GRO A Rhodesian Saga by Brian Danckwerts
Very Scarce-Signed and dedicated by the Author on the First page.This book is limited to 100 Copies of which this is Number 88.
GRO A Rhodesian Saga by Brian Danckwerts
Softcover: Self Published by Author 2011
Used - Good. This book is in good condition. The wraps have some slight/limited signs of wear and the corners have a slight curl. The pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged but the pageblock appear slightly dusty from repeated handling.
GRO is the biography of a Rhodesian Farmer, a Sportsman a
Philosopher and since 2002, Refugee in Natal.
As a farmer the author lived on six farms in Rhodesia, Zambia and the
Transvaal but had to do with eleven farms in total. Mostly he farmed
tobacco, but also farmed maize, Hybrid Seed Maize, beef cattle, dairy
and pigs and also bananas and Macadamia nuts in Natal. In Zambia
he probably had the largest area of tropical pasture legumes in Africa.
As a sportsman he was the winning novice in the 1950 Comrades
Marathon. After a late start he did play, once, for the Rhodesian polo
team and in that match was the Most Valuable Player and his
handicap was raised to 5. He was still playing polo in Natal aged 78,
but had to retire when the Paddock Polo Club collapsed through lack
of members. He played useful tennis throughout his life and is still
playing at the Uvongo Club at 81.
As a philosopher he came to reject religion at university. Then he came
to believe that men are not really responsible for their actions and
certainly should never be hated for their faults. In 1962 he proposed a
new system of government for Rhodesia to replace the parliamentary
democracy which he believed was unsuitable for Africa. He called his
system Grass Roots Government and launched a Grass Roots
Organisation – GRO – to propagate the idea. GRO met with very
limited success but the author still believes that something like it is
necessary in Africa.
This is an interesting account of the author's life and thoughts which is
relaxingly easy to read.
