles. After being warned about savage hippo on the river by a certain gentleman working at the Chirundu Sugar Estates, we set off very cautiously, drifting along with the current. As luck would have it, every time we came across hippo we would drift right into them. On one particular day we counted up to three hundred and fifty. Crocodile were also about and would shoot into the water at our apprach. Because of our slow progress, we spent at least ten hours on the water each day,taking it in turn to paddle,four hours on,two hours off. In the evenings we would pull up on to a bank and make camp. Most banks of the Zambezi are very steep,and on one occasion when we pulled into the shore to make camp and climbed the bank we found a herd of elephant grazing. Throughout the trip we saw plenty of game,including a leopard and a pride oflion. It was a wonderful trip and one I suggest for the Exploration Society, if they would be at all interested. I would gladly act as guide, and some time could also be spent on looking for the'Two Toed Clan'the Wadora." E,N.Peppier(27-31) wrote from Port Elizabeth: "Early in November I shall be attending a Managers'Conference oftheS.A. Mutualin Johannesburg.There are seven of us Control Managers In the Repub lic, and three ofus are old Kearsney boys — Laurie Good(Durban),John Worth (Bloemfontein)and myself... You would probably not recognise me ifI walked in unannounced now. From the lanky youth of college days I have grown into a 200 lb. brute with greying hair and slightly sagging cheeks. However, I still enjoy helping my son in his athletic training and actually paced him for 75 yards in the 440 the other day. I held the K.C.440 record for one year, with 57 sees., but my son does it in 53 now. Rather humbling. I look back on my days at the old Kearsney with much pleasure. Scholastically I achieved little, but in the school of Life Kearsney equipped me with invaluable assets I shall always value. I took the bass solo in Stainer's "Cruci fixion" last year,and my love ofsinging stems largely from those times we boys spent round your piano in the old Prep. Building. Remember?"(Yes, Ed.I) J. M.Barns(54-58) wrote from Durban: "I left Durban in June of 1962 and travelled East Coast,spending afew days in most of the major ports along the route. Zanzibar, at that time under the Sultan's rule, and Egypt I found the most fascinating of all the places visited. We arrived in England to be greeted by a dock strike and typically English weather. I was very fortunate in obtaining a job within a week of arrival. This firm had myservicesfor one year, whereI worked as a printing production clerk-cumtraveller. It was very interesting work and enjoyable, but as I had decided to study for the Chartered Institute of Secretaries it was rather in the wrong line. 128

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