Rhodesia Day 2010

[Eddy Norris]

ORAFs - Old Rhodesian Air Force Sods

** Speed and Courage ** Strike from Above ** Swift to Support ** Seek and Strike ** Find and Destroy ** Aspire to Achieve ** Fight Everywhere and Anywhere ** By Night and by Day **

Rhodesia Day 2010 I write this as a tribute to Rhodesians - it is my personal thanks and outlook from being a child in Rhodesia and from now being an adult - a  poignant look back on how I saw and see life. for all time............ It's been said a photograph says a thousand words - but then it should also say that being a Rhodesian is for ever. Today is the day we celebrate our much loved homeland but it is also the day we celebrate and give thanks to our fallen, our heroes, our kin - today we stand taller due to the sacrifices made and to those families of our heroes, I give thanks. Our fallen soldiers are and shall never be far, we carry them with us always - we miss them. Yet we can honour their memory by always being proud to be a Rhodesian, by living life to fullest - as this was the beautiful gift they left behind as a legacy - I give thanks to all our servicemen and women - they kept us safe day after day. It made me appreciate family time even more - it made me thankful for being able to attend school safely, to be able to go on holidays, and enjoy all the freedoms of being a child afforded to me by the military and protection services. I celebrate women - who ran our household often as single parents whilst our dads were away - whom learned to improvise and make do when sanctions were on. Was it not mayhap these very women whom taught us that no matter what, family will always strong, that home shall never be far. The farmers - far flung places and hard toiling work - thank you for those long hours and ensuring we had the best of the best food.  Who could forget those giant grapefruit and killer t-bones! Under blue Rhodesian skies you gave us health. For our beloved teachers -( Mrs. Burton, Mr. Kelly) you taught us the love of our land, the history of the past. You gave us a glance at who we might become. Rhodesian children have a vast general knowledge, are good all rounders in both academic and sport and it is largely thanks to the efforts of those teachers who possibly gave the best education there is today in the public arena. For all engineers who designed our towns, gave them life.......... thank you for the memories - you literally put places on the map! One might over look many things but whew you left behind some accomplishments - the Birchenough Bridge, Kariba Dam - you can be proud. I also give thanks to the many many others - you all left indelible marks on us. Each and every Rhodesian, helped mould us into being a close knit community. A community today who can do anything with nothing, who are always welcoming. A community who has moved on but have never forgotten each other or our times spent. A community that laughs alot and loves fiercely. For all these things I give you thanks - may today the 11th of November be a celebration of all your time, love and efforts into making me a very proud Rhodesian. denise taylor (norris) 11th november 2010 REMEMBER RHODESIA More poignant  and passionate notes:- For Your Information  - though I doubt The Times and another three leading newspapers will print it. I submitted a letter earlier today requesting you consider it for publication on Sunday 14th November. A colleague advises me that the submission was too long and that the subject of the letter will only likely receive your consideration if substantially shortened. This I have done. I therefore tender this new version in hopes of a successful outcome. With kind regards PJH Petter-Bowyer 8 Aldiss Close Swaffham Norfolk PE37 7UG 01760-723487 ******************* On Remembrance Sunday we repeat our promise, “At the going down of the sun and in the morning – WE WILL REMEMBER THEM”. Yet, since 1965, the British government has banned Rhodesian veterans from remembering their own fallen comrades in the Cenotaph parade. Rhodesia’s small white population provided, per capita, the highest number of servicemen and suffered the highest percentage losses of any national group that participated in WW2. In 1940 the Rhodesian Government had to stop many volunteers leaving so as to maintain vital services inside Rhodesia. With black majority rule, Africa became a pawn in the Cold War and USSR propaganda demonised Rhodesia’s white government. The result was Robert Mugabe’s thirty-year campaign of national devastation and personal looting. The white minority Rhodesian Government simply wished to keep the country in responsible hands whilst preparing the black majority to govern. Appalling developments in newly independent black countries made Rhodesians fear their country would follow suit. Their fears have been amply realised. Unlike Australia and Canada, who decimated their indigenous peoples, Rhodesia expanded its black population from about 400,000 in 1890 to over 7 million by 1980. The country was entirely self-sufficient in food, with a highly efficient infrastructure of schools and medical facilities. Power-hungry nationalists took over a superbly managed country and destroyed it. Surviving Rhodesians refuse to participate as Zimbabweans in London’s Remembrance Sunday because, when the name ‘Zimbabwe’ now represents Mugabe’s wholesale greed, corruption and the murders that have caused millions to flee their country or face every imaginable depravity. Perhaps it is a blessing that Rhodesians who fought and died for King and country could not foresee how their sacrifice would be rendered worthless by successive British Governments. Nevertheless, Rhodesians in London on Remembrance Sunday will hold their own simple isolated remembrance service to honour fallen colleagues officially forgotten for reasons of ‘political correctness’ OUR FARMERS THAT WERE LOST ORAFs loaded the Roll of Honour for Farmers lost and this comment was posted there on November 4, 2010. "Today I decided to Google my Dad's name, just for the sake of it. It bought a tear to my eye when I found this only mention of him. PJ Cloete. My Dad was killed when I was only 6 months old and my sister was just 2 years, leaving my Mum widowed at the age of 21. My Mum never remarried. I will certainly pass this website on to my Mom." Lisa (New Zealand) The Roll of Honour can be viewed on http://www.ourstory.com/thread.html?t=296475

