Nkosi Sikelela Africa

It has been yet another fantastic week. The good news for me, is that I finished putting "Inguluvane" (the landrover) back together and took it for its trial run when I went out to the Park this last weekend. There was no grating of gears and no oil leaks, so I must have done a fair job. I still have a lot to learn about the insides of Land Rovers, but at least I have progressed.

It is amazing how these holiday weekends, catches one by surprise. I had programmed the Friday of last week as a normal Troop evening at Mabukuwene, not realising that it was to be a long weekend. Mind you, I was asked ages ago by Mrs. Moody if I would be available to help her run a Cub Scout Leader Pack Holiday and Camping course over the weekend. So I did know it was to be a long weekend, but I obviously was not quite with it. No comments from either of you.

Fortunately, Mrs. Moody had only given me a few sessions right at the beginning and right at the end of the course and that I would be free for most of the weekend. Hasty arrangements were made with the Troop to cancel the normal Friday meeting and instead, a four day camp starting on the Friday afternoon was substituted. Now for a complication. I received a phone call requesting me to assist with the Mount Inungu Service on Africa Day. Seeing Africa Day 25 May fell on a Sunday, the next day, Monday is made a public holiday. OK, as I have been assisting for the last one hundred years, what is another year. These services had been cancelled for the past two years when National Parks insisted that people pay to enter the Park in order to get to Mount Inungu, which is on private property. The new entry fees into the National Park is $320 million per adult plus a fee for vehicles, so I did not expect the service to take place this year, nor did I think of it in my planning of the Troop camp. Now I had four events coinciding. But being a Zimbabwean, nothing is impossible. Just Make a Plan.

On arriving at the Park on Friday afternoon, that is Chris, Brendon, Declan, Dylan McAtier a guest from the 8th and I were greeted by Mrs. Moody and Mr. Richard Shilling with a cup of tea. They had arrived before us and were settling in for the course which was due to start at 9 00 am on the Saturday. Anyway, we collected our Troop equipment from the Rough, loaded it onto the trailer and zoomed off to our campsite where we spent the night. It proved to be a rather cool and windy night. But, hey it was great to be in camp under a near full moon.

I left the chaps to sort out their own lives on Saturday morning, whilst I was involved in the Cub course, which only started at ten as the transport arrived late. Anything new? I rejoined the Troop for the afternoon and discovered from the chaps that they had seen a poacher's dog in the Park whilst they were collecting fire wood. They had also found a water tap running, which indicated that the poacher was still in the area. I then left them on their own at 4.45 pm as I was reading at Mass at Christ The King, but was back at the Park by 8 00 pm to have supper in the campsite.

Sunday dawned bright and sunny. We had a great breakfast and then packed our kit into our hut at the campsite as a safety measure seeing that there was a poacher around. Then we headed for Mount Inungu to check that all the stations of the cross were still in place and replace any that needed to be replaced. As the gate to Mount Inungu was closed and locked, we had a long walk. We replaced a few of the crosses and left the makeshift altar in a safe place at the top of the mountain. We were back at the Park for lunch. In the afternoon we struck camp as Declan, Dylan and Brendon were going back into town at 4 00 pm as they were playing in a hockey festival on the Monday out at Falcon College. They were not very happy to leave the camp, but that's life. Only Chris and I were left, so we decided to stay down at HQ and keep Mrs. Moody and Richard company. We joined the course in their campfire that evening.

Monday morning. Chris and I were up early lighting the cooking fire and started the HQ pump to top up the tanks. Then we swept the Chapel and laid out the altar.

Fr. Kevin was to celebrate Mass at the Park for those who could not climb Mount Inungu. At 8 30 am we left for Mount Inungu to set up the altar by the cross and wait for the crowd. By 10 00 am when the service was due to start, there was not a single person to be seen. We wondered around the top for the next half an hour before we sighted the first vehicle approach the bottom of the mountain. It was another hour before the first people arrived at the top. As I was to take one last session at the Cub course after lunch, we decided to go back to the Park and so missed the service which only started at 12 00 noon.

The course closed at 3 30 pm. Once everyone had left, Chris and I tidied up, had our showers and were away by 5 30 pm. As for Inguluvane, she performed well.

And what better way to end this letter than to sing :

NKOSI SIKELELA AFRICA....

Cheers Norman
Bulawayo, 29 May 2008