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April 2018Issue 4/2018

By Lu Penberthy - images by Thersia Tate

In a little cut-out near the en-trance to our village, with ac-cess only from the street side, stands a small cemetery. The three people buried there were residents of the original farm on which our village now stands. When the property was sold for development, this small portion of land remained the sole property of the Matthews family. The garden committee, spearheaded by Doreen Den-nehy, Thersia Tait and Andre Jelliman, have been in constant negotiations with Neven Mat-thews, now residing in Florida, USA to develop the area into a Garden of Remembrance. The proviso being that the remain-ing graves not be disturbed. Mr Matthews was visiting SA and a meeting was arranged. The outcome was that the Matthews family have agreed to allow us to make use of this area. The road entrance is to be blocked off and a new en-trance made with access from our village. Brands Tree Fellers have al-ready been called in to trim and neaten the trees growing in the area. Builders are hard at work cutting through the

brickwork to create a pleasing entrance. The road access has already been bricked up and security uncompromised. Four "windows" will be cut into walls, enabling the area to feel light and cheerful. Two will face North and two will face East. Doreen and Thersia, with in-put from their committee have been tirelessly pursuing op-tions for garden layout, paving and the like. Once completed, standardised plaques will be available for purchase the size of one brick face. Unfortu-nately however, no photo-graphs, likenesses or ashes will be kept on site. This is a work in progress, and will take many months before completion. We appeal to res-idents not to visit the area just yet as it is a building site and could be hazardous.

The Olive Branch will bring you progress reports and let everyone know how the area is developing. This is a truly significant project that the Garden committee has undertaken. When completed, it will be the most wonder-ful Garden of Remembrance, something of which we can re-ally all be most proud.

My name is Karien de Weerdt and I was born and lived in Kempton Park and just recently moved to Olivedale with my kitten, Olive. I have 3 brothers and 3 sisters and I am currently in a relationship with the love of my life, named Petrus.

I studied Travel and Tourism and achieved my Advanced Diploma in 2016. I started working at Trafalgar in April 2017 as a receptionist at Wa-terfall Hills Mature Lifestyle Estate.

I have a passion for music and love to sing along to the songs playing on the radio. I am also interested in history and love learning about differ-ent cultures, religions and lan-guages.

My dream is to someday travel to as many countries as I can. I already ticked - off the Netherlands and Belgium on my Bucket List

I am looking forward to new opportunities and meeting new and interesting people at Olivedale Retirement Village.

Meet Karien

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Crustless Milk Tart

Lu’sR A M B L E

cluding poultry, raw milk and milk products. Listeria is unlike many other bacteria in that it can thrive in very cold tempera-tures, yet is killed by cooking or by pasteurisation.

Anyone ingesting contaminated food is at risk. Symptoms of in-fection include fever and chills, headaches, upset stomach and vomiting.

Public health agencies continue to advise that processed ready-to-eat meat products, soft cheeses and unpasteurised milk products should be avoided at all costs.

The Listeria bacteria has been traced to Enterprise products.The bacteria was not only found to be contained within the meat products themselves but was in some cases also present on the casings as well as outside plastic wrappings. Editorial

March is past and with it - a quarter of the year has gone as well - how time flies.

I've found a few more fa-mous people and celebrities to share with you who were born in April and have also managed to find a couple of historical events also occur-ring this month. I hope you may find this interesting.

There is a hive of activity at the top of the village and the Garden Committee has let us have a look at what is on the go with the Garden of Remembrance - this looks like a project well worth the while.

Ian asks us where all the ec-centrics have gone and we get a view of what happens on Thursdays at 14:00.

Lu brings us up to date with the Listeria scare and gives us some information on the do's and don'ts in connec-tion with this disease.

In this issue, we also get to meet another of our new La-dies on reception.'til next time.Chris.

If these foods were stored in fridges, the bacteria could eas-ily spread to surrounding prod-ucts. Therefore, if you have had any of these foodstuffs in your fridge, you are advised to clean it out thoroughly and wipe down anything that may have come into contact with it. A Jik solution should do the trick. These foods are conveni-ent but not worth the risk of be-coming really ill.

If you have ingested any of the above and start displaying the symptoms in about a week, please seek medical advice.

The Listeriosis bacteria is suc-cessfully treated with antibiotics if caught in time. Us oldies are in the high risk group, so be in-formed and aware.

Our strongest ally is informa-tion. Know all the facts and act accordingly.

Well kind folk, keep bright eyed and bushy tailed, and 'til our next chat, well and happy.

