Balovale Indaba by Johnny Green

From Great North Road

These are for the history buffs, I was lucky to be in BALOVALE when the Governor flew in to hold what turned out to be the last ENDABA in Northern Rhodesia, he came to try and settle the tribal trouble between the two main tribes in the area, the LUNDU and the LAVALI, who I believe had been at each others throats for ages.

The year was 1958 and the month I think was October, I was invited to attend and I will try and tell as I remember what the gist of the meeting was about. There were about 6 or 7 chiefs in attendance and one was a lady who had recently been installed to try and bring some peace to the area but she had not been long installed when someone slipped some poison in her beer which she survived, and was well enough to attend, I would mention for the NRP readers the ADC was John Galloway who I believe eventually married the Governors Daughter the name of the Governor was BENSON.

BALOVALE Indaba.

BALOVALE Indaba.

BALOVALE Indaba.

The proceedings opened with a spokesman for the chiefs asking for the Queen to give them more money to build more schools and clinics, the Governor replied the Queen does not put money into a house that is falling down and he was sick of all the trouble there was between the tribes, he continued with the words "do not ever forget the Queen holds you in the palm of her hand like an egg and that same hand can crush you just like an egg if you do not behave yourselves" It was very hot and I noticed that the ADC who sat just behind him had nodded off, I nudged him and he said he was resting his eyes, I think it was the party the night before, next came the exchange of gifts and each chief approached and laid at his feet leopard skins and elephant tusks and there return gift was a Smiths Alarm Clock apiece.

The DC at the time was (if my ailing memory serves me correctly) called ROBB who I classed as a friend and his dear wife who helped make my stay tolerable by inviting me into their home and who with their children's fireworks, we spent November 11th shooting down the fireworks with shotguns.

I could continue with some more tales of the dear friends I made there, all the district officers and the pilot of the Beech Craft that used to fly in weekly, and the one beautiful nurse who used to have a hard time controlling us all, her name was Pam and I would like to think that she was going to read this.

I never see any notes from the mainstays of NR the DC'S please let us hear from you, I met the gentleman on the road as I was going to Carrapandy to buy booze for the next party Carra was in Angola in those days there was no border posts to worry about and maybe at a later date I will tell you about my return there 10 years later and still thinking that there would be no border posts and finished up with my old pal Glen Tweedy, and a guy called Fricky Strydom in a Portuguese Jail.

Contributed by Johnny Green May 08, 2001