Maia Chenaux-Repond immigrated into Southern Rhodesia from Switzerland in 1957 and joined Internal Affairs at the beginning of 1973. Between 1973 and 1979 she was Provincial Community Development Officer (Women) in Mashonaland South, supporting and supervising 21 Women Advisers and 20 Development Workers. She continued to cover the same districts – Mudzi, Mtoko, Mrewa, Wedza, Marandellas, Goromonzi, Hartley and Gatooma – after the Mashonaland Provinces were split into East, West and Central. She continued working in the Zimbabwean Public Service until the end of 1990. Maia Chenaux-Repond has also worked in the fields of social research, adult education, curriculum development, project planning and evaluation, gender issue analysis and lobbying for changes in legislation. Now retired she lives with her husband Rolf in Harare, Zimbabwe. The couple have three adult daughters.
This book is about five women who narrate their life stories – how they experienced the chimurenga during the 1970s, while engaged as community development workers tasked with helping rural women to improve their families’ lives, largely through self-help – continuing the accounts of their lives to the present day. Some of them worked in the ‘Protected Villages’ into which the entire population of selected rural areas were required to move in an attempt to separate the civilian population from the insurgents. Some of these courageous workers tragically became victims of Rhodesia’s civil war.
Three daughters, who were children during the chimurenga, narrate their mothers’ and their own life story, two of them telling us how a parent’s killing has affected their families to this day and one of them recounting her experiences after she joined the liberation war.
LAST ORDERS AT THE CHANGAMIRE ARMS
LAST ORDERS AT THE CHANGAMIRE ARMS
(Humorous Memoires of a Rhodesian D.C.) By Robin Walker.
What are your memories of Rhodesia? Were you ever in Mount Darwin or did you visit the Windsor Hotel? Did you do your military service there and have a drink at the Changamire Arms? Robin Walker, former Rhodesian District Commissioner has written his humorous memoires of his days working in Rhodesia. This book you will enjoy. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will bring you back in time. It is available on Amazon in paperback or kindle. Simply log into your local Amazon account and look for "The Last Orders at the Changamire Arms". You can also find the paperback at http://www.amazon.com/Last-Orders-Changamire-Arms-Rhodesian/dp/0957459815/ the kindle version is at http://www.amazon.com/Last-Orders-Changamire-Arms-ebook/dp/B))EVT2Q9E/
About the author
Born in Redditch, Worcestershire and educated at Redditch County High School and Cambridge University, Robin Walker emigrated with his young family to Rhodesia in the early sixties. Having taught English and Latin for some eight years, he joined the Ministry of Internal Affairs (Intaf) as a cadet District Officer, and became a District Commissioner five years later. He retired from the Ministry in November, 1980, by which time Rhodesia had become Zimbabwe. He and his wife finally left Zimbabwe in 1990 for Greece where for a while he taught English and then worked for a publishing company in Athens until his retirement. He now lives with his wife on a Greek island.
Product details
Paperback: 162 pages
Publisher: Pillar International Publishing; 1 edition (August 30, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN - 10:0957459815
ISBN-13: 978-0957459816
Product dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
Shipping weight: 10.7 ounces
REVIEW This very day, coming charging towards the presses like a rhino heading for the last croissant, is a book by Robin Walker. Robin is Tom Sharpe mixed with a dose of Montgomery of Alamein and lightly drizzled with essence of Alexander McCall Smith. The book, whose title is Last Orders at the Changamire Arms, tells the story of the characters hew knew during the dying days of Rhodesia. It is witty, wonderfully crafted, brilliantly observed and very, very moreish.
Important new book on Rhodesian Security Forces
Rhodesian Combined Forces
Roll of Honour 1966–1981
Adrian Haggett & Gerry van Tonder
FROM THE ORIGINAL BY DR J.R.T.WOOD
The dreams for which young heroes died
How cheap they seem today -
Except to those who loved so much
And watched them march away
We live because they died, and yet
They live if we do not forget
The intention of this publication is to honour all who lost their lives in action, or while on active service, with the Rhodesian Security Forces during the period 1966-1981. This publication represents the single most comprehensive Rhodesian Combined Forces Roll of Honour covering the so-called Bush War. Many people have researched the casualties of the Rhodesian Bush War and it is highly unlikely that a single researcher will ever compile a definitive list of all those who perished. Dr J.R.T. Wood produced the first Roll of Honour of the Rhodesian Combined Forces while many others, including Gerry van Tonder (Intaf) and Adrian Haggett (POU), have used his roll as a base for expansion, correction and addition. The result is a very detailed roll, with many new additions, inclusion of service numbers and units, accurate dates of death, and the circumstances which resulted in them paying the ultimate price. It is the culmination of two years tireless global research by the two co-authors, and includes all those men and women of Intaf who died at the hands of the enemy. This publication is a must for not only all of those who served, but also for anyone who had some connection and for researchers of military history. Above all, it is a lasting memorial to those who fell for their country.