4 Cups (1 lt) Milk1 cup (250ml) Cake flour¼ tsp (1ml) Salt2 Tbsp (30ml) Butter1 cup (250ml) Sugar1½ tsp (7.5ml) Baking powder½ tsp (2.5ml) Almond essenceRind of ½ lemon or orange4 eggs separated½ stick of cinnamon1. Bring milk, cinnamon, lemon

rind & butter to boil and leave to draw for 20 mins. Mix flour, sugar, salt & baking powder. Strain milk and add it to egg yolk, then beat this mixture into flour mixture. Add almond essence.

2. Return mixture to stove and bring to boil over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. (If a few lumps form, just beat them out with a beater after you have whipped the egg whites).

3. Butter pie plates with soft butter. Dust with bread, biscuit or rusk crumbs. Whip egg white with a drop of wine vinegar or lemon juice until it holds its shape and forms soft peaks. Beat milk tart mixture to remove lumps. Fold egg white into tart mixture and pour into pie plates. Dust with cinnamon.

4. Bake for 25-35 mins at 190ºC (375ºF). Switch off oven and leave to cool for 15 mins in warm oven. Serve hot, cold or at room temperature.

Hello my fellow villagers. I cannot believe that we are in April already - a third of the year gone by in a flash. We are fast approaching our cold dry months, and if my late grand-mother can be believed we are headed for a humdinger. She always said that if there was

a lot of ant activity, we were headed for a severe winter - have you seen the amount of

ant activity at present ?

Something that has been foremost in our minds and conversations of late, is the current Listeria outbreak. Listeria is a bacteria.

Bacteria are microscopic one-celled organisms which outnumber every other kind of life on this planet.

Bacteria enter the body and begin to multiply. Illness occurs when the body cells are dam-aged as a result of bacterial in-vasion. Listeriosis is a very seri-ous infection usually caused by eating food contaminated with the bacterium Listeria Monocy-togenes.

The bacteria is found in soil, water and some animal prod-ucts and processed meats in-

Your

Favourite

Recipes

Do you have a favourite

recipe that you would like to

share with the Village? Just

drop us a line - we would

love to hear from you.

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We strive to restore feminin-ity, comfort and confidence to women who has had a mastectomy by fitting them

with a perfect fitting bra and breast

prostheses in the comfort

of their own home.

THE M-STORE POST MASTECTOMY BRAS AND BREAST FORMSThe M Store is a boutique medical practice that specialise in the supply and fitment of breast prostheses & post mastectomy bras on medical aid.

Does the medical aid pay for my bra’s and prostheses? Yes, most medical aids will pay for 2-4 bras * and your prostheses yearly. We will gladly process your medical aid claims on your behalf.

*The amount of bra’s paid for is dependent on your medical aid and plan

What can you expect from The M store?Our medical Prosthetist and specialist post mastectomy product fitter, Chené Kerswill, will evaluate and recommend the perfect breast prostheses and bra for you. This process involves a test fitting where different styles and sizes of breast forms and bras are fitted to obtain the perfect fit. During this process, Chene will also provide the bra and breast prostheses options that will best suite you and together decide on the garments and prostheses. Once we obtained the perfect fit, we will then proceed with medi-cal aid authorisation & claim (if applicable) and arrange fitment date when you will be fitted with your products.

The M Store has one of the largest ranges of post mastectomy products in South Africa –

This includes:Light weight breast prosthe-ses; camisoles; swimwear; swim prostheses; bra’s and sport bra’s.

To book your first consulta-tion or for more informa-tion please contact us:

Chené Kerswill – 082 908 5313

Website – themstore.co.za

Email enquiries – chene@themstore.co.za

By LuWalk past the dining room any Thursday after 2:00p.m. and you will hear the clicking of knitting needles, voices chatting away and lots of laughter. These are the amazing ladies of the craft club. To date, piles of jerseys, beanies, scarves and blan-kets have been completed and donated to various

orphanages. Our sincere thanks and appreciation to all who have so gener-ously donated funds and wool to this worthy cause.

A special thanks to all the wonderful ladies who ply their needles tirelessly, creating the warm cuddly garments which are so gratefully received by those children who have absolutely nothing to call their own.

If you have any wool left over from your own creations, or can make a donation to purchase wool, it will be most appreciated. A warm friendly welcome awaits you if you like to join us.

Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. - we look for-ward to seeing you.

