When I started to write this blog it was on the back of bad medical events and news. That is, I had just had heart failure with the specialists identifying a stomach tumour as being the root cause of this malady which unbeknown to me had been multiple. I thought I was having panic attacks not heart failure carrying on as usual after recovering my breath. At face value, not good news, my heart had been damaged and at my age not likely to be repairable. Needless to say, they got my heart working adequately and the rest of me into shape in readiness for surgery. Perhaps you may not know this, when diagnosed with prostate cancer my oncologist and his team five years ago thought my health was not good enough to surgically remove my prostate. Hence the brachytherapy. Not ideal as I was 7 on the Gleason Score, therefore if I had been fitter, they would have removed my prostate. This, they told Rozanne surreptitiously. The truth is I was far too fat and unfit, hence the high blood pressure and type two diabetes.
“Much of the ailments we suffer in life are self-inflicted. Too many of us ignore this until it is too late. The problem is, although even in being aware of our poor lifestyle, the more we are reminded of it by friends, doctors and family, the more we ignore it to our great peril. Happy today can be sad tomorrow.” - Peter McSporran
Exactly a year ago, on the 23rd of January, they operated on me successfully removing the large tumour and were positive about the outcome. Last Thursday I visited my surgeon, the first face-to-face since surgery, the previous consultations having been on the telephone due to Covid-19. Well, good news again, my markers are still negative and just as importantly my PSA has stabilised. Just before my more recent illness, my urologist in South Africa was concerned as my PSA had started to rise again. I was sharing my test results with him, Dr Bradley Wood.
At the time of my diagnosis, I started writing this blog to record and share my experience of how it was to battle serious cancer. In fact, I had a dedicated section within the blog that I have dropped since my last review. My surgeon says you can never say it will not come back, but if I am still clear in six months time, he will halt my medical reviews. In explaining this news, there is always a bit of confusion as the language barrier is a challenge, his ‘pidgin’ English and my non-existent Portuguese. I relied on his smile and the fact no further treatment is required for the present. Phew!
“Death threatening experiences through illness make you more appreciative of others and more tolerant. It also increases your capacity for empathy to those suffering illness.” - Peter McSporran
Not sure my family agree with the tolerant part!
I still have the cardiologist to see, but since he stopped and reset my heart, it has been behaving. I test my BP, oxygen levels, pulse rate and sugar levels every day, although I have stopped sending my numbers to the cardiologist, I still monitor these at home. I take a raft of pills every day. I am sure they are for my good, after all an ex-farmer, not a doctor so my interpretation will be flawed.
I am a very lucky person. I have been fishing, on safari and travelling in Africa, all within the past year. I would not even have dreamt this a year ago. I even climbed the hill, to the ruined castle of Germanelo, which is just across the road from our home here in Besterio, Portugal. This time last year ten steps of stairs was a challenge. It does make you reflect on those that are not so fortunate. In fact, it makes you feel somewhat guilty if I am honest.
“In old age do not think too much about your future, it comes about too fast on its own”. - Peter McSporran
While I was waiting to see the surgeon at the University Hospital Coimbra, on arrival, there were about forty people waiting to have consultations with various specialists in the surgery department. After a while, to my horror there seemed to be only one doctor present with twelve patients waiting, most accompanied by a second person for support. Therefore it was obvious we were all waiting to see the same person. Where was I on the list? Unfortunately, even with my hearing aids, I struggled to hear and understand what the intercom was saying. I rely on deciding it is my turn when nobody else gets up immediately. As I sat there, I had plenty of time to people watch. As it was the surgical department, I am pretty sure everyone was on a post-surgery consultation. Most came out fairly unaffected in demeanour, others would be visibly joyful, while the remainder came out clearly shaken, one lady even requiring physical support on hearing what I can only assume was bad news. I would be lying if I said waiting there does not set your mind off at pace thinking about the possible outcome of your own personal visit to the room. Of course, I was last, but the four-hour wait was worth the good news. On driving home I reflected on what a tough job it is to be an oncologist surgeon. Would I have the mental strength to do this job? I very much doubt it. Thank goodness some do.
In other news, Jaguar got a hold of me this week informing me they would be paying nearly 70% of the repairs to my car which includes a brand new engine, plus a guarantee for three years. Virtually a new car in an old body. How much good news can one have in a week? Needless to say, my share is an unwanted large expense.
Thanks, Jaguar your prompt attention and favourable outcome. From time to time even corporates can surprise you.