To place your order and secure a copy, email: Aulette Goliath at [email protected]
Rhodesia Medal Roll
This book has been on the market for a while and is also one of the most important books on the Rhodesian bush war to be published. It is the most comprehensive list of all recipients of Rhodesian medals and decorations to be found and should be in all libraries of students of the Rhodesian bush war.
It can be obtained in a variety of bookshops world wide and is distributed by http://www.jeppestown.com/rhodesiamedalroll/index.html
Books on Intaf
Dawn of Deliverance by James "Hamish" Peters
The story is powerful, fast paced and inspired by the experiences of the author. You will live the challenges of the war of terror in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe. You will learn why winning the hearts and minds of the people are so important. Understand how the world’s most brutal dictator, Robert Mugabe, came into power. Your heart will pound, you will cry as you read about the terrorist atrocities, you will sigh with relief and the ending will inspire you.
Terrorists of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe African National Union have seized control of the Honde Valley, and the Prime Minister is in a quandary. The war is escalating on three fronts and the situation in the Honde Valley has deteriorated. Is it possible to make one last-ditch effort to regain the Honde, or should he simply rewrite the borders and concede the Honde to Mugabe?
In James R. Peters' new book Dawn of Deliverance, we learn the story of Jamie Ross, a District Commissioner, who accepts an assignment to win back the Honde. Jamie sets out a strategy to win the hearts and minds of the people by relocating them into seven protected villages. Meanwhile, terrorist leader Josiah Makoni is taken from his village, indoctrinated as a Marxist guerilla, and then orchestrates brutal attacks against tribal leaders, white farmers and finally the massacre of 12 missionaries at Elim Mission School. With the occupation of the first of the protected villages Josiah realizes that to retain control of the Honde and its vital access routes he must first kill Jamie Ross and destroy his spirit. But, God apparently has another plan.
About the Author: ( www.jimpetersstrategist.com)
James R. “Jim” “Hamish” Peters is a third-generation Rhodesian (Zimbabwean) who served 23 years with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and 11 years as a District Commissioner in that country. He was actively involved in the terrorist war that ultimately placed Robert Mugabe in power. For his leadership and courage in bringing peace to the Honde Valley he was honored as a Member of the Legion of Merit (MLM). Jim served as the Executive Vice President of the REALTOR® Association of Greater Ft. Lauderdale for 15 years and then 12 plus years as the CEO of the South Carolina Association of REALTORS®. He lives with his wife, Sallie, in Columbia, S.C. where he is a strategic consultant and author.
Web sites to obtain a copy of Hamish Peters book Dawn of Deliverance
Amazon.com; Barnesandnoble.com; BooksAMillion.com; iUniverse.com
Darwin Days
Mount Darwin meant many things to many people…
Most have heard of Darwin, and consider it the hotbed of Rhodesia’s bush war. Many have been there as transient and involuntary visitors; instruments of a tragic conflict. But for other folk, this was the place they called home. This is their story.
Chris Whitehead and Nick Russell have compiled a diverse record of the lives and experiences of the residents of the village and the district and, as is invariably the case with contiguous rural communities, this includes snippets from Centenary East. It is solely made up of the personal writings of members of this close-knit community. It is autobiographic. It is anecdotal. It is historic.
The district owed it existence to the many tobacco farmers who tackled virgin bush to establish viable, commercial entities. They relate how this was achieved, and the primitive and often humorous lifestyles they had to lead. The inter-relationships that existed and gave the farming community cohesion are very evident in the entries, as is their often stoical approach to the escalating terror war. The entries are numerous, including the Hucks, the Stooles, the Lights, the Bartons, the Arnotts, and many others.
The book is interlaced with contributions from civil servants such as DC Jim Latham, Member-in-Charge Dave Young, and Ted Sampson of the hospital. Lt.Col Ron Reid Daly and Chris Cocks both give brief military insights into the war in Darwin. Ian Smith provides the foreword. As the situation in Zimbabwe deteriorated and land was confiscated, a few paid final visits to their old homes, only to find once flourishing farms reduced to rubble and dereliction.
The entry by Yvonne Georgiou, wife of the late Stavros, Darwin’s ‘Mayor,’ reflects much of what made Darwin what it was. She closes this chapter in the history of the land we loved, by saying, ‘I was the last white person to leave Darwin. I turned the lights out in the house for the last time, and as I was getting into the car to leave, there was a power failure and the whole of Darwin blacked out!’
Wherever you are in the Rhodesian and Zimbabwean diaspora this should be read, as it reflects a life and time in our history that can just as well apply to any part of the country where you may have been.