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April in HistoryApril 1, 1932 – Debbie Reynolds, actress

April 2, 1914 – Sir Alec Guinness, actor

April 3, 1924 – Mar-lon Brando, actor

April 3, 1924 – Doris Day, actress, singer

April 3, 1926 – Virgil “Gus” Grissom, astronaut, died in a fire during a simulation aboard Apollo 1

April 2, 1982 – The beginning of the Falkland Islands War as troops from Argentina invaded and occupied the British colony located near the tip of South America. The British retaliated and defeated the Ar-gentineans on June 15, 1982, after ten weeks of combat, with about 1,000 lives lost.

April 4, 1949 – Twelve na-tions signed the treaty creat-ing NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation. The nations united for common military defense against the threat of expansion by Soviet Russia into Western Europe.

April 4, 1968 – Civil Rights leader Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King was shot and killed by a sniper in Memphis, Tennes-see. As head of the Southern Christian Leadership Confer-ence, he had championed non-violent resistance to end racial oppression and had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

April 5, 1900 – Spencer Tracy, actor

April 6, 1896 – After a break of 1500 years, the first Olym-pics of the modern era was held in Athens, Greece.

April 7, 1770 – William Wordsworth, poet, philoso-pher

April 9, 1926 – Hugh Hefner, publisher of Playboy

April 9, 1954 – Dennis Quaid, actor

April 10, 1932 – Omar Sharif, actor

April 11, 1970 – Apollo 13 was launched from Cape Kennedy at 2:13 p.m. Fifty-six hours into the flight an oxygen tank exploded in the service module. Astronaut John L. Swigert saw a warning light that accompanied the bang and said, “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” Swigert, James A. Lovell and Fred W. Haise then transferred into the lunar module, using it as a “lifeboat” and began a peril-ous return trip to Earth, splash-ing down safely on April 17th.

April 12, 1961 – Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. He traveled aboard the Soviet spacecraft Vostok I to an altitude of 187 miles (301 kilometers) above the earth and completed a single orbit in a flight lasting 108 minutes.

The spectacular Russian success intensified the already ongo-ing Space Race between the Rus-sians and Ameri-

cans. Twenty-three days later, Alan Shepard became the first American in space. This was followed in 1962 by President Kennedy’s open call to land an American on the moon before the decade’s end.

April 12, 1981 – The first space shuttle flight occurred with the launching of Colum-bia with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen aboard. Columbia spent 54 hours in space, making 36 orbits, then landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

April 14, 1865 – President Abraham Lincoln was shot and mortally wounded while watching a performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theater in Washington. He was taken to a nearby house and died the following morning at 7:22 a.m.

April 15, 1452 – Leonardo da Vinci, artist, sculptor, inventor.

April 15, 1912 – In the icy waters off Newfoundland, the luxury liner Titanic with 2,224 persons on board sank at 2:27 a.m. after striking an iceberg just before midnight. Over 1,500 persons drowned while 700 were rescued by the liner Car-pathia which arrived about two hours after Titanic went down.

April 16 1889 – Film come-dian Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) was born in London. He began in

vaudeville and was discovered by American film producer Mack Sennett. He then went to Hollywood to make silent movies, developing the funny ‘Little Tramp’ film character. Chaplin’s classics include The Kid, The Gold Rush, City Lights and Modern Times. In 1940, he made The Great Dictator poking fun at Adolf Hitler, who bore a resemblance to Chaplin. In his later years, Chaplin had a

falling out with Americans, but returned in 1972 to receive a special Academy Award. In 1975, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II.

April 16, 1924 – Henry Mancini, composer

April 17, 1918 – William Holden, actor

April 18, 1946 – Hayley Mills, actress

April 19, 1935 – Dudley Moore, actor

April 20, 1889 – Adolf Hitler, Nazi dictator

April 21, 1926 – Queen Elizabeth II, queen of England

April 22, 1937 – Jack Nicholson, actor

April 23, 1928 – Shirley Temple Black, child actress, diplomat

April 23 – William Shake-speare (1564-1616) was born at Stratford-on-Avon, Eng-land. Renowned as the most influential writer in the English language, he created 36 plays and 154 sonnets, including Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet and The Merchant of Venice.

April 24, 1942 – Barbra Strei-sand, actress, director, singer

April 26, 1994 – Multiracial elections were held for the first time in the history of South Africa. With approxi-mately 18 million blacks voting, Nelson Mandela was elected president and F.W. de Klerk vice president.

