Dad's Journel - 'A flight of fancy, Nyasa interlude'

Our dad has always been a great story teller. I found this 5 page journal tucked into the folds of a book he had passed down to our son, his grandson Jared. Never finding the right platform to share this delightful tale of August 1962, I now do, on my website. Sit back and enjoy!

"Our annual holidaywas fast approaching and once again we were beset with the problem - where to go?

We have always attempted to visit different places each year and for this reason the resorts of the Natal coast and the Cape were out this year, plus the fact that I see a lot of them during the normal course of duty on the Viscount 'long stops' plus numerous 'short stops'.

On browsing through some old travel brochures I came upon, one published by Central African Airways, advertising their all inclusive holiday at Lake Nyasa and was immediately lost in visions of palm trees, blue waters, golden beaches and upon snapping out of my daydream, I figured that if even a junior First Officer could spend two weeks living the life of riley, then this was the place to do just that. I happened to mention my idea to Captain Jack Tindall who I heard had been up there some four years previously and the very mention of Lake Nyasa brought a far away look into his eye which was good enough to make my mind up despite his vivid descriptions which followed.

We jumped aboard Captain Bill Moseley's Viscount on the first day of our leave using our annual free pass, and no sooner had lunch been served than First Officer Meyer Botha came back and passed Captain Moseley's invitation to visit the flight deck on to my wife, whereupon she upped and left me looking after two exuberant children, rather an appropriate reversal of roles I felt. Anyhow, Meyer's instruction must have been pretty good for she can still tell me the procedure for initiating auto feather.

We decided to spend five days in Salisburg, which I still think is one of the most pleasent towns I know, with Mau's folks, and this we did, renewing old friendships with RRAF and CAA boys. At the end of five days, feeling much in need of rest, we were on the appropriatly named CAA Viscount RMA "Mlanje" bound for Blantyre. After an hours flight and a good lunch, we transferred to a Dak for Salina on the lake shore. Before take off, a large doll my eldest daughter had acquired in Salisbury caused the Captain to caution the hostess not to count the doll as well. Lets face it, we weren't getting away from it all - we were taking it all with us!

My first view of the lake as we emerged from the haze was unforgettable - like your first landfall after a long over ocean flight only the other way round if you get what I mean. The DC7 aussie crews will probably get what I'm trying to say.

After a landing at Salina which made me feel a hell of a lot better remembering my own Dak days, we were conveyed to our hotel, a distance of abount 4 or 5 miles in a Kombi. On the western side of the lake are two resorts which CAA offers in its all inclusive plan - the Sengo Bay Hotel and the Grand Hotel. We had chosen the latter and were delighted to find on arrival that our bungalow was no more that 20 yards from the beach and the water looked so tempting and calm that we went for a swim there and then without even unpacking first. I got a shock upon entering the water to find it fresh. I don't know what I expected but the absence of salt was a surprise every time I swam.

This then was to pattern of those August days. During the morning a fresh breeze inveriably blew, churning the lake up to the extent that whitecaps appeared on the sizeable waves and during the afternoon with the breeze dying down to barely a whisper, the water became as calm as a millpond. During the mornings the weather is ideal for the yachtsman, fisherman and swimmer and during the afternoon, the powerboat enthusiast and oarsman comes into his own. During the late afternoon, water ski instruction is given and many a novice as well as expert queues up to take his turn to tumble. The swimming is absolutely 100% safe as there are no tides or currents and even our daughter of not yet 2, splashed about with nary a qualm.

We watched fascinated as Nyasa boys with their huge nets, some 8 feet high and 5 feet wide, walked along the beach leisurely gazing at the waves, and then being suddenly galvanised into action as they spotted a shoal of fish in the crystal clean water, and running knee deep into the water, hurl their nets into the lee of the wave and bringing the nets in, more often than not half full of good sized fish. These were the fish which were served in the hotel in the evening and compare favourably with any fish I've eaten along our coast.

Once a week the old arab dhows sail across the lake with their three-cornered sails swelling gently in the breeze, to discharge their cargo of fat fish or Nyasa's who are eventually bound for the gold mines of the Rand, and to embark Nyasa's who have served their spell in the mines, carrying their multi coloured trunks and trinkets. This is the self same "slave-route" of over 100 years ago, and witnessing this scene, one can easily be carried back that far in history.

One can also take an eight day cruise to the remote parts of the lake on the ILLALA 2, a motor driven vessel of some 600 tons. There is accomodation for 11 passengers and all the pleasures of an ocean cruise can be enjoyed including deck games.

Life at the hotel is very informal. In all the time we spent there, I never once wore a jacket or a tie. My only complaint was the days were too short, the nights too long nd the beer to expensive (2/2 for a 'Rhodesian pint" (Dumpy).) Numerous other facilities such as tennis, snooker, minature golf and dancing are fortunately provided. Seriously though, as we winged our way back towards Blantyre in the Beaver this time, and as we got our last look at the lake through the haze, I reflected that in spite of expensive beer, prickly heat from too much time in the sun and in spite of things ahead such as winter at home, mowing lawns and the intricasies of a Viscount cockpit, that this had been, as the travel brochure stated, a holiday with a difference, a real flight of fancy.

Our annual holiday is fast approacing and once again we are beset with a problem.........."

Being an SAA Captain, dad had so many stories to tell. Sadly this seems to be the only one he penned so this is my tribute to him. Love you and miss you my dad

ps: I was 2 months old at the time