Kindly written by Gerry van Tonder who was a veteran of the Sipolilo and Mt Darwin area
Co Author Nick Russell has kindly supplied the following :-
DARWIN DAYS - The long awaited compilation of stories from the farmers, members of the security forces, civilians and civil servants who made the Mount Darwin and Centenary East farming areas some of the most productive in Rhodesia. More than 65 personal stories are contained in 98 pages, with black and white pictures interspersed throughout the text, and a centre section of eight pages of full colour, glossy pictures. Approximately 125,000 words in a total of 106 x A4 pages. Hardback, spiral-bound. ISBN 1-59975-130-5.
Chris Whitehead is the son of a Mount Darwin farmer and currently publishes Rhodesians worldwide — a 20 year-old not-for-profit quarterly magazine — read by people in more than 80 countries. He is a full time teacher and lives in Arizona, USA. Rhodesians Worldwide magazine’s aims are to keep Rhodesians and Zimbabweans in touch with each other and to raise funds for a number of non-political causes, including the plight of many elderly folk whose pensions are now worthless.
Nick Russell served in the BSAP from 1975 to 1980, including four years in Mount Darwin. He is a former publisher of African Safari Magazine; publisher of the best-selling book The History of the British South Africa Police, and is currently features editor and special projects manager for a major Australian daily newspaper. He lives in Victoria, Australia.
How to order
Secure Internet orders via the online shop link at www.rhodesia.org or send a Western Union money order or personal cheque made out to:
Rhodesians Worldwide PO Box 22034, Mesa, Arizona 85277-2034, USA.
Cost per book (including postage and handling):USA $29.50; UK £17.50; RSA R205; Australia A$45; New ZealandNZ$50; Canada C$35 and all other countries UK£19.50.
NOTE: SAVE 10% ON THESE PRICES BY ORDERING ONLINE
Phone: +1 (480) 924 0431Email: [email protected] or [email protected]
PROCEEDS FROM DARWIN DAYS ARE TO BE DONATED TO THE FLAME LILY ASSOCIATION TO ASSIST IN EFFORTS TO CARE FOR NEEDY ZIMBABWEAN AND RHODESIAN PENSIONERS
Full Circle
“INTAF” – as the Ministry of Internal Affairs was generally known – was traditionally responsible for an extremely wide range of functions in both rural and urban areas. When Pat Rundgren joined the Ministry in 1972, INTAF was in the process of taking on another and more vital function – that of a para-military organisation.
Pat has written a remarkable and very personal account of this process, from his early years through to the eventual bloody conflict when the men of INTAF, with inadequate manpower, weaponry or recognition, were frequently the sole line of defence in the tribal areas of Rhodesia. Only too often the regular security forces were unable to provide back-up. Young National Servicemen, later supported by Vedettes, found themselves in charge of fortified bases, patrolling in areas where terrorists had almost free range. Intaf staff had in addition to carry out the Ministry’s normal administrative functions – a fact which was generally neither understood nor fully appreciated by the regular security forces (and, one suspects, by the controlling powers in Salisbury). Casualties were heavy.
The calls of guinea-fowl and night-jars, the smell of Delnav Dip, coffee and early-morning mists, place-names such as Sewale, Sipepa, Ningombeneshango and others from the tribal areas of Tjolotjo, Lupane and Nkai, are called forth with crystal clarity. All will bring back memories, some happy, others perhaps not so, to those of us who had the privilege of serving in those districts.
"Full Circle” presents a deep and thoughtful insight into the operations of INTAF during Rhodesia’s “bush war”, and the calibre of its men and women. It is written with humour, but this does not disguise the difficult conditions under which its members operated. It is a valuable contribution to the history of Rhodesia, and aspects of a district administration which had its origins and traditions in the aftermath of the Matabele War of 1893.
Lewis Walter
“Full Circle” is obtainable from Lighthouse Publishing, P.O.Box 1726, Dundee 3000, South Africa or e-mail [email protected] , at R290 (hard cover) plus postage and packing.
The Shattered Jewel
The Shattered Jewel
by Stan Fynes-Clinton
Born of Pioneer stock in Salisbury in 1936, Stan joined the then Native Affairs Department upon leaving school in 1955. He served the Ministry right up to independence in 1980, having been appointed a District Commissioner in 1967.
This charming autobiography is dominated by Stan’s life in Intaf. During his 25 years in the government, being posted to no fewer than fifteen districts, Stan speaks with full authority about African customs, tribal law and the interface of European politics of the day with that of the rural African.
Stan’s anecdotal memories of raw living in remote stations such as Binga give a keen and often hilarious insight into life with Tilley lamps, paraffin fridges, Dover stoves and outside long-drop toilets, the latter often the temporary domain of things that bite and scratch!