April 27, 1791– Samuel Morse, invented magnetic telegraph

April 28, 1941– Ann-Margret, actress, singer April 29, 1957 – Michelle Pfeiffer, actress

April 30, 1933 – Willie Nel-son, country singer

April 30, 1982 – Kirsten Dunst, actress

April was not only for fools!

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www.CrosswordWeaver.com

ACROSS

1 Lament 6 Screamer's

throat dangler 10 Lures 14 Father 18 Herd together 23 Ascent 28 Ice sheet 29 One of

Columbus' ships 30 Root beer brand

(3 wds.) 31 Impel 33 Outlined

34 Peal 36 Hectometer

(abbr.) 38 Silent 39 Ghost's greeting 40 Body picture 41 Tropical

evergreen tree gum

43 Undergarment 44 And so forth 45 Arkansas 46 Wig 48 Danger 50 Artist Andy 52 Slow up

54 Irregular 56 Self-esteem 57 Drug doer 59 Affirmative

gesture 60 Comedian Jay 61 Internal Revenue

Service 63 Tight 65 Right size 66 Discharge 67 Parlay (2 wds.) 69 Accomplished 70 Negative 72 Zero 73 That girl

75 General headquarters

77 Lop 78 West northwest 79 Official

document 81 Apexes 83 Tiny skin holes 84 That woman 85 Swedish citizen 89 Cavern 91 Tally (2 wds.) 92 Resulted 95 Birds that make

a gaggle 99 Dawdling

100 Bacon-lettuce- tomato sandwich

102 Resound 103 Sibling 104 Judge 106 Computer

memory unit 107 Bird call 109 Smear 110 Average (abbr.) 111 Jeweled

headdress 113 Candy bar brand

___kat 114 Thai 115 Tint

116 American Cancer Society (abbr.)

117 Reach out 119 Rio de Janeiro 120 Sun god 121 Moves in a

crocked path 123 Transgression 124 Snatch 126 Questioned 128 Nashville locale 129 New Jersey's

neighbor 130 Gain entrance to 131 Posttraumatic

ACROSS1 Lament6 Screamer’sthroat dangler10 Lures14 Father18 Herd together23 Ascent28 Ice sheet29 One ofColumbus’ ships30 Root beer brand (3 wds.)

31 Impel33 Outlined34 Peal36 Hectometer(abbr.)38 Silent39 Ghost’s greeting40 Body picture41 Tropical evergreen tree gum43 Undergarment44 And so forth

45 Arkansas46 Wig48 Danger50 Artist Andy52 Slow up54 Irregular56 Self-esteem57 Drug doer59 Affirmative gesture60 Comedian Jay61 Internal Revenue Service63 Tight

65 Right size66 Discharge67 Parlay (2 wds.)69 Accomplished70 Negative72 Zero73 That girl75 General headquarters77 Lop78 West northwest79 Officialdocument

81 Apexes83 Tiny skin holes84 That woman85 Swedish citizen89 Cavern91 Tally (2 wds.)92 Resulted95 Birds that makea gaggle99 Dawdling100 Bacon-lettucetomato sandwich

Crossword Puzzle

102 Resound103 Sibling104 Judge106 Computermemory unit107 Bird call109 Smear110 Average (abbr.)111 Jeweled headdress113 Candy bar brand ___kat114 Thai115 Tint116 African Cancer Society (abbr.)117 Reach out119 Rio de Janeiro120 Sun god121 Moves in a crocked path123 Transgression124 Snatch126 Questioned128 Nashville locale129 New Jersey’s neighbour130 Gain entrance to131 Posttraumatic stress disorder133 Giant134 Excuse135 Yes137 Gain an extension139 Hurricane center140 McDonald’s “Big __”141 Long-term memory143 Corporate top dog144 Regions146 Mongolian desert147 Rainy mo.148 Derby150 Tall dresser with legs154 Automobile157 Football assoc.158 Island160 Lack of emotion161 Hunger164 Forcefully165 Eskimo houses168 Soup legume169 Elizabeth’s nickname170 Mother __172 Television174 Alternative (abbr.)175 Night hours176 Instructor179 Pearls180 Compass point181 Block183 Pork185 Childhooddisease186 Domain189 Seed bread190 Large stringedinstrument191 Middles192 Not there193 What a singinggroup does194 Acid197 Vinegar acid200 Mace202 Recoil204 Carhop206 Old-fashioned Fathers209 Detail211 Give back213 New England state (abbr.)214 Hellos216 Mississippi (abbr.)217 Unemotional people219 Fallen220 Crazes222 Looking