Do I sell it before the next warranty expires? It will be eight years old then. Who said you do not have to make decisions when you retire?
“The press has me bamboozled once again. Tonga has had a massive natural disaster, with a huge loss of homes and livelihoods, inflation is about to change our lives, Russia is threatening an invasion of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the press is totally infatuated with a buffoon attending a party. While Rome burns!” - Peter McSporran
Operation Hurricane
Up to December 1972, the year I arrived in Rhodesia, incursions by CT guerillas had been along the Zambian border, most being eliminated before doing any great harm. In fact these incursions, so I am led to believe in historical musings, were such a failure that their tactics changed to trying to win over the people. Up until then, the locals had always informed the security forces of their whereabouts. That same year they started a new modus operandi and targeted farmers and their families on the remote farms in the northeast, most specifically in Centenary and Mount Darwin. That December they attacked a farmhouse owned by the de Borchgrave family in Centenary and the road to the farm, land-mined. A new and bitter struggle in the independence war had commenced where civilians, black and white became the target. Their intention for the whites, especially the farmers, was to remove them and their workers. Workers on farms were seen as white sympathisers. Through this, they hoped to instil fear in all the white population and the black people who were seen to be unsympathetic to the guerilla's cause. The most unfortunate in the whole war was the black rural dwellers, they were damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
The attack, that December was a wake-up call and it soon became obvious the guerillas had been very active in the northern tribal trust lands. Attacks on farms and soon on army convoys, including Government vehicles became commonplace, so by the time we arrived at Joint Operational Command (JOC), Mount Darwin, the operations there had been given the name Operation Hurricane. It was hoped that this operation would control these incursions at that time. See the map for reference. On arrival at Mount Darwin, we were dispatched to Marymount Mission in the Rushinga district close to the Mozambican border where they were fighting their own war. A distance of about 100 km. In the dry it took about four hours, in the wet season, it could take days, there were no tar roads to the base at Rushinga.
We did note our 2 I/C, Lieutenant Hill,l was of a nervous disposition. Every time we stopped the vehicles for whatever reason, he would require the troops on his and the next vehicles to take up all-around defence. This is normal procedure. The problem was, he wanted them to be a ridiculously long-distance from the vehicles to ensure less chance of him being involved in any attack. After a couple of stops, the troopies got pissed off and would walk so far away or hide behind a bush disappearing from his sight which drove him bananas. On being called back they would come back too close and so it would go on to the company’s amusement. I was surprised the OC did not intervene, perhaps he had little sympathy for his 2 I/C. We were going off to fight a war, but internal battle lines were already being drawn.
On arrival at the mission hospital, which was fighting a cholera epidemic at the time, we were immediately deployed in our platoons. Off we set with two RLs, a trailer for rations and a trailer for ammunition. Unfortunately, our leaders were not seasoned counter-insurgency fighters at that time, although some had ‘Malay’ experience. Once our platoon was sited near the Mozambican border, we were instructed to send out five-man patrols to reconnoitre a given area just inside the border. We were now much more alert as the so-called ‘Freedom Fighters’ were now known to attack army convoys, especially single and double vehicles. Further landmines had become a favourite weapon with incidents within the operational area including the commercial farming areas to the west. Our patrols were very much point to point and more a show of force rather than clandestine ‘search and contact’ as would become the normal tactics, later supported by ‘Fireforce’*. The CTs were active as stated earlier, we would come across their brutality. That first trip up there, did we come to grips with them? No! What did I learn? Like snakes in the grass, the CTs would disappear before our arrival. Present but unseen. If you moved at night close to the villages, the dogs would make the occupants aware of intruders. In fact, we would equally hear the warning barks indicating transients, probably terrorists also within our area from time to time. In the silence of the night, the dogs could be heard for miles, so by the time we reached the assumed spot, any insurgents would be long gone. I do not know how much human shit I crawled through sneaking up on villages where we thought there was a guerilla presence. With no toilets, villagers used the bush around their huts as latrines. The worst incident I saw of this was later when one of our troopies fell down a latrine pit in the dark at Mukumbura Protected Village. No one was keen to pull him out, although he was drowning in shit. I did relent to assist, only through delegation by direct order.
A curfew had been imposed in the whole of the area designated as Op Hurricane, so nobody should have been moving after dark. In theory, it was 6 pm to 6 am, but in practice dawn to dusk, as few people had watches. Unfortunately, many late-home drunkards lost their lives for that extra drink.
