It was June 1967. The Democratic Republic of Congo aka DRC
was in turmoil again. The South African and Rhodesian Mercenary Officers of the
ANC, l’ Armee Nationale Congolaise, lead by Belgian Colonel Schramm, were
taking over the country as the Central government had not paid them for six
months. A detachment of Congolese soldiers from the Kabinda Army Barracks 125 kilometres
to the west had been sent to keep their eyes on these Missionaries at Kipushya
Mission.
Some years before when there had been a similar uprising a
Portuguese Helicopter had landed on our Mission Strip to refuel as it was
escaping to Angola far in the west. The ANC somehow had rumours that our
Mission was in contact with the Mercenaries via Mission radio. So we had our HF
two-way radios confiscated. It made things very isolated at Kipushya
Mission 457 kilometres to our next mission at Kamina. No contact with the outside world except by BBC Short-wave.
Because the whole country was coming to a standstill, our
Mission leaders decided that all families with children should be evacuated to
Zambia across the border to the south of Katanga. David Womersley and Joe
Robinson arrived from Katanga across the River ferry which separated Katanga
from the East Kasai where we lived. They had come to check on their
missionaries and to take the Rowlands family and others back with them.
However when these two white men arrived unexpectedly at the
Mission late one evening the leader of the ANC detachment was not happy. Next
morning he had the Two Missionary leaders along with Eddie Rowlands from
Kipushya Mission go with them to the Commandant at the Kabinda Barracks. They
had now some answering to do. Why had they come over from Katanga the rebel
province to the south?
David Womersley said
it was the scariest day of his life as they were interrogated and threatened by
the officers at Kabinda 125 km to the West of our Mission.
They arrived back late at night and the air was tense. They
wanted all of us to leave with them the very next day. Joan Rhodes who had been
at Kipushya for twenty years asked if she could stay to run the Hospital,
Maternity and Dispensary. As a young twenty-five year old I volunteered to stay
with her as I was now the Head teacher (Directeur) of the Secondary School at
the Mission. Joan was like a mother to me and her experience and understanding
of the Africans was renown. Finally the Mission leaders agreed on the
understanding that Eddie gets the Mission Land Rover repaired as it had a
broken swivel-pin housing on the left front wheel. This had cracked while
carrying these marauding soldiers as they looted and stole food and animals
from the local villagers.
The Mission leaders left next morning early with Heather
Rowlands, and her young ones, Paul, Alison and David. It was arranged that
after the truck was fixed I would take Eddie to the Kitengie Railway siding to
catch the next train south to Kamina. They ran intermittently down into Katanga
from the North.
So here was Joan and I on the Mission Station and we kept on
with the work: Joan with the medical and me with the Secondary School. I think that the transportation of these
soldiers ceased as we no longer had the fuel and eventually as Joan was
carrying soil for making adobe bricks, the back tail shaft snapped. Now we had no
vehicle at all operational. This was a blessing in disguise. We eventually ran
out of flour so Joan sent a workman on a bike via a shortcut 85km to Kabinda to
get us flour and the mail.
Joan said to me, the young inexperienced missionary, you come
and eat your meals at my house and we will share houseboys and food supplies.
From July to November we just puddle along holding the fort listening to the
BBC and waiting to see what would happen. It was during this time that I wrote
to Esther to say that when she was accepted by the Mission CEM, to announce our
engagement as the mail was very spasmodic and unreliable taking three to six
months to arrive in Aussieland. Finally I found out that I was engaged to be married
six weeks after it happened.
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