NORRIS & DORA C. 1881 - 1948

Upon arrival, accommodation was initially probably under canvas, the Kafue River was used for bathing and cooking was al fresco or “a la braai”.  Norris made bricks by the riverside using boxes to cast two bricks at a time (regulation size of course); they were stacked in a ‘“kiln” plastered over with “dagga“ and baked.   The bungalow was eventually completed with much patience on the part of Dora.   The windows and doors had to be imported from the South but the roof was typically of thatch  -  in all probability elephant grass. 

(Ed:    In October 1961 I visited the farm with my Mother, Mamie, and we actually stood on the slab which was all that was left of the original, but by then disintegrated,  homestead.  We had been directed to the site by an ancient Mrs Ilsley whose name we obtained from the Mazabuka Post Office and who received us graciously and gave us tea.)

Dora was to produce a further son and daughter: Cecil Kalaya ((1914)  and, some  two years later, his younger sister: Patricia (1917).  (Cecil was reputedly the first white boy-child to be born in the country and Margaret Bateson, a neighbour, the first girl.)  

There has been longstanding debate concerning the derivation of the name “Keesha”, by which Patricia has always affectionately been known.  First and foremost, a three-syllable first name would have been most unusual.  Then, she could not be called “Pat” as that was the pet-name by which Norris called Dora  - probably in acknowledgement of her Irish heritage.   Cecil also claims some responsibility, in that, being just a couple of years old and probably more fluent in the local African language than English, he found difficulty in handling “Tricia” – thus, in African fashion, the “ish” emerged as “eesh” and thence to Keesha.  What must also be recalled is that Norris called her “Tisha” - interestingly in his diaries he  actually wrote her name “Tsha”.  From my own enquiries however, I am more inclined to believe that the name was wholly indigenous i.e. in various African languages the name “Kesha or Keesha” simply means “the one who is loved”.

The homestead kitchen was a separate building some 20m from the back veranda and the toilet in a different direction on the side of the house.   This latter facility was decidedly “plush” in that it provided three classes of seating: Adult, “medium” and children!

It was of paramount importance, before taking one’s seat, to check carefully for the presence of snakes and other poisonous creepy-crawlies.  It is assumed that one would have safely arrived in the first instance having traversed the area behind the kitchen where the spoor of lion and other dangerous animals were frequently observed.

A bathroom was added sometime later with water being supplied from two galvanised tanks set up at the corner of the house so that taps were gravity-fed.    This structure with slightly sloping sides was built of bricks smoothly plastered – the prevalence of the notorious “white-ants” (termites) always a problem in this part of the world.

Cecil recalls an incident involving a stout gentleman lavishly soaped and thoroughly enjoying the luxury of a bath.   However, when he let the water out, his backside was firmly wedged in the bath - the soapsuds having facilitated a slippery slide to indignity!    A rescue team (black and highly amused) was assembled and armed with heavy hammers had to break the bathroom door down.

George eventually was sent to school at “Plumtree” close to the Rhodesia/ Bechuanaland (now Zimbabwe/Botswana) border returning home for school holidays.  

On one occasion, pursuing one of his hobbies, he built a beehive.   This was set up on two columns of brickwork.  George was not affected by bee-stings and could walk completely sting-free through a swarm.   

On a particular day, a tragedy occurred - a pig on the prowl decided to investigate the beehive and in doing so knocked it off the brick stand.   The hive disintegrated and the bees swarmed in great numbers round the farm attacking every living thing in their way: cats, dogs, hens, cattle, goats, pigs, horses, bulls etc AND turkeys!   

The turkeys were known as “Lord and Lady Buxton” named after their recent visit to the farm.   (Lord Buxton was, among other things, until 1920 Chief Scout in South Africa.)   The children’s Grandmother, their Mother and any other person still standing, set up a hospital of sorts tasked with removing the stings with tweezers after treating with “dolly-blue“ from the laundry washtubs.    The loss of animal life is not known but “Lord and Lady Buxton” were declared “missing presumed dead”.   

To everyone’s amazement however, a fortnight later they re-appeared! How they ever survived the lions and other wild animals in the bush, given their eyes and so on having been severely stung, was a complete mystery.  

Dora was mad about animals and rabbits, chickens and whatever else, were at liberty to roam through the house.  One night much squawking woke her so she got up, grabbed a shotgun and dashed outside regardless of any danger – Norris in the meantime had preceded her and almost had his head shot off being mistaken for a predator.  The air was blue with Norris’ “What the ….. do you think you’re doing woman, get back to bed.”   

Another story involving George was his seeming contempt for the brain-power of the simple chicken when he glued little paper dunce-caps on the heads of Dora’s entire flock!

A most useful travelling aid of the day was the tin trunk.   Measuring about 100x5cms and 30cms deep, the lid could be dismantled and the trunk used as a portable bath simply by adding hot water.   

One fine day such a bath was in use on the banks of the Kafue River.   Next news, out on a clear tide came a “bath” sailing down the river crewed by a very young Cecil and his favourite puppy (a hint maybe to his future stint at the “General Botha“?!).  

As usual, George, a holy terror by all accounts, displayed total innocence, disclaimed any responsibility but Lord knows what might have happened if the “bath” had capsized!  

On another occasion, after having been to see a circus and having been impressed by the acrobats throwing one another into the air, he got Gordon and Cecil somehow thrown over a wall.  However, he failed to take the precaution of checking that the rear was safe and clear – as things happened, there were boxes of empty bottles there which resulted in the two boys being badly cut and he got into serious trouble.

A harvester driven by a Fordson tractor was belt-operated to shell “mealies”, thresh wheat etc.   The dress for native labourers was a “mealie sack” with a hole through the closed end for the head; this apparently worked well and was in use for years.   