It should be recorded, even in those early deployments, from time to time we would do follow-ups on tracks. Trackers were few and far between at the time, with us relying on National Park Rangers to aide in carrying out this task. It was not long before the army trained and recruited its own tracker teams, some units specialising in this art. Following armed terrorists has its own excitement, who will see who first and who will shoot first? Ambushes by us and follow-ups on tracks were our best chance of making contact in those days. Patrols at that time in our area were avoided by the guerillas while they brutalised the local community. A common punishment if they thought you had talked to security forces was to cut off the suspects lips and ears. Visible disfigurements that would stay with them for life as a warning to others. Many of the victims were innocent. Physical examples were much better than words. In later deployments, direct conflict became common, already to our west, ambushes were becoming regular. We always felt most vulnerable on the vehicles.
“The threat of death or mutilation in conflict hardens your attitude to both your enemy and your comrades. Physically and mentally.” - Peter McSporran
When the rains arrived in late November, our vehicles were often stuck for days. Our bivvies, we found, did not guard against heavy rain, they immediately leaked as did our old tents in our childhood. Little did we know we would spend nine weeks on this deployment and as stated earlier veld sores and putzis became a very big hazard, coupled with malaria in all its forms.
The area we were operating in became a ‘no-go’ area, that is, anyone found there was fair game to be arrested or shot if seen fleeing from soldiers. Just before Christmas, our leaders realised that the guerillas were working beyond our lines hence our move south to the Pfungwe, and the commencement of the ‘Protected Village Program’.
The Challenges of Investing in African Agriculture Part VII - First Impressions
In previous blogs, I have mentioned how wrong we can be on our first impressions, good or bad. I, therefore, have warned investors to be wary, although keep them in mind for review later. However, when it comes to what you see when you visit a farm or enter business premises, this is a very different matter.
I shall talk about working farms this week. These will give you a very good idea of how the farm business is being run, its husbandry, both cropping and livestock along with the owner's attention to conservation and labour welfare. I talk about the latter, as often the workplace is additionally the farmworkers home. This is more and more avoided nowadays, unlike the days when I farmed in Zimbabwe. Then, farms were a community, home and workplace for both workers and owners. Further, it was a place of education, healthcare and entertainment. If workers exist on the farm you are assessing, it is essential to set aside time to consult them closely, they will tell you much about the operations including the relationship between the owners and their staff.
“Where there is muck, there is money.” - An old Yorkshire saying
This is no longer true in both livestock and crop farming.
On driving onto a farm, it is critical to assess trunk road access as well as the internal roads into the farm. Bad roads, both access roads and internal roads can lead to huge expenses in the form of equipment repair, along with contract transport costs. Good roads do not get discounts, but bad roads normally attract surcharges and high equipment maintenance costs. Tractors take a huge pounding on bad roads especially when they have mounted equipment on them, let alone the damage caused to the equipment.
Fields should be well fenced with field and road drainage in place. Sheet or gulley erosion is a sure sign of poor soil conservation, as is the lack of crop residue. Burnt lands may look neat but they are detrimental to the soil's organic matter. A copper or eight gauge wire is a handy tool to check what cultivation has taken place. Poor cultivation methods normally lead to a plough plan at 8” or less. The wire rod will tell you when pushed into the ground.
All tractors and machinery, old or new, are acceptable if maintained. Poor maintenance records, dirty and badly parked tractors, including equipment and workshop debris are indicators of poor asset care. Tractors should be undercover if the farm is well established. Sheds and storage facilities should be in good repair. If this is not the case, then the farmer has probably been living off his depreciation.
Stock sheets along with crop and livestock records should be at hand. Crop protocols should also be available.
I have waffled on a bit too much this week in the earlier sections of my blog, so will continue on the same subject in the investment section next week. I have decided, as I have been advised by referral from Google, to try and keep blogs to around 2,000 words. I am now at 2,500+. Is this a reflection of how much I verbalise as well as write?
*Fireforce was a reaction unit consisting of helicopter-borne troops, paratroopers and a command gunship helicopter. It was used uniquely in the Rhodesian war with great success. Fireforce reacted to enemy ambushes, farm attacks, or observation post (OP) sightings, and could also be called in by trackers or patrols who had made contact with the enemy and then called for reinforcements. Fireforce was first deployed in January 1974, and saw its first action a month later on 24 February 1974.
Disclaimer: Copyright Peter McSporran. The content in this blog represents my personal views and does not reflect corporate entities.
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