However, for this intrepid cadet and DC, the only way to get to know his district was on foot, bringing him into contact with characters and creatures of every description, from elephants and the runs on Kariba with that well-known National Parks personality, Graham Child, to mobile toilets for visiting Governor Sir Peveril William-Powlett.
Stan provides an informative tale about the Ministry’s evolutionary role over the years, as consistent political change dictated changes in the Ministry’s complexion. Prior to 1962, district staff presided over criminal and civil proceedings, a task which was often very repetitive and time consuming. This function would rapidly be reduced to cases only pertaining to African customary law.
During his time as DC Bindura, Stan realised an ambition of instituting an in-house practical training course for new cadet recruits. The purpose of the course would be to ensure that cadets became ‘useful quickly,’ and to provide the means for the new cadets to sit and pass the Ministry’s Customs and Administration examinations, thereby enhancing their suitability for promotion to District Officers.
Stan subtly introduces nationalist agitation and the subsequent start of the so-called second Chimurenga. Against a backdrop of political betrayal and duplicity, the Ministry staggers into a period of dramatic change to accommodate an increasing armed threat from across Rhodesia’s borders. Stan came face to face with the sheer horror of the conflict, as he relates a late night dash through the countryside to render assistance to a beleaguered Sinoia farmer, spending the night with the seriously wounded man, prepared for a further attack from the gang of ZIPRA who were intent on killing the farmer and his wife.
Stan then moves onto the ruination of a once proud nation, as the Zimbabwean regime brings about the total demise and collapse of what was once a jewel in Africa; now a shattered jewel. Stan’s book is a must for not just members of Intaf and researchers, but to anyone has had the Rhodesian experience.
Stan still lives in Zimbabwe, struggling to make ends meet. Anyone interested in purchasing a copy of this fine book can get hold of the webmaster to put them in touch with Stan.
One can also obtain this excellent book as an ebook at <http://www.troubador.co.uk/book_info.asp?bookid=1840>
A PLACE CALLED CHARLIE TANGO
This book is another written about the Rhodesian war and Intaf. It is published by Harvest Road Books NZ and came out in 2009. The book can be ordered from [email protected]
TRIUMPH OF EVIL
IT IS NOW more than 30 years since the war-weary people of a small, conflict-ravaged nation in southern Africa prepared to go to the polls and vote.
What they desperately hoped for was peace and an end to the long and bitter hostilities. What they prayed for was freedom – freedom from suffering, but mostly, freedom from terror.
What they got was Robert Mugabe.
For the peoples of Zimbabwe, the intervening decades following Mugabe‘s so-called ―landslide victory‖ in the February 1980 elections and his un-fettered rise to power has seen this once thriving African nation all but collapse into abject chaos under the unrelenting tyranny of a ruthless dictator.
But just how did this despot come to rule? What role did Britain play? What acts of political expediency were instrumental in elevating such a brutal regime to power? Thirty years on, these ‗inconvenient‘ questions and many others remain unanswered … at a terrible cost.
Yet could the destruction of this once beloved nation have been averted? Now forgotten, there were, indeed, many—black and white—who died trying, their voices long since silenced.
In his vividly compelling autobiographical novel, ‘A Place Called Charlie Tango’, author Charles Beaumont paints an unforgettable picture of life and death on a remote African outpost, deep in the arid heart of terrorist-infested bushveld and far from the hallowed halls of Westminster.
Set in the late 1970‘s during the closing stages of the Zimbabwe-Rhodesian Bush War, Beaumont‘s extraordinarily brutal yet, ultimately, heart-warming real-life account lays bare the unrelenting horror and constant danger that all those who lived here faced each and every day while defending what the rest of the world had abandoned.
‘A Place Called Charlie Tango’ is a timely reminder that there remains little for Zimbabweans to celebrate thirty years on. In writing of his experiences, Beaumont hopes to expose the deeply disturbing background of a savage regime that continues to darken and oppress the lives of millions of innocent people to this day.
It costs $12-99
Bitter war rages throughout Rhodesia as the Marxist nationalists oppose the oppression of Ian Smith’s colonial regime. As a member of the elite Selous Scouts, Jack trains to predict every move of the enemy insurgents. But a well laid ambush catches him off guard and he is faced with his worst possible fear.
When the shroud of night falls, Olivia faces the terrifying menace that stalks in the darkness. Some solace is found in the safety of the pistol hidden under her pillow. But when sleep finds her, she is tormented by chilling images of her husband’s death. Is it a warning? Only God can calm the fears hounding her like a rabid dog.
As Francis watches the life blood of his brother drench the soil around him, he is consumed with bitter rage. His sinister plot for revenge emerges as he diligently trains his guerilla soldiers to enact the ultimate evil upon the man responsible for killing his sibling