By: Brian Le Roux

Brian Le Roux — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 21:39:05 +0000

Reading the events of 1972 remind me of two ‘incidents’ which have similar circumstances and results. While in Birdcage house in 1956 a number of the ‘residents’ decided to brew their own liquor in the form of mulberry wine. Most will remember mulberries were in profusion at times and what better to make use of them. The ‘brewing’ went well, the product was well received and had the inevitable result. One evening during one of ‘Digger” Wells’ round of the house with his labrador dog was telling of some of his experiences in his friendly but rather drunken way when there were a series of explosions in the roof space above the dorm ceiling followed by a stream of purple coloured liquid dribbling down the wall. Digger became alert, the dog reacted as if a shotgun had been fired and immediately headed off in pursuit of some dead fowl, and enquired who was responsible. For what, we said? After a while it dawned on us that our bottles were not up to the standard required of the high pressure contents and had exploded. The first was the catalyst setting off the others. Our entire stock had been demolished. Digger knew instinctively what had been going on but I have to say he must have thought it was all in the course of our growing up and, after all, our punishment was the total loss of of our moonshine. Nothing more was ever said.
The other episode was similar to that above but was to do with smoking. Smoking had become a regular thing although I never really took to it and never smoked thereafter. When, in 1957 I was in Tredgold, House and School Prefect, a number of us were called to Ashley Brooker’s office and were individually asked if we had been smoking at any time on school premises. If we were honest and owned up to this crime, no action would be taken. However, the next day, those who had owned up were called into his office together and were informed that we were to be demoted and all privileges removed. Roger Lawley and Mike Laing were to ‘govern’ the school from now without any assistant prefects. There were Seniors though who had not been reprimanded but who had certainly been involved in smoking too. There followed a pact amongst us that we would react by not obeying many of the school rules in order to make it difficult for the two prefects to manage although we still regarded them as ‘colleagues’. Havoc reigned for two weeks after which we were all reinstated again without ceremony!
I also recall one night after final exams when liquor flowed and the usual pranks started. One challenge entailed scaling the flagpole and placing a boater at the top. I can remember getting to the top, placing the boater atop the pole then sliding down rather fast ending up in a heap at the bottom.
Usual rules at the end of term required no one to leave the property before midnight on the final day. Since our parents were not inclined to collect us at that hour we still felt our freedom was important. Four of us decided we would leave school one minute past midnight and cycle home to Bulawayo, I seem to remember is some 70km. We arrived early in the morning and I went in and greeted my father who thought I had got a lift from someone but when I told him I had cycled he was not as friendly as I had expected and gave me a good dressing down. We had breakfast and returned to school by car in silence to collect my trunk.
Many more anecdotes come to mind but it is time for ‘lights out’ now.

By: ahambly

ahambly — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 05:29:30 +0000

Back in 1957 (I think) much the same happened. Most of the prefects smoked. They were called in the by headmaster at the time (Ashley Brooker, I think) and were asked who smoked with the proviso that nothing would happen to them if they owned up. All but two owned up and the smokers were promptly demoted as prefects. Roger Lawley and Mike Laing, the two who did not smoke, were made headboy and deputy headboy.

By: andyrex

andyrex — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 15:49:58 +0000

As usual you cannot trust a head master and I still find it pathetic that action was taken against us after being told nothing would be done, if we were honest about it! Good introduction to real life.

Comments on: 1972 Decopitation Scandal

By: Brian Le Roux

By: ahambly

By: andyrex