Yup, those were the days! Wish we could have it again. No terrorism, animosity or strife among the locals! Everyone got along.

We now live in San Diego, California and hve been here for close on 32 years now.

Feel free to drop me a line sometime:

jckingpin@cox.net

shirley

It’s sad to hear how things have gone since then – I often dream of taking my family to Zimbabwe, but I doesn’t seem like the place to go at the moment.

Nevertheless. thank you for rekindling a fond memory.

Jeanette Lyng, Hellerup, denmark.

Quoting AnonymousHow many Black people went in there. Not counting the workers. It was a venue for the white elite at the time. Thank God, anything that reminds us of the colonial and racist past has been destroyed. After all, such a place has no place in the life of an African.

@nelson â?? Why is it that it is always taken for granted that all white commercial farmers are British? It does your head in. your father-in-law was born in South Africa in 1900. Your mother in law was born in Shurugwe in 1913. Your husband was born in Kadoma in 1936. Your sons were born in Kadoma in 1970. The problem is, a lot of you have dual passports, and if you do not have one, you can get one on the basis of your ancestors. Furthermore, A lot of the White Zimbabweans are only there to enjoy the benefits of a cheap workforce, which they have enjoyed for generations., getting rich off the swaet of the black man.

The swimming pool, thank god its gone. 90% of the Zimbabwean population cannot

Guy French ( Ollie )

I remember stooping off at the hotel over all my childhood years and beyond. We moved to live at Kamativi Tin Mine about 1950 and the Bulawayo road was mostly strips and low level bridges. We travelled the 200 miles a number of times a year, having to keep an eye on weather conditions in the rainy season when streams and rivers (especially the Gwaai) could cut us off. We would make fuel and refreshment stops at Kenmuir, Half Way House but especially the Gwaai (which in the early days was Van Niekirk’s). We also usually stopped to buy oranges from the store on Chimwara.

It was Harold and Sylvia that made the Gwaai, with their special brand of hospitality. I too remember the pool, donkeys, the dining room’s punkah wallah and the monkey on the pole! In the 70s I remember also regular visits when I was deputy manager of the Safari Lodge. Harold and Sylvia were like family. My Dad and Harold played an active part in the Lions and Moths groups who met at the hotel. The Gwaai was a staging post too for the convoys and we would be escorted to there from Kamativi before setting off for Bulawayo.

Thanks for the memories. I pray one day Zimbabwe can recover from all the sadness. Most of its peoples are wonderful and do not deserve the leaders who have destroyed God’s country.
@anne combe -

Quoting tc@Doris –
So the British govt should take not a single ounce of blame, in spite of the fact that they reneged on their promises at Lancaster House? I quote you Clare Short’s letter to RM:

I should make it clear that we do not accept that Britain has a special responsibility to meet the costs of land purchase in Zimbabwe. We are a new Government from diverse backgrounds without links to former colonial interests. My own origins are Irish and as you know we were colonised not colonisers.

A link to the full letter is here:
http://maravi.blogspot.com/2007/03/zimbabwe-claire-shorts-letter-nov-5th.html

The letter stipulates conditions for support of land reform, fine. But the quoted paragraph is scandalous in its disregard for Zimbabwean history and sensitivities. Mugabe is not the sole agent of Zimbabwe’s downfall.

mugabe forced the land grab issue to detract attention from himself and his 5th brigade cronies as he faced International preassure to account for Human Rights attrocities, namely the Matabeleland massacres.Or have you conveniently forgot? Forget about compensation from the Brits-rather explain the Matabeleland massacre

Bob, I most definitely agree.

I was in my 20′s when I first visited the Gwaai. Thank you for adding one more memory

Anne, I was so sad to hear about Harold’s death and to see the ruins of Gwaai River Hotel. You have brought back long buried childhood memories of when we used to stop there on our way home to Kamativi in the school holidays. Harold and Sylvia were always so welcoming. I have one vivid memory of a Christmas party there when I had my party dress ripped off by a monkey that they had chained to a pole. I had been feeding it chips and when I turned away it jumped onto a ribbon at the back of my dress!

Your father was a good friend of my father and I remember visiting your farm a couple of times. I was at Coghlan with you and we had measles at the same time and went home to recouperate!

I haven’t been back to Kamativi since my father retired in 1979. I prefer to remember it as it was – we were incredibly lucky to have had such a magical childhood. So much water under the bridge since then, but lets set our hopes on a new Zimbabwe being rebuilt from the ashes one day.