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 91 years – what a fine innings!

A Memorial Exhibition of the lifelong work of Mr Darrel Charles Herbert Plowes organized by National Museums and Monuments Zimbabwe (NMMZ) in association with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Mutare, Zimbabwe, was opened on 19th October 2017, it will run until Christmas.

The exhibition showcases and celebrates Darrel as a person and as a plant collector, orchid specialist, author, scientific researcher, photographer, ornithologist and butterfly collector. The display covers his public and community service work as a Museum Society member, a NMMZ Board member, Cactus and Succulent Society member and long serving, very active and dedicated member of the National Trust of Zimbabwe. Some of his personal items are on display such as his cameras and natural collections.

Darrel in the orchid house at La Rochelle

Invited guests were welcomed to the Mutare Museum by Dr. P. Mupira (below), the Regional Director for National Museums and Monuments of Zimbabwe, Eastern Region. The National Trust of Zimbabwe (The Trust) was represented by The Council Chairman David Scott and his wife Shirley and Edone-Ann Logan, the Chairperson of the Rhodes Nyanga Historical Exhibition and her husband Aubrey and Mrs Nina Bauer, Membership Secretary.

Mr James Becker (ex-Trust Chair Mutare Committee below) delivered an excellent Homily in Honour of Darrel in which he mentioned that he had the good fortune to have worked closely with both Darrel and his companion Nina Bauer, on the Mutare Trust Committee, responsible for La Rochelle, Fort Gomo and Murahwa’s Hill. They were both honoured with Life Membership, for their amazing effort and contribution to the Trust. Mr Becker gave an interesting historical account of Darrel’s life.

In 1943–1945 Darrel saw active service in latter part of WWII, with the South African, 9th Division, in Italy. After the war, Prof John Phillips from the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa canvased Darrel into joining the University on a special Agri-Science course and thus started his career in the Department of Agriculture. In 1949–56 he was posted as Research Officer to Matopos and Nyamandlovu. During the period 1956–82 he was posted to Manicaland, where he rose to the TOP post of Provincial Agricultural Officer. Then in 1982 – 1995 Darrel travelled extensively due to his, second wife’s postings in the USA foreign service, namely Botswana, Sudan, Washington DC, and Chad. Finally in 1995 – 2016 his love of Mutare drew him back here, where he lived to the end.

Darrel’s passion new no bounds, as he had such an amazing interest is so many areas from photography, to plants, insects, birds, minerals etc. Darrel won a photography award for his filming of the Black Eagle at Murahwa’s Hill. He also has the distinction of having many species named after him. His input to this fine museum was enormous, and leaves a fitting legacy to his incredible contribution.

Darrel’s sense of what is RIGHT, FAIR & JUST, coupled with his quiet determined manner, were attributes that were admired by many. He certainly earned their respect and was acknowledged as an authority in so many fields. He was considered a “FINE GENTLEMAN” in every sense of the word, by many who came to know him.

Mr John Meikle (above) then spoke about Darrel and his public service work. Darrel dedicated himself fully to causes he passionately believed in (mainly in the Environmental and Heritage arena)! Darrel was an authority in so many diverse subjects/areas, leaving his mark and name on so many species of fauna and flora etc. His interests were very varied which gave him an amazing knowledge in so many different areas.

Mrs Nina Bauer (above) then and spoke very emotionally about the time she spent with Darrel and shared  Darrel’s final request and word of advice to everyone surviving him:

“Plant Trees, plant more trees, plant more and more trees, just PLANT TREES”!!

Immediately after the tribute speeches a tree planting ceremony took place in the Museum garden, in honour of Darrel. Nina conducted the ceremony.

The exhibition, inside the Museum, was officially opened by Nina cutting the ribbon (above) and then declared open by Ms Muusha (who helped create the exhibition) and who gave a vote of thanks on behalf of the National Gallery. The guests then toured the very interesting tribute exhibition displaying Darrel’s first camera, personal life pictures and his work on fauna and flora, some with his handwritten notes.