224 Absurd226 Use up228 Musical “slow”229 Am not230 Paddle232 School group233 Reversed intoxication235 Hotel236 Move quickly237 Animal stomach238 Ceremonies240 Compass point243 Time zone245 Caesar’s three247 Hubbub249 Alaskan territory252 Part of a min.253 Frightened255 Not ins257 Shekel259 Sausage261 Rock group263 Americium (abbr.)265 Not anywhere267 Poem268 First day of wk.269 Like a metaphor271 Compass point272 Swab274 Destitute275 Brew277 Sick279 South by west280 Madagascar franc (abbr.)282 Blade283 Communication Workers ofAmerica (abr.)284 Star Trek Automoton’s286 Bumbling insect287 African antelope288 Roberto’s yes289 Writing tool290 Usages292 Clod293 Baths294 Pressers296 Season298 Oval300 Savages302 Titter303 Expression of surprise304 Theatrical production305 Tie holders306 Praise307 Women’s partners308 Denounce312 Snake like fish313 Admiral (abbr.)315 Downwind316 Avail318 Twisted320 Finned mammal324 Royalty325 To be327 Relax329 Gloomy330 Oceans332 Deoxyribonucleicacid (abbr.)334 Assistant335 Pigpen336 Common last name338 Herbal drink341 Breakfast goodie343 Chopped345 Electroencephal ograph (abbr.)346 Kansas347 Roman seven348 Skirt edge350 Ease

352 Concave353 Reservoir354 Sward356 Sodium (abbr.)357 Pennsylvania (abbr.)358 Take the wrinkles out360 Ethan that ledthe Green Mountain Boys361 Aries the Ram362 Farm building363 Scent365 Drop (2 wds.)366 Gem carved in relief367 Grounds368 Dig369 Ache370 Childhood disease

DOWN2 Low frequency(abbr.)3 Tree4 Ascend (2 wds.)5 Asian country6 Uninvited7 Bowed stringed instrument8 Spanish “one”9 Baton Rouge locale10 Wash11 __ and Cleopatra12 False god graven image13 Twain14 College football confer-ence(abbr.)15 Danish physicist16 Legal documents17 Account (abbr.)19 Road (abbr.)20 Ball21 “as you __”22 Overshadow23 Crown24 Diet25 Business title ending26 Milligram27 Plant30 Moses’ brother32 Thrill35 Penned37 Think40 Summer skin color42 Time period45 Against47 Fetch49 Spoil50 Bonds of marriage51 Fairy Tale writing brothers53 Bunkers55 Lubricate56 Flightless bird58 Rough60 L61 Evil spirit62 Investigator64 Number before four66 Goofed68 North northeast69 Delve71 Past74 Garden tool76 It is proven77 Wooden leg80 Morals81 People from Asia82 Shot up83 Pump up85 Save86 Made cloth87 Stretch to make do88 Mall90 Kid93 BB association

94 Distrust96 Hearing part97 Lawyer dress98 Type of wood100 Large101 Hunter103 Sew105 Every 52 weeks107 Money saver108 Fall mo.111 Floor covering112 Agency (abbr.)117 Volume118 What you do to a sound121 High point122 Visit123 Hotel125 Gamblers placement126 Last month of year127 Tinting129 Moot132 Tenet133 Revolve around, as in planets136 Egg holiday137 Lassos138 Route140 I want my ___142 Microgram144 Both145 Slippery146 Scads148 In possession of149 Arabian151 Des Monies locale152 Not whole153 Ontario (abbr.)155 Charity156 Fish eggs159 Otherwise161 __ Lanka162 Ball holder163 Engraving165 Giant166 Single167 Short-term memory170 Mary __ Moore171 Show emotions173 Give assurance175 Festival177 Visual178 Public disorder181 Ocean182 Tender loving care184 Compass point185 Kitten’s cry187 Fear188 Stray194 National capital195 Step196 Quaid, actor198 Possessive pronoun199 Prompt200 Vexation201 Location203 Sports channel204 Aced205 Relief206 Organized massacre207 From Asia208 Pack210 Hand wear212 Representative214 Homeless people215 Belt218 Decade219 Servant221 Distress call223 Nettle224 Scale note225 You227 Dozen228 One of these

