WHATEVER HAPPENED TO WOOTY ?          - 30/1/2006      <--Prev : Next-->



WHATEVER HAPPENED TO WOOTY ?

A LITTLE BIT OF SPRING CLEANING WAS FORCED UPON US RATHER EARLY THIS YEAR THANKS TO A COMBINATION OF LIGHTNING, POWER SURGES AND UNTIDY WIRING, AND IN MY SPRING CLEANING I CAME ACROSS A LONG PLAYING RECORD ENTITLED 'WELCOME TO MY WORLD'

THE SINGER WAS NONE OTHER THAN NOREEN WELCH MUCH LOVED BY ZIMBABWE RADIO LISTENERS DURING THE EIGHTIES..

THE L.P. REMINDED ME OF A LOT OF REMINISCING THAT WAS DONE DURING OUR RECENT FORAYS AROUND THE WORLD TO VISIT THE CHILDREN OVER CHRISTMAS. ONE OF THE MOST FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS WHO ARE NOW SCATTERED ALL OVER THE GLOBE WAS 'WHATEVER HAPPENED TO NOREEN WELCH"

WELL I AM HAPPY TO SAY THAT NOREEN IS ENSCONCED SAFELY IN HER HOMETOWN OF WELLINGTON IN NEW ZEALAND WITH HER DAUGHTER ALEX AND GRAND DAUGHTER KAYLA.

MANY FOLK ALSO ASK AFTER SONIA HATTIN AND ADRIENNE VERNEY BOTH OF WHOM, I BELIEVE LIVE IN SOUTH AFRICA, BUT I STAND TO BE CORRECTED HERE. ( See Mirror 234 )

I WAS ALSO LUCKY ENOUGH TO RETRIEVE MY COPY OF ALAN HARDY'S BOOK' 'SIYABONGA TO A BULAWAYO BOY' WHICH ALAN LEFT FOR ME WITH FRIENDS IN OZ, AND I THOROUGHLY ENJOYED THE READ AND ALL THE MEMORIES EVOKED THEREIN.

I ALWAYS KNEW ALAN AS A PILLAR OF SOCIETY BUT MANY FOLK REMEMBER HIM AS A VERY MUCH MORE DASHING AND CAVALIER CHARACTER !!

AND OF COURSE WILD YOUNG MEN ATTRACT WILD FRIENDS AND ONE OF ALAN'S COHORTS IN HIS BULAWAYO HEYDAYS WAS NONE OTHER THAN THE NOTORIOUS DEREK MULHOLLAND. NOW ANY AND EVERY ZIMBABWEAN BABY BOOMER WILL REMEMBER OR HAVE HEARD ABOUT THE LEGENDARY DEREK MULHOLLAND.

DEREK'S EXPLOITS WILL REMAIN ETCHED FOREVER IN MANY PEOPLES' MINDS AND HIS EXTRAORDINARY DEATH (OR PERHAPS IT WAS A CONTRIVED DEATH) WAS THE TALKING POINT FOR MANY YEARS IN ZIMBABWE.

NOW DEREK WAS BUT ONE OF MANY FAMOUS AND INFAMOUS PEOPLE WHO WERE EDUCATED AT CHAPLIN SCHOOL IN GWERU.

NOW WHY DID THIS ORDINARY SCHOOL SLAP BANG IN THE MIDDLE OF RURAL ZIMBABWE, PRODUCE SUCH A PLETHORA OF STUDENTS WHO MUST INDEED GO DOWN IN THE ANALS OF HISTORY ?

DEREK MULHOLLAND WAS A CHAPLIN BOY AS WAS THE GREAT ESCAPEE FROM JAILS ALL OVER ZIMBABWE - AIDEN DIGGEDEN.

AND THEN THERE WAS AUTHOR ALAN HARDY, THE TWO MORTON REDHEADS CORYNNE AND MURIEL AND OF COURSE IAN DOUGLAS SMITH HIMSELF.

WE ALL KNEW OR KNEW OF AIDEN DIGGEDEN, THE MOST NOTORIOUS JAIL BREAKER AND MASTER CRIMINAL WE EVER PRODUCED !! THERE ARE MANY STORIES ABOUT AIDEN AND ONE OF THE MOST PRECIOUS WAS THE TALE ABOUT HIS INCARCERATION IN BULAWAYO;S GREY STREET PRISON IN THE 1960'S. HE BROKE OUT NIGHT AFTER NIGHT TO COMIT A SERIES OF DARING ROBBERIES, SNEAKING BACK TO STASH HIS LOOT IN HIS CELL. DURING A FIVE YEAR JAIL BREAK, HE BECAME SOUTH AFRICA'S TRAMPOLINE CHAMPION !! AND IT WAS MERLE AND JOHN MCNEILAGE IN BRISBANE WHO ASKED THE QUESTION "WHAT ON EARTH HAPPENED TO WOOTY ?"

REMEMBER JOHN WOOTEN WHO UNDERTOOK A VERY SUCCESSFUL COOKING SERIES ON ZIMBABWE TELEVISION FOR MANY YEARS WITH THE LOVELY PAULINE BAILEY. THERE MUST BE MANY A BOOKCASE ALL OVER THE WORLD THAT STILL BOASTS A COPY OF THE RECIPE BOOK 'COOKING WITH WOOTY"

WELL, WHATEVER DID HAPPEN TO WOOTY ?

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