2. INTRODUCTION TO AFRICA
Pursuing his chosen line of work, Norris embarked on his African adventures in 1906 proceeding in the first instance with 12 other young men to Lagos in Nigeria - West Africa. Ten of these were either dead or invalided home within a year. In a letter to the Editor of “The Cape Argus” in which he refers to his experiences in West Africa, he quoted a short rhyme: “Deadly blight of Benin - For one that comes out, there’s nine that went in!“
Norris was decidedly unimpressed with Nigeria nor indeed with some neighbouring countries mainly because of the health hazards. Malaria, blackwater and yellow fevers as well as other equatorial diseases were killers of white settlers. And, although, climatically, there were reasonable possibilities for cotton production, he additionally reported adversely on the labour prospects.
Eventually, in ± 1909, he proceeded to Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia), which he reported was eminently suitable. Under contract as Managing Director of the Northern Rhodesian Cotton Company Limited, he bought up 29 000 fertile acres in the Kalaya Valley alongside the Kafue River near the small settlement of Mazabuka. It was here that he was to grow the country’s first cotton crop. A ginnery was also built which was eventually purchased by Rhodes’ British South Africa Company.
At this time both Southern and Northern Rhodesia were under the administration of Cecil John Rhodes’ British South Africa Company in terms of the Royal Charter granted by Queen Victoria.
By now, William, Norris’ father, had died and Dora had produced: one Irish son, one British daughter and one British son, respectively: George (born in Belfast in 1907), Betty and Gordon (born in Preston in 1908 and 1910 respectively).
The family, including Hannah – Granny/Mammy – “upped sticks“ for darkest Africa leaving England by ship to Cape Town from where they travelled by train across what, in the aftermath of the Boer War, had become the Union of South Africa, and on to Bulawayo.
From there they would have continued by train to Victoria Falls and over the awesome, fairly new bridge to Livingstone. This bridge had been opened in 1905 by Charles Darwin’s son and was an important link in the vision of Cecil Rhodes for a rail and road system from “Cape to Cairo”.