231 Withdraw233 Workplace234 Disinherit236 Italian cheese239 Economics abrv.241 Not any242 Bard’s before244 Cow sound246 Charged particle247 Wing248 Wet250 Recommend251 Deer253 Leaf254 Thin256 Tattle (2 wds.)258 Plants259 Totals (2 wds.)260 Book by Homer262 __ buckler264 Make secure266 Spider’s net270 Disconnected271 Sway273 Not amateur275 A small ring276 East southeast278 Makes straight279 Laced280 Ermine281 Escape (2 wds.)283 Central processing unit285 Knot287 Presenter291 Oracles293 Mr. Claus295 Mousy296 Teensy297 Pole299 Large water body300 Jitney301 State302 MGM’s Lion308 Student’s needs309 Grub310 Sob311 Last day of the wk.313 Afloat (2 wds.)314 Capital of the Philippines316 Venus317 Painter Richard319 Compass point321 Draw322 Eve’s garden323 Royal325 Type of acid326 Moral principles328 Mr.331 European sea eagle332 Demobilize333 Fable writer336 Hum337 Juno339 Unite in alliance340 Always341 Knitting stitch342 Alter343 Nimbus344 Extinct bird347 Ex-serviceman349 Mommy351 Finish352 Pouch353 Directory (abbr.)355 Pain unit357 High-school subject359 Northeast362 Quiet!364 Rhode Island (abbr.)

ANSWERS IN NEWSLETTER

5

By Ian YoungTravelling around the Territo-ries of Central and Southern Africa I have been privileged to make the acquaintance of some notable eccentrics who have enriched my personal history and added some colour to my life. They say that for ec-centrics to flourish they need to live in the correct environ-ment and perhaps Colonial Africa was a hothouse for such people.

My local GP can fall into this classification I think. Dr M was of Polish Jewish extrac-tion, decorated for bravery at Montecasino during the Sec-ond World War. He met his future wife on one of those tramp steamers trying to breach the Palestine blockade immediately thereafter.

The first time I had reason to call on him in the afternoon I discovered him smoking a ci-gar while standing in his swim-ming pool wearing nothing else but a monocle…

He was renowned for his pre-scriptions which were inevita-bly for very large doses for eve-ry malady. There was a rumour that in fact, having served with a cavalry regiment, perhaps he was a Veterinarian rather than a General Practitioner with dosages more suitable for horses?

One evening I persuaded him to tell me about his life as a Chief District Medical Officer posted to the remote North-ern Parts of the country in the late 1940s. Apparently part of the job requirement was that

he had to organise a monthly safari venturing away from the comforts of the local Hospital into the outer reaches of his area of influence. These ex-peditions were carried out on foot, often in single file, head-ed by the tracker followed by Dr M, his gun bearer and a bevy of singing porters carrying the luggage. Each night they would stop at a previously se-lected village where he would be greeted by the local Chief. During this ‘meet and greet ceremony’ the fixed sum of five pounds sterling would be handed out for the purchase of a cow to provide sustenance for the porters. As the village had been pre-warned about the visit there had been plenty of time for the Chief to select the thinnest, scabbiest and sickest cow in the local herd and it was immediately slaugh-tered while Dr M held his sur-gery under a nearby tree.

In the evening however Colo-nial Etiquette reared its head. The travelling cook set up a folding card table complete with a tablecloth and a chair near the fire and prepared din-ner using whatever part of the cow was deemed edible – gen-erally sliced liver I was told. Dr M also travelled with his dinner jacket, white shirt and bow tie and dressed for dinner even in the remote bush areas dining alone to the great interest of the village children.

I asked him how difficult it had been living in such remote conditions with no radio or TV or even a library. He admit-ted that he arranged for the postal ‘runners’ – an early form of DHL – to deliver his copies

of the London Times ordered from Cape Town. It was about three months out of date of course but providing he read the papers in sequence he could forget about the time lag.

Dinner at his home was, to me, a mystical experience with a bevy of waiters dressed in full length gowns, sporting white gloves and red fez hats. Bran-dy was served in the lounge which was crammed full of gifts, many of them in carved ivory, from grateful Chiefs whose families he had treated during his lonely safaris.

In the past few months there has been an upsurge in the awareness of modern day slav-ery – a scourge that has been with us for many centuries – so this is my account of my own particular brush with such practices put together from various sources over a period of years.

Sergeant Dosani apparently retired from the Indian Army and with his pension lump sum (and I suspect other sources of revenue!) he took ship for Nyasaland to set up a small shop in the commercial cen-tre of Blantyre. He appears to have been an astute business-man and his business thrived.

Rather than recruit extra help locally he paid for an assistant to be shipped out from In-dia who signed an indenture agreement to work for ‘bed and board’ for the rest of his life in exchange for the cost of shipping him there. Slavery in its modern guise.

