The Water Trail

The Water Trail:

Arriving in Rhodesia in the middle of the 1952 drought presented a picture of thin and dead wildlife. Farmers burning carcasses made me want to go back to green Britain, but in the aftermath of the war and rising socialism there were limited prospects. I heard a song on my “saucepan” radio: “Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink.” So that started me into “aitch two oh” and irrigation.

The technology linking water engineering and the relationship between plants and water was surging ahead, and I was part of an exceptionally talented Rhodesian team. These then are light-hearted stories that go with it and some serious conclusions.

I wrote some of these stories which John and Ursula Case read. “Why stop writing?” they asked. “Keep going and we will type, edit, comment, correct, and shape up your efforts.” This they did; the entomologist and the pharmacist removed the bugs! They have my sincere respect and thanks.

What did I learn from this trail? Experience cannot be taught or learned. The most dangerous thing in Africa is the huge wealth in the hands of the learned – both black and white.