Big Al & Rhodesia

[Chesh]

Great photo! What a life eh?

I am sure it was, like I say just wish I can remember it. My mum is finally retiring next week and has promised she is going to write everything down. Some of the stories her and my Dad mention from during the time of the coup are quite amazing as I am sure anyone who lived anywhere in Africa during that time would have. (Mum faviourate is telling the armed soldiers to get out of her clinic they were upsetting the patients as he was swinging his rifle around on his finger with trigger hook......Dad, escape route through the jungle to the Ivory Coast)

:lol:

That should be your avatar!!!!!

Oh yes! Got to be done.

If someone would be so kind and size it up correctly I will quite happily make it my avatar

[Big Al]

There you go

me1a.jpg (2.23 KiB) Viewed 168 times

[Chesh]

Thanks Al all sorted now!

[Correus]

Sweet......

[Panzermike]

Another Rhodie checking in here. Born and breed in Salisbury. Will never forget what a great childhood I had in Rhodesia despite a war going on. Sadly too young to serve my country and left in 89 to South Africa. My Dad served in the RLI....the best unit for counter insurgency warfare that along side the Selous Scouts and the Rhodesian SAS. Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.....

Rule number ONE for all those that never lived in Rhodesia or South Africa...........under no circumstances look to the media for the truth, they would not be able to tell an ounce of truth even if they had the instruction manual! Come to think of it that applies to anything they say nowadays too. Now living in the UK I said to my cousin in Germany when we got together that it took me less than few months to understand why they in Europe had such a screwed up point of view of us in the Colonies and why they slagged us off so much.

I wish my kids could have the childhood I had. I find myself often in a bit of a dilema over here now. Hate Mugane and his type for what they have done or the Liberal do gooders that allowed him to take over in the first place. Considering whats going on in Europe at the moment the decision is becoming a hell of lot easier. The same infection is now spreading to the USA.

Liberalism is a mental dissorder.....When your kids are told they have to wear goggles to play conkers and we cant get rid of terr like Qutada no more proof of this statementis required!

RHODESIA WAS SUPER.

[Big Al]

You see! There should be a like button on this forum!

Hi Mike and welcome. What you have said there is the truth and no mistake! Living over there was the best time ever. Absolutely fantastic! Whereabouts in Salisbury were you? I lived way down Enterprise Road. Also, lived a very short walk from where Sir Alec Douglas Home stayed when they were trying to organise a handover of power. I mean a couple of hundred yards away.

[Panzermike]

Hi Al, Oh boy talk about going back down memory lane. My old man built our home in Mount Pleasant, Salisbury North Suberbs just off Norfolk Road. I had a good couple of buddies from School that lived off the Enterprise Road and Chisipte Area. We started our High School years at Vainona High before it all went tits up, ended up in a Private School for O Levels. Old Bob had bought a house on Quorn Avenue literally just round the corner from us. In that final op my Dads unit was stationed just round the corner waiting for the word to go in and whack that bastard! He has never told me if he was in those trucks, all I knew is the unit got dibanded six months later and we went to pick Dad up at 1 Commando Barracks. Thanks to this lot over here in Whitehall we got sold out!

My folks are still out there, sold the family home to Farmer friends that got kicked off their farm in the Mazoe Area and they bought a smaller place in a retirement village in the the Borrowdale area. Have not been to see their new place....as I said to my Dad, I'll come back only if I can bring a sniper rifle with me! They do spend most of their time in SA though. Dad just could never bring himself to leave.

Hey Al, do you rememebr how we use to go ape on our bikes in the veld......helmet what bloody helmets!!! LOL. Man those were the days.....an funnily enough we all turned out ok. Infact our generation, from the colonies that is, probably are the most productive generation ever. Most guys I knew my brother and I included went on to be Engineers, doctors, etc. What do they do nowadays.....A degree in hairdressing?????? Do me favour!

My one consolation is that I believe that the circle always turns....trouble is how much damage is done before it turns.


Long live the Green and White.

[Big Al]

Gosh, I remember cycling up to Borrowdale. We'd go an play squash there. We'd also go to the races on Saturday. Remember watching Lester Piggott there. We had some great times. Yes, Chisipite was a decent little village. People just don't know what it was like over there back then. I remember hearing about all the carnage here in the UK when a bomb went off from the IRA and it was sad. But when I got back here, I came to realise that, apart from the deaths, of course, it was nothing like as bad as the press made out. I came back expecting to see a warzone along the lines of those portrayed in certain games. There was nothing. Not that I wanted anything to happen, you understand, just that it was what you were led to believe. I remember being caught up in a couple of bomb alerts and everyone panicking, rushing for exits and what have you. I would just wait around and slowly walk out. No hassle at all. I put all that down to my experiences in Southern Africa. A different way of life. After living with the Bush War, or Terrorist War, you got to thinking along the lines that you won't give into the hysteria that they want you to. When you do that, they have won. Rhodesia taught us that and the attitude of Rhodesian people from that era.

[Mainly28s]

Rule number ONE for all those that never lived in Rhodesia or South Africa...........under no circumstances look to the media for the truth, they would not be able to tell an ounce of truth even if they had the instruction manual! Come to think of it that applies to anything they say nowadays too.

Too true. I'm an ex-Saffer (still did the full two years' National Service, back in '88-'89), and moved here to the UK in 2000. I can't believe how little truth there is in the press. If I had to post all the stuff that really happens in SA (or what I know of Rhodesia) now, I'd probably be barred for putting people off their dinners.

Ah, well, back to gaming. What rules do you use, Panzermike?

[Panzermike]

Wotcher Mainly28s, yes one could write the Encylcopedia Britannica on what the media does not know about the truth. But youre right enough of that. I got into wargaming actually when I got to the UK back in late 2003.

My favourite period has been WW2 naturally. I have been involved mostly with Flames of War but recently my appetite for the game has really deminished. Main reason for this is the really crap influence tournament play has had on the game. I bought an obscene amount of stuff but can never get a game where you can field a really impressive forces. Trying to organise a big Total war game is so few and far in between its just not worth it. So really dissapointed as the bulk of my force just sits in storage boxes.

However thank the dear lord for 28mm. I've got into Rules of Engagement with afew friends and I am loving it big time. I have just about completed my Fallschirmjaeger force and the best part in almost every game I have played so far almost my entire force gets to be fielded on the battlefield. What I find great is that you can make this game as big or small as we want.

This is what has got me really excited about the upcoming Bolt Action. Platoon/Company skirmish style game which can be expanded if we so wish. Really sad to say but 15mm WW2 is giving way to 28mm WW2. Starting to build up an SS and Heer force in anticipation.

Also play WHFB 8th Edition which has proved to be big hit with us veteran gamers at our club. Despite what we all think of GW this edition has proved to be a big favourite and again in most tourneys you get to field a big portion of your army. Not uncommon to field between 2400 and 3000 points. Flames of War had better wake up......