Darrel was an invaluable friend of the Trust for a many, many years and a great source of information and of assistance through his long friendship with Sir Stephen and Lady Virginia Courtauld of La Rochelle when he worked with them on many projects in the early years of La Rochelle.  His knowledge of the property was a great help to the Trust during the recent refurbishment program and we will be eternally grateful for his precious input over the years. A granite plaque acknowledging Darrel’s contribution is being placed by the Trust at La Rochelle where Darrel had spent so much time and where he had been such an influence.

Darrel’s long career before retirement was in agriculture, natural resource management and extension where his contributions were substantial. His extensive interests covered an incredibly wide range of subjects in the fields of natural history, agronomy, entomology, botany and ornithology, to name just a few. The Trust was truly honoured and fortunate to have as an active member, one of the greatest all-round naturalists of Zimbabwe.

You are cordially invited to a Memorial Exhibition of the lifelong work of Mr Darrel Plowes being organized by National Museums and Monuments Zimbabwe (NMMZ) and the Mutare Art Gallery on 19^th October 2017.

The exhibition will showcase and celebrate Darrel as a person and as a plant collector, orchid specialist, author, scientific researcher, photographer, ornithologist and butterfly collector. The display will also cover his public and community service work as a Museum Society member, a NMMZ Board member, Cactus and Succulent Society member and long serving, very active and dedicated member of the National Trust of Zimbabwe. Some of his personal items will be on display.  Dr Mupira  Regional Director of the NMMZ will be one of the guest speakers along with Ms Nina Bauer and Mr Des Becker who are attending as on behalf of the National Trust and well as being close personal friends.

We look forward to seeing you there.

We would like to share a visitor comments and photographs on his recent stay at La Rochelle:

Hi All, I decided to make the most of it and stay at La Rochelle – an up market, rambling, country style homestead 5 minutes down the Penhalonga Road just on the outskirts of Mutare. My first visit and I have been impressed by how well it is being run; the excellent dinners; and the relaxed feel about the place.

The main house had lots of long passageways and a large lounge as was the architecture favoured some 50 plus years ago. Saturday night in the main living room had several families playing games like scrabble and dominoes with their kids –pleasant music playing quietly in the background. There are bookshelves all over the place with books dating back to the early 20th century – I browsed through a few: “A Great Book of Humour” (1935) with short stories from about 30 authors including Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy; and then there was “Echoes of Old Country Life” (1892). I did, of course, have to glance through a more modern “Remarkable Gardens of South Africa!” (2012) lying on the coffee table.

Lounge showing portrait of Sir Stephen and Lady Virginia hanging over the fireplace

When the work was done I took off on my Bike for a ride along the backroads – all uphill to my dismay – I ended up traversing what seemed like the Stairways to Heaven – one of those where every corner brings yet another steep rise – still people living way up there with local ladies ascending the hill seemingly unaffected by the heavy buckets on their heads.

One of the lovely aspects of staying at a place like this is that you have a chance to chat to all sorts of interesting people. I had a drink with guy from Sterling in Scotland who was travelling around the country with a couple of mates.

La Rochelle is ideal for either a stopover on the way to or from Mozambique or for a week ago away from the Madding crowd. It is a pleasant drive, just over 3 hours, from Harare. Take time out there soon.

A quote that caught my attention in the Humour Book “ Mrs Wright and Mr Bolt were sipping liqueurs and lingering over that inestimable stage of human companionship when acquaintance is drifting into something higher, wider, nobler, broader, deeper and fuller”! (F.E. Baily  in “Look this Way Babe”). A little more subtle than the likes of “50 shades of Grey”!

Mr Mike Garden, Softrite Accounting Systems

Here are some other recent visitors’ comments that were kindly provided by Mr Garden.

…………

La Rochelle – Have friends who stayed there recently with some Art ladies they really enjoyed the weekend and the lovely gardens.

………….

