Shake, Rattle, and Roll With It

This was a busy, newsworthy week for Botswana and southern Africa. As I was cooking dinner Monday night, Phil called out from the lounge. Can you feel that? he asked. Not sure what he meant, I said, no. And then I felt the floor shake and heard the windows rattle. I could feel my eyeballs start to pop out. Don't you think we should go outside? I said. We did, quite quickly, I might add, some of us dressed, some of us not...and stood in the yard looking at each other in disbelief. AN EARTHQUAKE. In Botswana! There were a few conflicting reports, first that it happened in the capital city, Gaborone, it didn't. The epicenter was actually about 270 k's from Gaborone, located in the heart of the CKGR (Central Kalahari Game Reserve), where there have been rumours here and there of some fracking. It measured 6.5 on the Richter Scale. The last earthquake to happen in Botswana was in 1954 in Maun. The Geoscience Institute here has said it was a natural occurrence.

And then, a very famous person and his wife arrived in Botswana: 

 "Former President George W. Bush and Mrs. Bush are in Botswana to celebrate the remarkable progress made over the past two decades to address the challenges of disease, poverty and security, and the critical role that U.S. foreign aid has played in delivering lifesaving treatment for HIV/AIDS to nearly 12 million people worldwide. Pink Ribbon Red Ribbon – launched in 2011 by the Bush Institute, PEPFAR, and other private and public partners, build upon the HIV/AIDS platform to combat cervical and breast cancer in the developing world." (Quote from US Embassy Botswana, Facebook.)

These pictures are from the Facebook page of the United States Embassy here in Botswana. 

For the rest of the story, click this link, courtesy of Reuters: Bush Arrives in Botswana

I know there are more than a few golf aficionados out there, a few even reading this humble blog. So, I'll end this week's blog by sharing a local golf course story.

Back in 2015, while we were still waiting for our E.I.A. (Environmental Impact Assessment) Report (another story for another day), we would often explore Lobatse and the surrounding area. It was either that, or poke our eyes out from sheer anxious anticipation. We decided to drive out to the Lobatse Golf Club, est. 1951, on the edge of town, located next to the ginormous football (soccer) stadium.

Previously, Phil had checked it out in 2011, not a full-functioning course at the time, but it held at least one annual tournament, and a full-time groundskeeper.

Phil, inside the clubhouse in 2011.

Stained glass window inside the clubhouse.

The tournament that was taking place in 2011.

Phil chatting with the course Pro, an elderly Zimbabwean.

A shot of the front of the clubhouse with participants' bags, preparing to tee off.

Bridge on the way to the clubhouse, inside the grounds.

Informal sign pointing the way.

A few years ago, we had aspirations (read: dreams) about reviving the clubhouse and course. It is owned by BMC (Botswana Meat Corporation) and was built in the 1950s by the then white-owned and operated BMC, most likely exclusive to whites at the time, also. After Independence in 1966, the club still existed, but by then, many of the whites had left the country and I'm guessing, membership declined for a while. Despite that, the clubhouse and course continued to operate up until - as far as we can guess - 2014/2015. A one-man-show looking after the course and providing security. Afterward, there were no more tournaments, members, or players.

When we visited the course in April of 2015, the kind groundskeeper showed us around, opened the clubhouse and allowed us to inspect the building. Afterward, we inquired with the BMC regarding a possible takeover and revival and we were given the cold shoulder. BMC had more prudent things to worry about at the time than constructing a deal to reopen the course (like Foot & Mouth Disease). We shelved our idea.

But as you can tell from this lovely building, it had / has a tremendous amount of character and sophistication. With beautiful wooden fixtures, over-sized fireplaces - in the bar, and in the large dining hall, and a veranda that stretched the length of the building, one could easily imagine a sundowner on the patio watching the players retire to the clubhouse.

Phil at a tee box, in the background the football stadium; to the left large, buttressing hills.

The front of the clubhouse. The veranda on the second floor stretching the length of the building. The left 2nd floor, dining room; the right, bar; first floor left, billiard room and pro shop; first floor right separate men and women showers, restrooms, and changing rooms.

