chirundu Tales - Part 13

Chirundu Tales (Part 13)

At the end of 1967 the project came to a close. For all of us involved, it was a very sad time, particularly for me who had been there from the very beginning.  It was only when we started to dismantle the infrastructure that I realised just how much work had gone into the scheme.  My position as Station Manager meant that I was involved in everything that went on there apart from the actual collection of scientific research data. In an article in the ‘Rhodesian Farmer’ in May 1965 the journalist described my initial duties as “Starting from ‘scratch’, the Station Manager,(Me) lived in a tent while organising the laying of the water pipeline and road building, the establishment  of the camp and homes.  Now comfortably ensconced in a cottage on the banks of the Zambezi, he is responsible for labour and animal welfare.” The man should have won a prize for the art of précis writing.

In the previous 12 articles I have reported a lot of the fun side of living in the Zambezi Valley and the environment in which my wife and I, as well as my work colleagues lived, inevitably was a lot of fun if one chose to make it so.   The project, however, was a serious one and some serious effort went into making it work. Being a scientific exercise, that aspect was left to the scientists but at the same time they needed a lot of support for their field work which was where I came in.

We were allocated about 3,000 acres immediately adjacent to the Chirundu Sugar estate. This gave us plenty of options in terms of the way the station was laid out but numerous pre-requisites dictated what had to be done. 

The house I built for myself was a very basic combination of prefab metal and brick.  The prefab buildings we used fairly extensively were manufactured in Salisbury and the ones used as residences were lined with Cellotex walls and Kaylite ceilings whilst the others were left as bare metal.  Actually the inner linings were only partially effective in keeping the buildings cool so I chose to put thatch roofs over the buildings instead which also eliminated the noise of rain on the zinc.  The brick extensions on our houses and outbuildings such as offices and laboratories were built with hollow cement blocks manufactured on site.  Naturally we had plenty of sand available but we had to be careful of the quality we used as the first trials we carried out were a disaster as the sand was too fine.  After a lot of searching we found a large patch of course, sharp sand in the middle of a large sandbank and using a tractor and a small trailer we extracted a considerable stockpile which kept us going long after they opened the flood gates at Kariba and the sandbank was submerged.

Apart from establishing staff housing we had to develop the infrastructure at the same time and one major undertaking was the distribution of water to the entire 3,000 acres.  Using a hand carried altimeter that came out of an old aeroplane, I identified the highest point on the station, a twin -peaked  hill called Kakomamarara (Sp?) “The Hill of the Palms”.  At the top of the hill we installed two 4,000 gallon water tanks that were mounted on concrete bases.  The water was extracted from a sand bank upstream from our HQ.  We constructed a manifold of 3” perforated pipes that were sunk into the sand so that the extracted water would at least be partially filtered.  Our pumping equipment consisted of two 5 Stage centrifugal pumps, each driven by twin cylinder Lister engines housed in a small pumping station. These were linked to a 2” system that was used throughout the project. The pumps could deliver about 2,000 gallons an hour to our main tanks which was more than adequate for our needs so we only had to run them for a few hours each day.  The elevation of the main tanks meant that the rest of the system was fed by gravity. The delivery pipes to all our storage tanks except the main ones described above, were fitted with shut-off valves so they were automatically closed when each tank was full.  This system worked well.

It was decided from the start that we would use galvanised 2” piping as standard.  Polypipe was an option but as it would need to be buried to avoid damage by elephants or buffalo, the cost of burying it in the stoney conditions that prevailed were prohibitive. There was also the potential problem of leaks if the pipeline was damaged which would attract the attention of wild animals. Also there was the likelihood of plastic pipe bursting under the extreme pressure required to deliver water to our main storage tanks. Our guest house and one of the staff houses were located close to the pumping station so we installed a 2,000 gallon tank on a home -made 20 foot stand to keep them supplied.  Also adjacent to the pumping station was an area that had previously been cultivated by residents who had long since been moved out of the valley so I decided to use some of the available water to start a small irrigation scheme to grow fodder for our livestock.

The main storage tanks were located near the Western boundary of our property so to supply a staff house, which was centrally located  in our fenced area, as well as  the headquarters, a total of over 2 miles of pipe was required.  To facilitate water supplies to the six three hundred acre paddocks, we placed tee-pieces every 100 feet in the line, the open port being plugged.  We were thus able to remove the plugs and fit valves at any point where water might be required. We also put in a 2,000 gallon tank at the staff house built in the centre of the paddocks.  Finally we installed another two 4,000 gallon tanks on a hill behind the main camp which also served our labour lines. The exposed piping proved to be very efficient in terms of the amount of maintenance it required but because of the high ambient temperature the water in it was very hot during the day in fact at our house, we used to run a bath long before it was needed so the water could cool down sufficiently for us to get in.  On the plus side the hot water served to eliminate any likelihood of Bilharzia that may have been in the system. To be on the safe side, we boiled all our drinking water and filtered it through a chalk candle filters.