I first met this Mr Nanji two years after his master, Ser-geant Dosani, had dropped dead from a heart attack. He was a tiny stooped figure who

rarely abluted and could be seen shuffling around town shirtless in a filthy brown suit, a Pandit Nehru black hat and sporting a pair of old shoes. He had already earned a reputa-tion as a rent collector – by the time his master had died he had amassed a large number of properties built on prime land in both the Commercial area and the Rail Head indus-trial area. Nanji’s collection method was pretty unique – if anyone got behind with their rents he would take possession of their stoep or even infiltrate the property and live there day and night until tenants were overcome with either embar-rassment or the unwashed smell and paid their arrears.

Widow Dosani was the inheri-tor of this substantial property empire but she faced a num-ber of problems. First she was illiterate and had to substanti-ate her scrawled signature with a thumbprint. She was elderly, half blind and had not left the walls of their shop/office com-plex built with mud bricks for over 25 years. Mr Nanji lived on the property and she fed him in accordance with the original indenture agreement.

He could have cheated her of virtually everything she pos-sessed but he had taken control of their little Empire, demol-ished some old buildings and rebuilt with fine new state of the art office blocks that gave excel-lent returns. Regardless of his status as the man of business he still deferred to Widow Dosani for signatures, wore the same old dirty clothes and refused to buy even an old second hand bakkie and still walked every-where. In return all he got was breakfast of sorts and one even-ing meal cooked by an elderly lady who could barely see. Continued on Next page

WHERE HAVE ALL THE ECCENTRICS

GONE?

6

Continued from P5

As the property empire grew I had regular involvement from a professional point of view and got to know Mr Nanji quite well. This did not stop him try-ing to duck and dive regarding the payment of my fees and I resolved to pay him back for his efforts. One day I turned up at his main shop complete with my sleeping bag, torch and some food and told him I was not moving until I got paid. He toughed it out for most of the day but when I told every shop customer exactly why I was there and word spread such that people started to congre-gate outside to see what would happen, he weakened. After a prolonged shouting match with Widow Dosani who was lurking behind a curtain I got my cheque complete with two signatures and left to loud cheers from the crowd outside.

Widow Dosani suffered anoth-er blow to her lifestyle when the local Council condemned the building in which she had spent most of her life and in-sisted that a more modern ap-proved structure be built in its place. She was very supersti-tious and although she could have moved to the more afflu-ent suburbs she felt the fam-ily luck would run out if they abandoned the original site. Along with a local architect we devised a plan whereby the rebuild could be carried out in stages with her moving like a chess pawn from room to room as the work progressed. Inevitably after 20 years or so of only knowing her as a stri-dent voice hidden behind a curtain we came face to face and I hope, in time, we be-came friends.

I was appalled to discover that her kitchen comprised three bricks on the floor and some firewood – this for a woman who was a multi-millionaire! She was also suffering from a bent spine and could not re-

ally stand upright. I quickly arranged for the kitchen to be fitted with a concrete shelf on which we placed an electrical two plate stove. She was ec-static and considered she had emerged into modern day life.Mr Nanji continued to serve

WHERE HAVE ALL THE ECCENTRICS GONE?

her until she died and soon af-ter he too passed away.

Distant relatives, smelling mon-ey, suddenly appeared while Mr Nanji was cremated and quickly forgotten as was his life time of labour in return for his meals and a roof over his head.

My final recollection of Widow Dosani was when I found a

black and white studio pho-tograph on a shelf in the shop showing three fine gentlemen in Indian Army uniform each sporting those huge waxed moustaches with curly ends.

When I asked her which one was her husband she studied the photo for a while and then said ‘It’s so long ago I have for-gotten what he looked like!”

CHRIST CHAPEL MINISTRIES Christian Interdenominational Worship

OLIVEDALE RETIREMENT VILLAGE

BELONG – BELIEVE – BEHAVE Founder: Revd. Gwyn Slade Revd. Trevor SladeCell No.: 072.027.7788 083.391.1215Email: tslade@mweb.co.zaAssisting: Revd. Andrew Payne 082.854.4489Assisting: Pastor Errol Van Der Merwe 072.191.3502www.stjohndivineovc.co.zawww.sladeweddings.co.za

Our Lord Jesus invites us to put our total faith in Him: “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer”

(Matthew:21:22)

WEEKLY SERVICES

• SUNDAY Interdenominational Communion Service every Sunday at 9.30am in the Community Centre. Fellowship tea and coffee after the Service

• MONDAY Christian DVD, drinks and

snacks 5pm – 7pm in the Community Centre and Restaurant

• THURSDAY Bible Study 10am – 11am in

the small library (down the passage)

ALL WELCOME – and do feel free to bring a friend with you – many Blessings

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Only available to residents of the Village

One-Liners - what you have, what you do and what you want for it. This is a free ser-vice for all our ORV family. Contact the Communications Committee.

