Memories of Southern Rhodesia.

At around this time I had to start school in KG 1(kindergarten)and was enrolled at Greengrove Primary.My best friend was a boy named Colin Hughes,a short blond child whereas I was tall and thin.It was at this time that a teacher told me that I could not do arithmetic,those words spoken over me had a profound effect on me,I was never able to do arithmetic or maths.Not two years later I was put into Courtenay Selous Primary where I was happy and had a great english teacher who instilled a love of the language in me.People should be very careful what they say because words have power.It was here at Courtenay Selous that my hot temper began to get me into trouble,I was often involved in fights.Come to think of it the first incident was at creche when I shoved another kid of the slide and he broke his arm.I really was a naughty little bugger.

After a couple of good years working for ITC my dad was making a name for himself in Salisbury,he was becoming known.

Memories of Southern Rhodesia contd.

We Rhodesians were determined to go it alone and we would not be bullied by Great Britain.

3.)Back to the farm; In the meanwhile my sister Deirdre Ann Coffey made her entrance into the world,she was a bonny lass blessed with a strong constitution and an even stonger pair of lungs! Needless to say there was great joy over this happy event and I was now to have a playmate.

Mother was now learning to drive at the hands of my father,somehow his nerves proved equal to the task! One fine day my mother came bowling down the road and turned in to the homestead,and just kept on going.... right through the diningroom wall! The Hudson,s brakes had failed,my mother was distraught and my dad was mad.

4.)By this time the writing was on the wall for Rhodesian tobacco farmers,because of UDI the UK and most of the world had imposed economic sanctions on Rhodesia.Our main buyer of tobacco had closed it,s door on us.My parents decided to leave farming and move to Salisbury.

My father got a good job as a tobacco buyer with the Imperial Tobacco Co,so we moved to the city and rented a house in a suburb called Msasa.

Salvation for the lost.

Remember dear friends that good people don,t go to Heaven,but beleivers go to Heaven.

Salvation for the lost.

Dear friends do you know that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life?If you were to die today do you know for certain that you will go to Heaven?If your answer is no or you are not sure you are in a very dangerous place.The Bible says that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of GOD".The Holy Bible also says that "whosoever calls on the name of GOD shall be saved" You are a whosoever, so pray this prayer now with me and you will be saved. Dear Lord Jesus I know that you died on the cross for me and rose again from the dead, please forgive me of my sins,wash me clean with your blood.I now ask you to come into my heart and to be Lord of my life.Please baptise me with your Holy Spirit.In Jesus name - Amen.
Dear friend if you have just prayed this prayer and beleive in your heart, then you are now a child of the living GOD,I welcome you into the body of Christ.Please contact me via this blog site for any needs that you have,prayer,councelling etc.God bless!

Memories of Southern Rhodesia contd.

My name is Gerald Louis Coffey. I'll start with where I was born: My parents were farmers in Southern  Rhodesia in a region known as Umvukwes(the Horse Shoe Block)they were tobacco farmers.My father was farm manager for the owner a Mr Mckensie.My mother went to the capital city - Salisbury to the Lady Chancellor Hospital to have me.I was born on 22 May 1957,Denise Fuller our neighbour had her son Mark, two days after me,our mothers were great friends.The Fullers later left Umvukwees and went "down south" (South Africa)My memories of those early years are a bit sketchy however I will record what I can remember.I remember being in the charge of a nanny  who wouldn't let me out of her sight.I suppose my earliest memories go back to my second year.Everything about the farm seemed huge to me,I particularly remember the giant blue gum trees and the sighing sound they made on windy days and the sense of excitement about growing up on a farm.The sounds and smells were heavenly.I remember the huge tobacco barns and the strong smell of un-cured tobacco,the smell of oil and diesoline in the tractor sheds.All of the farm machinery fascinated me but I was not allowed to explore, to my disgust,however I soon became adept at giving my nanny the slip.I of course was blissfully unaware of the trouble she got into because of my escapades and continued to play truant.We had two dogs that I remember;both of mixed parentage,the larger was named Shumba(Lion in the local shona tongue)He attacked and almost killed the smaller dog one day.My dad was out on the lands and my mother was un-able to separate them with the result that Shumba almost killed Hunter,the poor dog was in really bad shape.My mother had in the meanwhile sent a messenger to summon my father.... on his arrival back at the farm house he sadly had no choice but to shoot Shumba,he took him away from the house to do this.It was no longer safe to have a dog that had tasted blood, around small children.This was a great shock to me and very sad for all of us.The farm also grew groundnuts(peanuts) in addition to tobacco.The local baboons held the groundnuts to be their very own personal delicacy much to the disgust of my father.The solution was quite simple but not easily executed!Shoot them!The old farm shotty(shotgun)was used in addition to the efforts of the farm labourers.Each evening at dusk the labourers would assemble to bring the day's catch of dead baboons for inspection by my dad.I know this sounds really cruel but remember this was the 1950's,conservation was not big in those days.It seems that there was a plentifull supply of baboons because they just kept on coming!

On the political front things were not very rosy,pressure especially from Britain was mounting for Rhodesia to hand over power to the majority.Sir Roy Welensky had stepped down as Prime Minister(I many years later went to school with his great grandson Bernard Welensky)to be succeeded by the great Ian Smith.The aforementioned was the architect of UDI (Unilateral Declaration of Independance)by which means we seceeded from the colonial rule of Great Britain.Boy did that create a stink in Harold Wilson,s government!

Memories of Southern Rhodesia.

My name is Louis Coffey and I was born on 22 May 1957 in the Lady Chancellor Hospital,Salisbury,Southern Rhodesia.My parents Bill and Sophie Coffey were tobacco farmers,the farm was in the "Horse Shoe block" of Umvukwes.I will add to this blog daily,this will bring back memories for any Rhodesians who read this.