On one occasion a native wearing such a covering, which had become frayed, became entangled in the drive-belt, was dragged onto the pulley and had his arm ripped off.   The wound was flooded with “Condy’s crystals” (Potassium Permanganate) and the poor man rushed to hospital on farm transport; there being no ambulances in those days.  He lived despite Norris having no medical qualification or licence for the operation!

Panics were not unusual!  One time, Betty and Gordon were due to return from Robert Codrington School in the scotch-cart: a single-axle contraption complete with disselboom and drawn by one horse.   Long overdue by several hours, they eventually arrived black and blue having been thrown out of the cart when the bolt holding the disselboom broke loose.   The next day it had been repaired but with lock nut added!  

Betty has related the tale of when, travelling through the bush in the family car with her head out of a window, she was hit by a thorn tree or bramble branch and her eyeball was ripped from it’s socket.  Being some three days away from the nearest doctor, it was up to Father to pop it back in place!

Cecil recalls ±1918/19, along with the family, peering overhead to witness the first London to Cape Town commercial aeroplane flying over the farm on its way southwards.   He said his eyes were so glued in wonder that, as he circled trying to follow the flight, he ended up falling “on his bum”. 

Apparently the remains of the best specimen of a lion to be shot by Norris was forwarded to London to be prepared into a lion skin rug - no doubt one that could be spread in front of a fireplace.   Instruction to the experts was to “mount as you think fit”.    Living in a tent in the bush at the time, it was fully six months before he received a letter confirming the admirable quality of the deceased animal, adding that it had been stuffed, mounted and was encased in a glass museum case  and they were “awaiting further instructions”.   

After further exchanges of correspondence - by sea mail via Cape Town  - Norris presented the handsome specimen to the Preston Museum and in turn received a picture of it bearing the inscription “Lion Shot in Northern Rhodesia by Norris W. Dent”. 

Lion hunting was a dangerous activity however, not only from the wild animal perspective – on a night hunt a lion roared much too close for comfort and the African staff simply dropped their lanterns and headed “for the hills” leaving a very nervous Norris to fend for himself!

Farming, predominantly cotton production, was the pre-occupation of the day and Norris attended to this on his own mainly with a large African work-force but occasionally various young men from the English aristocracy came to stay having blackened their family names or just fallen out of favour back home. 

Along with a number of neighbouring farmers Norris  embarked  upon several business ventures incidental to agriculture in the true spirit of pioneers of those days, e.g. he subscribed for shares in a Bacon and Canning Factory!

Trains of the day comprised predominantly cattle trucks interspersed with the odd passenger carriage when required.   A certain gentleman by the name of Roscoe had to travel South, but whilst he was of ordinary height, he was extremely rotund weighing in at about 250lbs.   He could not fit through any of the train doors or windows but, in the spirit of a farmer, being always able to “maak a plan”, he did the trip in one of the cattle wagons. 

(Ed: I was to come across the names of a number of the farmers of that time - or their offspring - much later in my life ie Micklem, Bentley, Allison, Ilsley, etc and Bennett Forbes Fothergill was the consultant Architect for the Standard Bank in Salisbury/Harare for many years.) 

Life was punctuated with various train trips “to the South” and arrivals and departures in the small community were a social event.   

Reports appeared regularly in The Livingstone Mail eg on 19 December 1919: “Mrs Dent Snr and grandchildren (3) passed through to the South on Sunday” – this referring to “Mammy”, George, Betty and Gordon – one assumes that the parents, Cecil and Keesha remained behind – and on 3 June 1920: “ By Sunday’s train the following returned: … Mr and Mrs Norris W. Dent and Miss Patricia Dent ….”

There were several native tribes in the Kalaya Valley of which one, the Mahakalumbi, by tradition knocked out their front teeth.  It so happened at one time that when Gordon lost his milk teeth, in the course of normal development around twelve years old, he was immediately proclaimed a Chief of that tribe.

Another early memory of Cecil was sitting “mystified” on the railway tracks near Mazabuka looking north, seeing the tracks merge together and wondering where they went!

Cecil’s “believe it or not” godfather was one Edward Pease.   The latter’s father was Sir Alfred Pease who rode “First Horse” behind the King.   He once sent Cecil a pocket-knife as a birthday gift by post, which today would probably rank as a “dangerous weapon“.   Cecil feels sure that his “thank you” letter must have reached Edward at “Rosedale” in Hinderwell, North Yorkshire.

He remembers playing in the large mounds of “mealies” while Betty and Gordon rode on pigs trying to cut hair from the tails from which to make paintbrushes.  Also, travelling at night in the “new” Ford motorcar with the way being lit by two carbide lamps suspended on the windscreen - not much use to see by but probably warning lions to keep clear.   Around the same time an apparition appeared at the bungalow shrouded in black sheeting aboard a motorcycle with sidecar!   It was a woman!    Unheard of to be straddling a motorcycle and Cecil could not even remember seeing a woman on a horse in those days.

Norris was a true pioneer and entrepreneur!   He was variously involved with agriculture becoming Chairman (and  a  shareholder)  of the North Western Rhodesia Farmers’ Association, being a founding member (along with Lord Wolverton and the Duke of Westminster) and director of the Northern Rhodesian Bacon Factory Limited and involving himself in local politics.  He was elected to represent farming on the Advisory Council formed to pave the way from BSA Co. rule to representative government; his platform, inter alia, included opposition “to joining the Union either directly or through S. Rhodesia” and he strongly favoured “a liberal form of Crown Colony Government”.   He declared strong sympathy for ”Returned Rhodesian Soldiers” who he believed should receive assistance by way of grants of land.