Morning Mirror Edition 114 - 19/ 11/ 2004



Photos from around Zimbabwe

Click on a thumbnail to see the full sized picture

Cactus against a
Burnside wall Bulawayo 		Flamboyants in
Malindelea, Bulawayo 		The Mater Dei
Hospital, Bulawayo 		Flamboyants in
Milton School, Bulawayo
       

In this edition

Smalls


RESUSCITATING THE ROUND TABLE RAILWAY IN THE PARK


RAILWAY IN THE PARK

A combined group of interested parties have joined Rotarians and Round Tablers (and hopefully soon Lions) to work on restoring the "Train in Centenary Park". The train has now not been operable for about 5 years.

A work party took out the coaches, "Diesel"/Electric locomotive and the boilers of the two steam locomotives and started the project this last Saturday. The group is experienced and have been committed to this sort of work on the trains in the past.

The present committee in place is headed by Eric Rensburg of Label clothing.

There is an enormous amount to be done but we have set targets on having a service running for the children of Bulawayo by Christmas.

With Rotary celebrating its 100th Birthday in February 2005 we also believe this would be a fitting tribute.

The project is all encompassing and will involve bringing locomotives, track and coaches to specification for the sustainability of the "Train in the Park".

The train is owned by a Trust and will be managed by Round Table 37 on behalf of Round Table No. 3.

I am co-ordinating the team of well wishers and hope to raise sufficient finance to make this all possible.

We are faced with three likely groupings of well wishers:

1. Those companies and individuals who can provide services necessary for the restoration work. (Electrics, welding, mechanical, fitting, boiler making, turning, milling, painting - the list is endless)

2. Those companies and individuals who can provide help by way of promotion, be physically involved in the work, provide materials (paint, timber for sleepers, coach benches, dog spikes, again an endless list) . We do need folk who can match funds for some foreign currency spares elements and hopefully twinning with Round Tables, Rotarians, Lions clubs across the globe would be a big help in this regard.

3. Companies who would be interested in taking up advertising space on the coaches.

The thumb suck amount required to do the refurbishment will be in the region of Z$ 100 million.

The Tablers are enthusiastic and I believe will soon be re-opening the putt-putt and trampoline in the Park.

If you would like to be involved please indicate by return email how you would like to be involved and I will certainly add your name to our regular updates.

We have the technical abilities, the will to succeed and hopefully with your support can make this a reality for the citizens of Bulawayo and of course our children

Regards
Phil Whitehead
Past District Governor D 9210
(Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi)

: E-Mail: philwzim@ecoweb.co.zw
(Home: (263-9) 243 963 ( Work: (263-9) 479 700 / 18 D.L.: (263-9) 469 830 (Cell: (263) 91 424 569 7 Fax: (263-9) 479 719


http://www.geocities.com/phil_w_zim or
http://members.lycos.co.uk/phil_w_zim/ or
http://phil_w_zim.tripod.com/

BULAWAYO AIRPORT

I have just read your paragraphs about the airport building and could not agree with you more. The old building was my first port of entrance to Bulawayo in 1992, and has been the site of many happy reunions and tearful partings with my family ever since. My two daughters loved going to see grandparents, aunts, great aunts and uncles arrive from the balcony and whatever the weather loved running up and down and watching the 'planes come in. When I was told that it had actually been demolished I was close to tears. The building was so reminiscent of the 1950s which must have been such an exciting time for Bulawayo, and you could quite imagine a Dakota parked outside with characters from Graeme Greene novels and 1950s Vogue climbing down the stairs. We really didn't care about it being shabby, it just needed a lick of paint here and there, and it didn't really matter about the toilets being a little tatty.

The day my husband and I got married, I was booked to fly back to the UK for my university graduation ceremony. We dashed from the Court to the Park for photos, then to the Holiday Inn for a drink, then finally to the airport. I changed from my frock into my jeans in the loos, handed the bag to my new husband so he could get the maid to wash the dress, then flew off for six weeks. I will never forget saying goodbye at the bottom of the stairs, waving to him as he stood on the balcony, or seeing him again six weeks later standing on the balcony waiting for me. It's just a shame I don't have the balcony to remind me of any more potential happy memories.

Finally, it has to be said that the lady in charge of the Bulawayo Publicity Association described the "New Airport Building Fiasco" to my husband as one of the Association's "achievements". I could not disagree with her more, and our feeling is that if this is supposed to be progress, to tear down a perfectly good and (in our view) historic structure in order to replace it with, no doubt, an ill-conceived building styled on a cereal packet, we would rather stay living in the past. Development and refurbishment of other much-needed facilities could surely have come first, starting with a lick of paint for the Central Police Station which is in a desperate condition (this might also give our policemen a bit of a morale boost). It also has to be said that the airport staff are doing their best in the temporary facilities they have been given, it is not a very satisfactory arrangement especially in the October and November heat.

Lucy Findlay

CONGRATULATIONS



DALE - BREBNER
Anita and Frank Cloete join John and Jenny Brebner in congratulating Robert and Bridget on their (long awaited) engagement. We wish them both long life and happiness always.

CONDOLENCES

With Deepest Sympathy to the families of the following



SYMPATHY MESSAGES


Margaret Cooper, beloved wife and mother, died peacefully in her sleep in the early hours of Saturday morning 13/11/04. The funeral will take place at St.Johns Cathedral at 3.p.m. Thursday 18/11/04
VIC REINBACH Husband, Father, Grandfather and Friend Condolences to Sylvia, Raymond, Lyn and Michelle from all Bulawayo Kennel Club members.

TIDBITS



"Rather pass danger once than live in fear forever."


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