Photograph Album - George Lazarevic

From Great North Road

By George Lazarevic.

Four more pockets of possible interest regarding my late father.

Cutty Letter

Cutty Photo

Draconian Legislation

Draconian Legislation

He was a carpenter/boat-builder by trade and having plied the seas for 11 years he decided he wanted to 'drop anchor' in Africa somewhere where mining houses were paying 'very healthy wages' to their employees.

His short-list was the then Belgian Congo and Northern Rhodesia - the former one of which he decided not to go to because of the stories of the prevalence of Yellow Fever - so the latter one it was to be.

He applied to the Immigration Authority, a copy of their reply (February 1938) to him I attach together with a copy of 'Immigrants Regulation Ordinance, 1914, as Amended.

What is of interest is the Draconian legislation in defining who was a suitable visitor/immigrant and who was not.

From their letter to him, and in terms of the legislation, one was subjected - only on arrival at the port of entry - to an 'examination' by an Immigration Officer (not a doctor it would appear) whose esteemed visual appraisal of one's person solely determined the nervous incumbent's acceptability, or otherwise, as a bona fide immigrant.

Anyway, in March 1938 he arrived at Nkana and within one week got employment underground at Mindola.

Being a boat-builder he built a model of the Cutty Sark (I do not know the person holding it in the photograph) which he presented to The Rhokana Club probably in early 1939 which had been displayed in the main lounge, in a glassed enclosure, where it was on display till the early 60s.

The then Club Manager, one of two Thom(p)son brothers if I recall correctly, sent my late father the attached letter of thanks.