I used to go to La Rochelle when it was still in the Courtauld family and Lady Courtauld was still alive and we used to have tea on the verandah. The gardens were magnificent. I remember it as being so much bigger and so full of colour back then. I think the Manager is doing a remarkable job. It looks wonderful.

Regards Rose

………………

This was the home of Lord and Lady Courtauld. There should be a statue there to her pet Lima and the round turret was for her stone collection. They had interesting visitors who signed the lounge window. They had so many antiques that Mr Holland refused to value the contents so a valuer was sent out from the UK. They also planted all different trees. Glad to hear it is running well.

………………..

Watch the 1957 Royal Tour of Rhodesia on YouTube the footage is around 12 minutes long and towards the end (11.5 minutes) there is some footage of the Courtualds and the Queen Mother taken at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. Very interesting.

It is linked to Memories of Rhodesia and produced by the African Film Productions, Johannesburg, SA.

https://www.google.co.zw/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwiP3sm__5fVAhVCJcAKHZtvAtgQtwIIJDAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DqVl-G0eXuAA&usg=AFQjCNFDdHpkaQ85wy-0cEXqGb9Dzpo_Eg

The NTZ is a proud member of the International National Trust Organisation and our colleagues John and Emily from the ‘Cross-Cultural Foundation’ of Uganda developed a concept for a project reflecting their conviction that we must focus much of our work on the youth and a desire to share the lessons they have learned from their work to support “Heritage Clubs” in (now over 100) Ugandan secondary schools in the past few years.

“The idea behind the project is to ensure that young people from Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone and Uganda develop a better       appreciation of the diverse heritage across the continent and become more effective in its preservation, through an electronic platform/ learning network related to heritage conservation and to strengthen the skills of our organisations in delivering more effective Heritage Education programmes for youth in a globalised, but diverse world”

(John De Coninck, Programme Advisor)

Following this idea the first ever crowdfunding campaign was launched by INTO on Monday 14th November 2016 at 2pm GMT to raise as much money as possible from as many donors as possible in five weeks.  The project page can be found at www.bitly.com/INTOAfrica.

The good news is that the threshold goal of £2,500 was successfully reached with the assistance of Global Giving and we have earnt a place in their crowd funding community!

As part of the global family of National Trusts The National Trust of Zimbabwe would like you to get involved too!

I love my Heritage!

Show the world Zimbabwe’s unique heritage!

Cash Prizes!

If you are under 20 years and a heritage club member in an Nyanga Secondary School in Zimbabwe then you are invited to join heritage clubs in Sierra Leone and Uganda in a competition to share an experience or activity of your heritage club, which you feel is exciting:

1. Submit a 2-3 minute video clip taken on a phone or camera depicting an exciting experience/ activity related to heritage.
2. Write half a page (about 250 words) explaining your video clip.
3. Submit your entry on a flash drive or memory card to your Principal or Heritage Teacher, who will submit it to Faith at the Nyanga Library or Marshall at Rhodes Nyanga Historical Exhibition (Museum).

You will be invited to present your entry to a panel of judges on 20 September 2017 at the Rhodes Hall, Nattional Park.

Winners receive cash prizes!

Your video may be publicised nationally and used by the International National Trust Organisation to promote Heritage Education!

DEADLINE: 14TH SEPTEMBER  (first week of 3rd term)

For further details please email: leecrofts@bsatt.com

Thank you, we look forward to receiving your entries.

The property has a long social heritage that extends back from at laest 250,000 years to the early colonial era. This history is represented as archaeological sites, rock paintings, old village remains, graves and various stone and brick-built structures. In July 2017 the National Trust Zimbabwe (NTZ) gave permission to the National Museums & Monuments of Zimbabwe (NMMZ) to conduct a rescue excavation of midden material (ashy village waste and domestic debris) that was being eroded by water channelling down one of the paths. The NMMZ team comprised of six museum curatorial staff namely: Ms Senzeni Khumalo, Mr Lonke Nyoni, Mrs Charity Nyathi, Mr Todini Runganga, Mr Obert Mangwana and Mr Maxwell Fumula.

