Staines Farm

Staines Farm.

 Those two words evoke so many memories. Some sad, but mostly happy memories of young boys on a farm with tall blue skies, leafy green Msasa trees, mielie fields, panting dogs with long dripping tongues.

Gordon Shaw, my Grandpa, was in the sunset of his life when we were very young boys. Grandpa had been a farmer all his life. Once he was described as not being a very progressive farmer. Staines Farm in the 1960’s was caught in a time warp somewhere in the 1930’s or even earlier. Trek oxen were still in employment. The fields were ploughed using ox drawn ploughs. The ripened crop was brought in on a 16 span trek wagon. Exactly the same wagons used by the early pioneers. I recall metal licences nailed to the wagon which had been issued in the 1920’s.

The homestead comprised of pole and daga buildings with thatched roofs. The main building was rectangular in shape comprising of a dining room, bathroom, pantry and kitchen. A later addition was a front stoep which was brick with a corrugated iron roof. A Welcome-Dover wood stove in the kitchen was kept going all day fuelled by Msasa wood. A coffee pot with Breakfast Coffee bubbled away on the stove.

The bedrooms were separate pole and daga rondavels built in a semicircle to the front of the main building. Water was provided by a well straddled by a windmill. Both the wind and the water table were not constant. Water from the well was strictly reserved for drinking / food and bathing. Water for the garden was carted from the Vungu river, some 3 kilometers away, by a scotch cart. Four 44 gallon drums were loaded on the cart which was despatched daily to collect water from the river. The cart was pulled by four donkeys, one of which was named “Jack”.

Bathing water was heated by a “Rhodesian” boiler. A Rhodesian bolier was an ingenious contraption of plumbing and brickwork centered around a 44 gallon drum. The boiler is heated by a wood fire. It has an inlet supply of water, a venting pipe and an outlet pipe to the bathroom.

The toilet was a long drop comprising of a corrugated iron “thunderbox” perched over a 5m pit situated about 100 m from the main farmhouse. Toilet paper was in the form of old Chronicle newspapers and UK Daily Mail newspapers. The toilet was inhabited by hundreds of flies and some of the most frightening looking daddy long leg spiders I have ever seen. Needless to say, the toilet was avoided at night at all costs. It was a long lonely walk with a flickering hurricane light. The night sounds were eerie. Owls hooting, the churring call of a Nightjar and Jackals howling … very spooky!

The nearest thing to electricity on the farm were the batteries that powered the flashlight’s. Night lighting was supplied by Tilley pressure paraffin lights. Lights out was no later than 21h00. After blights out we would light candles to read with. The refrigerator was powered by paraffin and lived in the bathroom. It was tiny and only had sufficient space for a weeks supply of meat, butter and milk. No such luxury as a cold coke or ice for your drink. The pantry had an old style food safe. Cooked salted beef was always resident in the safe.

Granny raised chickens to supply eggs to the city. Every Friday the vannette (they were not called bakkies in those days) was loaded with crates of eggs and Gran and Driver would head off to Gwelo some 16 miles distant on a corrugated sandy road. Several cases off eggs were delivered to the Rhodesia Railways parcels office for despatch to The Market Master, Bulawayo. After delivering the eggs to the railways and the cream to DMB (Dairy Marketing Board) Gran would head off to the suburb of Lundi Park where she spent the morning with Driver delivering eggs to the mainly Italian community who lived in that area. In the summer months the egg sales would be supplemented by sales of prickly pears. Granny also manufactured Barbie type dolls with clothing made from foam rubber and sold these to the Italian ladies to adorn their Dolly Vaarden's.


The afternoon was spent stocking up with groceries at E Peledis stores, mealie meal at Midlands Milling Co . In the early days Grandpa would be collected from The Midlands Hotel where he had spent the day having a few pints with his cronies. And then back to the farm.

Grandpa Gordon Shaw’s first wife, my Grandmother Shaw passed away from a stroke in 1957. After hear death Grandpa did not look after himself properly. I recall arriving at Staines in the early 60’s when Daddy was stationed with Veterinary Services in Enkeldoorn. The main farmhouse was rampant with rats, Clearly law and order was needed. My maternal Grandmother Jooste lived in Middleburg, Transvaal. She was a widow. I am sure wil collusion from my parents she visited my Grandfathers farm and then started corresponding with Grandpa. We were not surprised when it was announced that Granny and Grandpa were to be married.

The ceremony was held in ouy garnen in Gwelo and was not well attended other than us kids, Pastor Ogden, Mrs Ogden Aunt June Mum and of course the happy couple. Gran’s arrival at the farm saw order being restored. The biggest spin off of this marriage is that we were allowed to spend school holidays on Staines Farm.