Ash meets Henry Olonga
At the recent Rotary District 1210 Conference there were, as usual, a number of excellent speakers and entertainers. On Sunday morning we were very lucky to have the opportunity to listen to Henry Olonga tell us his story, and sing several songs for us.
As a Zimbawean cricketer, he made his international debut in a Test match against Pakistan at Harare in 1995, at age 18 years, 212 days, becoming both the youngest player and the first black cricketer to represent Zimbabwe.
Olonga achieved international recognition (along with team mate Andy Flower) in 2003 by wearing a black armband in a Cricket World Cup match to protest against the policies of Zimbabwe’s government, led by Robert Mugabe. He and Flower released a statement on 10 February, stating in part:
“ In all the circumstances, we have decided that we will each wear a black armband for the duration of the World Cup. In doing so we are mourning the death of democracy in our beloved Zimbabwe. In doing so we are making a silent plea to those responsible to stop the abuse of human rights in Zimbabwe. In doing so, we pray that our small action may help to restore sanity and dignity to our nation ”
This act led to a warrant issued in Zimbabwe for Olonga’s arrest on charges of treason (which carries the death penalty in Zimbabwe) and forced him to retire from international cricket and temporarily go into hiding.
Henry spoke to us about that time, as well as giving us some background to how he came to that position. He is now out of Zimbabwe, and has published an autobiography (available from his publisher) and proven to be an accomplished singer (read more on his website).
Henry sang a few songs during his presentation to the conference, and received a deserved standing ovation at the end. Ash was talking about it for days, and feels very lucky to have been able to meet him and get his photograph taken!
Ash meets Paddington
Ash decided to hitch a ride with Steve while he was working in London, and insisted on visiting Paddington at, not surprisingly, Paddington.
Paddington (the statue) sits at the entrance to the platforms area at the foot of some escalators and near one of the many refreshment outlets. The station is one of London’s oldest, dating from 1854, having served as the terminus of the Great Western Railway, which Andy has probably been on.
The children’s book character Paddington Bear was named after the station. In the books, by Michael Bond, he is found at the station, having come from “deepest, darkest Peru” and with a note attached to his coat reading “please look after this bear, thank you”. The statue of Paddington is by Marcus Cornish, and based on the original drawings by Peggy Fortnum.
On the way from Paddington to the House of Commons Ash caught a number 148 which goes to Camberwick Green. Well actually, to Camberwell Green, but it’s close. So that was almost two children’s classics in one day!