ROLL OF HONOUR OF RHODESIAN AIRCREW IN WWII

ORAFs loaded this Roll on to its site and this comment was posted there on November 9, 2010

"I attended the funeral of Percy Sekine who was the highest graded Judo teacher in Britain. Percy lived a long and fulfilled life. He served in 83 squadron during the war. He was the wireless operator in a Hampden when they were hit by flack on January 10th 1942.

A tribute was made at his funeral to the bravery of the Rhodesian pilot Martin Fletcher who Percy said managed to keep the plane in the sky long enough for two of the crew to get out."

Kevin McNicholas

The Roll of Honour can be viewed on:-
 http://www.ourstory.com/thread.html?t=297112&note=422253#624384

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UMTALI FOLK LOST

Many of you know that I am firstly an Umtali boy and then Rhodesian and as such I am also distributing this notification to the Umtali listing that ORAFs maintains and I would ask you all to please spend a moment of your time to have a look at the Umtali Roll on:-
http://www.ourstory.com/thread.html?t=229002#200130

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NATIONAL AUSTRALIAN REMEMBERS FREEDOM WALL

Cyril Dennison Writes:-
In view of your dedication and effort made to record a factual history and the sacrifice made by Rhodesian
and ex Rhodesian service personal I thought I would supply you a little bit of additional info of which you may or may not be aware.

In 1995 fifty years after the end of WW2 in Europe and Asia-Pacific, in the lead up to those celebrations the Brisbane City Council (Australia) had built a "National Australia Remembers Freedom Wall" located in the new Botanic gardens, it was formally opened on the 11th November 1996.

This is not a consecrated war memorial as such but an acknowledgement to all those who contributed to the allied effort both at home and off shore.

There are tens of thousands of names listed, I had my uncle (Arthur Bradley Woodvine) included.

Australia has had many thousands of immigrants to its shores after the war who have become citizens of this great country but who haven't forgotten their country of birth, and their sacrifices and contributions.

So I am quite comfortable in saying that their would be many other Rhodesians, South Africans, Europeans, Americans, Canadians and people from the UK who have been remembered by their family or relatives on this wall.

Attached are some photos for your records.

Further information on this wall can be found at the link below:-
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/parks-gardens/brisbane-botanic-gardens-mt-coot-tha/attractions/freedom-wall/index.htm
 
End of Article

My sincere thanks to my daughter, Denise, Peter Petter- Bowyer (also an Umtali boy) and to Cyril for their support.

To my Rhodesian Air Force friends, the Mrs. Burton that Denise refers to is the wife of  Charles Burton from Comcen at Thornhill and taught at Lundi Park School in Gwelo.

For me - this notification is to remember a great Umtali schoolboy in Reggie Binks who was KIA in March 1968 with 1RLI.
An Umtali Saint who still marches on. Rest in Peace .

Refer: http://www.ourstory.com/thread.html?t=505290#625706 for a copy of this notification

I prefer to be regarded as one who writes memories and not history, many others claim that title!

Regards
Eddy Norris

Distributed to ORAFs and Friends
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