Inside the bar. Many trophies and score cards were still in place. The large fireplace is to the right of me, outside of the picture.

The large dining room, with industrial-sized kitchen, and large outdoor grill.

A shot of one of the greens.

Crossing the footpath on the course.

Fast forward to 2017, here we are, waiting on something entirely different, trying not to poke our eyes out from sheer anxious anticipation - again - we ventured out to the golf course.

The bridge, no longer functional partly due to neglect, partly due to the recent flooding.

And, what's left of the footbridge after the flooding. 

In order to reach the clubhouse this time, we had to drive across the course and take a back route. This bridge was functional - but only in a 4x4. You can see by all the garbage and plastics the damage the floods did to this small creek. I walked across and took the pics; on the way back, I shut my eyes and held my breath.

Upon reaching the clubhouse, we were in for an enormous disappointment. First, the gate was wide open onto the property, lacking a padlock. Second, the greens were in an obvious state of neglect, not just because of the recent rains. Below, a picture of the course, a cricket pitch in the far background, and I'm actually standing on a tee box.

And then this: (all of these pictures were taken through the broken glass from the outside).

 

I know it's just a building - and we don't even have reminiscing fond memories of "when we" - but it was soul-crushing to see the devastating vandalism. We surmised that, it must have happened after the floods. And, although you can clearly see things have been stolen, the place has been utterly trashed. For no reason. We suppose it to be a group of kids, one wouldn't think adults would get any joy from tearing a place apart.

Coincidentally, Phil had a meeting with the C.E.O. of BMC the next day, for an entirely different subject matter. As they concluded their business, Phil brought up the vandalized clubhouse and course. The C.E.O. and his M.D. had no idea, so again, suggesting that this was very recent. He also reminded them that a few years back, we had asked the previous C.E.O. to be a part of its revival. It was suggested we make a new proposal and, meanwhile, they would look into the vandalism.

We arrived home feeling a bit better that perhaps something positive with the clubhouse would happen. The next morning we both woke up with the same thought - the billiard table. We had forgotten that in our 2015 visit, we found an enormous, beautiful billiard table. What had become of that table? It was with apprehension that we waited for the day to cool off before venturing to the clubhouse again.

This time, we climbed the outside set of stairs to the veranda on the second floor, crawled under the bar where the glass doors had been completely smashed and broken, and went inside the building.

This is the fireplace in the bar area.

This is the fireplace in the dining room.

The dining room.

The outside braii (barbecue) area.

The dining area, doorway leads to the industrial kitchen.

The remains of the bar. Exact same shot where I had sat on a bar-stool back in 2015.

Drink list / prices.

Bricks in the dining room with donor / member names.

And - the moment we had been nervously anticipating - the billiard room:

Intact, whew!!  I guess too big / heavy / massive to destroy or remove? Not sure, but a relief to see that it remained.

We said good-bye to the clubhouse, dreams of reviving it not faltering. Would love a place to have a nice dinner on a Friday or Saturday night, like at the Tipton Country Club (does this mean I've officially become my mom and dad?!). I'm not much of a golfer. OK, no. That's not right. I cannot hit a golf ball to save my life. Phil use to play ten years ago, before MilkAfric consumed every second. Golf aside, a place to relax outside of our home, without having to drive to Gaborone - or go to the Cumberland - seems like a pretty darned good idea.

And, that pool table? Turns out it's not a pool table at all. It's a Snooker table. I googled the company that made it - Union Billiards, and they have been making Snooker tables for over sixty years. Snooker is a cue sport which originated in India in the latter half of the 19th Century. The Brits picked it up while stationed in India in the late 1800s. The word "snooker" was a long used military term used to describe newbies in the military. The game grew in popularity in England and is now governed by the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

We departed a bit more upbeat than the day before, hopeful that there were still possibilities.

This story definitely has a "to be continued."

Enjoy your weekend!

xoxo

K