Here is an extract from one of the first report backs:

“Today we did a one metre by one metre trench at 10cm intervals. The first ten centimetres we recovered 10 glass beads of various colours, pot sherds as well as bones. At 20cm we recovered 40 beads and bones and at 30cm the trench was sterile only two glass beads and a few pot sherds were recovered. A new trench will be dug tomorrow“.

This is great news indeed and many thanks go to and Mrs Khumalo her team for undertaking the very valuable rescue excavation work that was carried out as the archaeological materials were in danger of being lost/damaged further. This news greatly increases the interest of the NTZ site and confirmed that the property was the village of one of the Ndebele indunas (chiefs) in the precolonial era, probably dating to between 1870 and 1890. We eagerly await for the full report.

Global heritage group mobilising young people in fight to preserve cultural identity

Today, the International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) are launching a new resource, ‘Trust Kids!’, a list of 25 things young people can do to explore, celebrate, preserve and share their cultural heritage. 

In her annual World Heritage Day Lecture, Dame Fiona Reynolds, Chairman of INTO, warns that our intangible cultural heritage is under threat and that we must do all we can to encourage the next generation to protect, promote and pass it on.

World Heritage Day aims to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites and the efforts required to protect and conserve them.  INTO’s 70 member organisations are dedicated to promoting the conservation and enhancement of the cultural and natural heritage of all nations for the benefit of people all over the world.  Last year a report by INTO highlighted apathy as a key threat to the future of our global heritage.

Today, Dame Fiona will speak about the importance of helping young people, living in an increasingly uncertain world, to embrace the future more positively and confidently by sharing the strengths of their cultural identity.

‘Trust Kids!’ is a list of 25 things young people can do to explore, celebrate, preserve and share their cultural heritage. From drawing your family tree to finding out how your town got its name; from learning a traditional dance to preparing a regional dish; discovering a local custom to interviewing an elder about community traditions, there are some great ideas for exploring heritage, learning new skills and trying new things.

The education resource aims to grow young people’s appreciation for their traditions and living culture, building greater solidarity and cultural respect, and increasing resilience in response to the threats to intangible heritage.

“Identity helps us to belong, to feel safe and to feel proud. Learning about our own identity will help us to better respect and tolerate each other. Cultural identity refers to the manner in which we express our uniqueness. This may be through the way we look or dress, the language we speak, the food we eat and other forms of expression. Identity is also expressed through values – what we consider as individuals, families or communities as positive.” (Trust Kids! 2017)

Dame Fiona will speak about the dangers to the survival of distinctive cultural expressions (dance, costume, music, poetry, storytelling, traditional games and handicrafts) posed by globalisation, social change, migration, apathy and manipulation and the work that the world’s biggest and broadest heritage group is doing to save it.

“The conservation of intangible heritage is no longer a fringe activity – it is a necessity. Preserving intangible heritage requires different measures to the ones used for conserving monuments and sites – it needs to be kept alive and relevant. It must be regularly practised and learned within communities and between generations. That is why engaging young people is essential to its survival.”

“In a world of increasing globalisation, intolerance and fake news, we can encourage young people to develop their own sense of cultural identity, based on the best bits of their heritage.  Our ‘Trust Kids!’ network will also build greater solidarity and cultural respect amongst young people, wherever they call home.” (Dame Fiona Reynolds)

Dame Fiona also called on governments, including here in Britain, to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

You can find out more about Trust Kids! on the INTO website https://intoorg.org/trust-kids

International Day for Monuments and Sites (or World Heritage Day) is celebrated on 18 April every year.  It aims to raise public awareness about the diversity and vulnerability of the world’s built monuments and heritage sites (not just those listed by UNESCO) and the efforts required to protect and conserve them.   This year’s theme is “Cultural Heritage & Sustainable Tourism” chosen in relation to 2017 being the UN year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.  www.icomos.org.