SubmissionsHand written submissions for inclusion into Olive Branch can be handed in at reception for the Editor's attention.Electronic submissions can be eMailed to:olivebranch@olivedalerv.co.zaDeadline is 22nd of each month.

Happy Birthday!We would like to wish all our residents celebrating their birthday in April, a wonderful day and an amazing year to fol-low. We wish you good health, comfort, contentment and the unending love and support of family and friends. We salute

Smalls, Notices and Classifiedsall our April Babies.The Communications Team.

Compliments & Complaints Reminder

A reminder to All residents that any complaints what-so-ever can be noted in a book that is held at reception. ALL complaints will be escalated to the parties concerned. If the problem cannot be sorted out by the various committees, the board and eventually the CSI lawyers will be called upon to resolve the issue. Problems cannot be attended to if they are not brought to the atten-tion of those concerned.

FreeFull pack of 5 Vacuum Cleaner bags for Electrolux models, Z series, and opened pack of 5 vacuum cleaner bags for AEG Vampyr models. The vacuum cleaners are out of action but the bags are perfect and unused.Phone Elizabeth x 5428

Chris Penberthy

Estelle Visser

Editorial Committee

Tertia Poole

Lu Penberthy

Elizabeth Sole

Jenny Hattingh

Di Main

Editorial Contacts

Editor

Board Rep

Village Management Rep

DisclaimerThe articles and

ideas published in this newspaper are those of the authors

and do not necessarily reflect the views of the

Olive Branch Editorial

Committee or the Olivedale

Retirement Village Home Owner's

Association.

Solution:

E L E G Y U V U L A B A I T A B B A C R O W D C L I M B S F L O E N I N A A A N D W F O R C E D R E W R I N G W H M M U M B O O T A T T O O C H I C L E B R A E T C A R R U G P E R I L W A R H O L G R E T A R D E R O S E E G O U S E R N O D L E N O N I R S F T A U T F I T E M I T B E T O N T D I D N A Y N I L S H E G H Q L P R U N E

W N W T I T L E G A C M E S O P O R E S H E R S W E D E P G R O T T O S U M U P E N S U E D D G E E S E P O K Y B L T E C H O S I B T R Y B Y T E C O O D A U B A V E T I A R A K I T T A I H U E A C S T O U C H R I O R E Z I G Z A G S C S I N N A B H D O U B T E D T N E D E L A C C E S S P T S D O G R E E X E M P T A Y E Y

R E N E W E Y E M A C O R L T M C E O A R E A S G O B I A P R H A T H I G H B O Y C A R N F L I S L E A P A T H Y S T A R V E A M A I N I G L O O S L E N T I L B E T H T E R E S A T V A L T P M M E N T O R G E M S S S E S T Y M I E B A C O N F M U M P S E M P I R E R Y E

C E L L O H U B S H E R E T O U R S L S D A C E T I C S P I C E S W I N C E W A I T E R P A S I T E M R E T U R N N H H I S M S S T O I C S L O S T

M A N I A S S E E I N G D O T T Y E X P E N D A D A G I O A I N T O A R P T A S O B E R E D I N N R U N C R A W

R I T E S E N E G M T O A I I I A D O Y U K O N B S E C S C A R E D O U T S P E S O S A L A M I R E M S A M N O W H E R E I O D E M O N U A N A L O G Y S W M O P N E E D Y A L E I L L S B W F M G K N I F E C W A B O R G B E E G N U S O L E P E N U S E S O A F S P A S I R O N S T W I N T E R O V O I D B R U T E S D L A U G H

A H A R E V U E O N E C K S U P A E A N M E N D E C R Y F E E L A D M L E E U S E W R Y N O T T E R E A R L A R E R E S T A S A D R S E A S D N A A I D E S T Y S M I T H T I S A N E N P A S T R Y H E W E D E E G K S V I I H E M R E L I V E S U N K E N D A M S O D N A S P E N N I R O N A L L E N A R I E S S I L O O D O R L

L E T G O C A M E O Y A R D C L A W T H R O B P O L I O

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