News from former students
Course 6
Ian Barron and the Mashona herd at Gwebi (Course 6).
Ian was a founding member of the Mashona Cattle Society and he established a herd on Gomo Estate in the Ayrshire South district which was 
renowned for docility and fertility. During the farm invasions, like many of his neighbours, he was arrested and suffered the indignity of being thrown into jail for refusing to vacate his own farm. On leaving Zimbabwe, Ian sold the nucleus of his herd to Gwebi.
Mashonas had acquitted themselves extremely well during the first phase of the national crossbreeding trial that was managed at Gwebi from 1975 by lecturer Steve Bennett whilst reporting to Project Leader, Harry Ward at Matopos Research Station. 50 weaner heifers were run on Gwebi South with an equivalent number of Africander and Sussex. Their purebred and crossbred progeny were sent to Henderson and Matopos for the second phase for finishing or breeding in the second phase. In the first phase, the Mashona calves had the highest weaning weights relative to their dam's weight.
Ian had retired at Hermanus when Colin visited him in 2015.
Colin Lowe and Steve Bennett, 2015.
Geoff V. Hawksley (Course 6).
Geoff was farming in Centenary but lost his farm and has retired to a small property at Juliasdale.
Anne Shaw.
"How I landed up at Gwebi and the Prime Ministerial Tree" by John Shaw (Course 6).
I didn’t really want to go to Gwebi. The problem was that, academically, I was rather advanced for my age. I wrote Cambridge Schools Certificate in 1951 when I was only just 16. I gained sufficient credits to be awarded South African matriculation, which meant I could go to any South African university. It was decided that I was too immature to go to university, so I should stay at school for another two years and write Cambridge Higher Schools Certificate. That did not impress me very much, but I could not see that there was any option. I had wanted to join the Air Force as an apprentice Instrument Fitter. Dad vetoed that. So, there I was at school and wishing I wasn’t, except for our science teacher, Pixie Farrell, who introduced us to the study of ecology. I found that fascinating, and still do. In 1953, after a year-and-a-half, after the adventure of the Rhodes Centenary Exhibition in Bulawayo (which is entirely another story) I heard of a job as a learner assistant on a tobacco farm near Marandellas. That seemed to me to be much more exciting than staying on at school, so I saw the Headmaster and told him that I thought I was wasting time at school and I wanted to apply for the job. To my surprise, he entirely agreed with me and wrote a very good letter of reference for me.
So, off I went and started work on the farm, Chirume Ranch, out toward Wedza. I wrote home: “Dear Mum and Dad, I have left school, this is my new address”. That went down like a lead balloon. Anyway, I became totally immersed in the job. This was the first tobacco crop they grew because they had been in cattle, but most had died in the drought. So we built barns and cleared land and did all those development things. I was put in charge of the seed-beds, which was totally absorbing and quite new to me. Eventually Dad put a lot of pressure on me to go to university, so I ended up in Pietermaritzburg, studying for the degree in Agricultural Science. I was still very immature and very unhappy. I saw a student counsellor who heard me out, and said, “you are totally in the wrong place. You need to be somewhere which is more hands-on”. So I left PMB and went to work for my previous employers who were now developing a farm in the Centenary Block. That really suited me - wild country, lots to develop, buildings to build, dams and roads to plan and construct, and, of course a crop to grow. I really enjoyed my time there, but Dad then insisted I go to Gwebi. I was reluctant, but I went and have always been grateful for the opportunity. There were a couple of fellows I knew there from Umtali High School – Alec 
Young and Vilmo Loveric. There are so many Gwebi stories, it was quite fantastic.
I should tell you about the Prime Ministerial Tree. Garfield Todd, who somehow had become Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia (I cannot understand why anyone would have elected him to Parliament, let alone make him Prime Minister. He was a missionary from New Zealand, with a very unsavoury reputation. Most Rhodesians couldn’t stand him.) Anyway, the occasion was the opening of the new hall, which had been under construction for about 12 months. To mark the occasion the PM planted a tree in the quadrangle, quite near the hall. We students were very impressed. I totally refute the suggestion that we pulled the tree out. On the contrary, we cared for it lovingly. At any time, during the evening there were to be seen a couple of students irrigating the tree. Unfortunately, the tree did not prosper so the Principal, Doc Fielding, called in the Director General of Forestry to view the tree and diagnose its illness. I have forgotten the DG’s name, but he was a memorable character. We all gathered round him while he examined the tree. He eventually turned to Doc Fielding and said, in a very plummy voice, “I really do think this tree is suffering from an excess of uric acid”. How right he was. The tree was removed and never replaced.
This same Forestry man lectured us on forestry matters now and then. In one memorable lecture on the preservation of timber he said, “Creosote is a wonderful preservative. It is often used to treat the piles of piers. I am, of course referring to the pillars of the jetty, not the haemorrhoids of the aristocracy”.
I would welcome any news you have about any Gwebians from any Course. There was something about the place which still binds us.
Narrated by John Shaw, Townsville, North Queensland, 2015 to Colin Lowe.
Vale John Shaw (Course 6).
John's father was an Anglican minister in Gloucestershire until he moved in 1946 with his family to Rhodesia. John attended Umtali School and as he had already started schooling at an ealier age in the UK he was moved up so was young for his class. His best friend at school was Robin Day (Course 4) and so he met Robin's sister, Anne, who was older than the boys. His early days, including some anecdotes from Gwebi days with Course 6, are posted above.
John moved to Australia in 1961. While the Rhodesians were taking 
their stand, the conservative political party 'The Country Party' sent John over to Rhodesia to see if there was anything that could be done to help Ian Smith beat the 'Terrs'. This conservative party was renamed the National Party in 1975. John met Ian Smith and was given free rein to visit everywhere, including the 'Sharp End'.
John had two daughters and a son but divorced in the 1980s. His subsequent partner passed away early in 2001. Shortly after that his brother, Chris - who had kept contact with Anne Cooke née Day since their Umtali schol days - wrote to Anne who had just lost her husband Peter of almost 45 years to a massive heart attack and gave them each other's addresses. After corresponding for a few years Anne visted John in Australia and they married in 2004. They started their new life together working very hard to restore a very badly degraded farm in Southern Queensland which John had bought in May 2003.
John wrote a book from his experiences and their time together and Anne provided the photographs. The book is 
called 'This Thankful Earth - A Practical Guide to Sustainable Land-use'. They applied knowledge gleaned over four continents, but much was driven by programs initiated and carried out by the Department of Conservation and Extension in Rhodesia in the 60s and 70s.
John and Anne restored the farm 'Carlton' to be more fertile than it had been in the virgin state. John shared his memories via Colin Lowe's email newsletter to the Gwebi fraternity and a few have been posted on this site. John was a frequent contributor despite the the rapid deterioration to his health after the diagnosis of an aggresive brain tumour in September 2015.
Anne Shaw in Queensland, Australia wrote. "With a heavy heart, but very grateful that John is at Peace at last after his courageous battle against all odds, my beloved John passed away relaxed, quietly, very peaceful and in no pain at 6.30p.m. on Thursday evening the 28th April 2016."
Summarised from Colin Lowe's tribute with contributions from Anne Shaw.
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