Our guest facility was located in a beautiful spot shaded by several Tamarind trees.  It consisted of two prefab rondavels connected by a gauzed veranda which served as a lounge and dining room. To the rear was a brick building which housed the fully equipped kitchen, the bathroom and toilet, and a lockable store room where people, who were regular visitors, could store personal items if they chose to do so. It was also kitted out with beds and furniture made in our carpenter’s shop. Nearby were the two bedroom entomologists house and a prefab scientific storeroom.

Livestock played an important part in the collection of scientific data and initially we purchased 50 indigenous cows and three bulls as well as 25 sheep. Because of the potential threat of attacks by lions or leopards we constructed a kraal fairly near our headquarters.  Using Mopani poles we built 4 pens for the cattle and a roofed shelter for the sheep all of which were surrounded by a robust fence with a barbed wire apron both on the inside and outside. Adjacent to this we constructed a cattle race with sorting pens under a thatched roof .

The animals were to be used as bait to attract tsetse flies as well as providing food for caged animals so we were not permitted to dip or spray them to control external parasites. As bait animals they were either tethered in “bashas”or led along plotted paths and flies that landed on them were caught, marked and recorded by trained field technicians.  In order to do this we needed to train and tame the animals to be calmly led or tethered. To achieve this entailed a lot of hard worked but eventually all 50 head were trained and later on when calves were born we got in early and trained them in the weaner stage. Probably the most important aspect of our animal husbandry was the regular injection of a drug called Samorin which controlled trypanosomiasis. This was a relatively new drug and was still being tested so we worked in close liaison with the Veterinary Department on its usage.

Ticks presented a bit of a problem and the bulk were manually removed from the animals when they were tethered but we did not escape the challenge of diseases other than ‘tryps’.  Because of this, we had to carry out regular checks which involved taking blood smears and examining them through a microscope.  Where we had a positive diagnosis, the animals were treated straight away but any suspect or unidentified findings were referred to the Veterinary Department in Salisbury for confirmation.  A wide range of drugs were available on site and we vaccinated all the animals for diseases such as Quarter Evil and Redwater etc as well as regularly dosing them for internal parasites. Detailed records on each animal were kept which to me was a real headache as clerical work was the least favourite of my jobs  Actually I once submitted a totally fabricated monthly report on my Land Rover mileage which reflected a deficit from the previous month.  Head office wanted to know if I had spent the month driving in reverse!

I also had to keep pay records for our 60 or so staff as well as fuel records for our vehicles, pumps and generators etc. plus a monthly inventory of our stores.

One of our major undertakings was the opening up of a 16 plus mile all-weather road that linked us directly with the main North Road a few miles North of the Nyakasanga  bridge. We had three tracks linking us directly with the sugar estate but these were impassable for much of the wet season unless we used our tractor. The road was designed by Bob Pilson of the Tsetse Department and for the most part was passable all year round but there were a couple of sections where drainage was a problem and we had to lay out a corduroy of Mopani logs. 

Bob provided aerial photos of the proposed road and a list of compass bearings and number of 100ft chain lengths for each section, so armed with the chain and a prismatic compass I proceeded to peg the road out.  Using only hand labour, it took several weeks to clear the way through at which point a grader was hired for two days to smooth it out.  Credit must go to Bob who did an excellent job in the planning as he was able to identify a single tree on our station that was the start point for our road.

Having reached the main North Road we reported the fact to the Dept of Roads who kindly told us that we were 20 feet out and must clear a new junction where a culvert would be installed.  I was very proud of my accuracy in only being 20 feet out in 16.3 miles but was more than a little peeved at having to re-cut the last few yards to connect with a very flat section of main road.  Actually if one looks at “Chirundu Hills” on Google Earth, (Coordinates 16.08.13 S and 29.03.12 E) the ‘adjusted’ junction is still very clear as is most of the road which is obviously still in use after nearly 50 years. The straight sections are very clear for the most part but tend to disappear near the old HQ.

In addition to the buildings already mentioned, we constructed an office /laboratory block, a central storeroom, a vehicle workshop with a tool room and an inspection pit, a carpenters shop, a generator room and a large storeroom for animal feed. We also constructed a large insectary which had double external brick walls, the space between them being filled with sand for insulation and an insulated ceiling. The entrance consisted of a double doored de-flying chamber.  Internally was a large cage with walking space on two sides. As the objective was to create a controlled environment that would be suited for the creation of a breeding colony, the room was fitted with air-conditioners and humidifiers. I cannot recall what the temperature was set at but in the middle of summer, it was way below the external temperature so Helen and I would often go in and have our afternoon tea there. It was essential that the atmosphere was constant 24/7 so we ran a 6Kva generator around the clock which was super for us as we were very close by and were able to tap into the supply for our house.

In addition to the permanent buildings, a wide selection of cages were constructed ranging from 16x24x8ft roofed cages to one that encompassed a whole tree, and another that covered a quarter of an acre with 17ft walls and an open top. The latter was inhabited by warthogs, sheep and young buffalo at various times.

It is regrettable that having built up the station and got it running, as a result of political decisions made in the USA following UDI, instructions were given to wrap it all up before any of the real scientific objectives had been achieved.  Sadly the closure of the station will be the subject for the next and final episode of this series.