Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7.

A Personal Memoir (revised, February 2011 for minor corrections and additional pictures)

Peter Woodsford

Introduction I arrived at College, Mwiri in August 1963 for a one year posting with Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). This was the first year that VSO sent out graduates in significant numbers – there were I think ten of us and I was the only male! We had had a very general orientation weekend in London and then were off to Entebbe on a Comet 4 (a lovely plane) via Benghazi and Khartoum. I had just finished a mathematics degree at Cambridge, having done my secondary education at Weymouth Grammar School, a co- educational state day school on the south coast.

Uganda when I arrived The situation at Mwiri, and in , was very interesting. Independence had been achieved less than a year before. Indeed, one of the first external events I remember is the First Anniversary celebrations at Jinja, with a march past of local organisations headed by the Mwiri contingent (with Head Prefect Mwanja Magezi to the fore) and the band of the Uganda Army still looking very much like the 4 th Battalion of the Kings African Rifles.

The British influence was still very evident. The last Governor-General (Sir Walter Coutts, who had stayed on for the first year in an advisory capacity) visited Mwiri just before leaving the country. When early in the following year there was a ‘spot of bother’ at the Jinja barracks (and elsewhere in East Africa), the Uganda government requested help from the UK and the Staffordshire Regiment made a brief appearance on the streets of Jinja.

Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 1 of 16 But the overall mood was very much one of national pride, of determination to make the new country and government a success and in a word, of optimism. Big changes were afoot, not least in the education system, and these were to have major effects on Mwiri.

Mwiri when I arrived , Mwiri in September 1963 gave the appearance of being a well-oiled machine, with well-established traditions and customs very much based on the British public school model. The expatriate staff had mostly been there for at least five years: the Headmaster, Jack Coates, had been there since 1934 and Head since 1943. The Headmaster and several of the senior staff had been appointed by the Church Missionary Society (CMS). Other expatriates, on government terms, had been carefully selected and were in sympathy with the Christian aims of the school. There had also been until recently an experienced African staff, with the post of Second Master being traditionally held by an African, but by the time I arrived only Justin Lwabi (Biology) was still in post and he was soon to move on (and up). The others had also moved on to important posts in government, either in Kampala or . A number of them, such as Mr. Nsaja, were on the Board of Governors (which was chaired by the Archbishop of Uganda, Leslie Brown). There were two streams (Blue and Yellow) to School Certificate (SC) level and eight houses with about 40 boys each. Three of the houses were still housed around the Quad with the classrooms. The big change was to come in January 1964 with the introduction of Higher School Certificate (HSC) classes. This was the subject of great anticipation, and not a little controversy. Was the school going to keep all its good SC students or would they be allowed to move on to Budo or Makerere College School (as many of their fathers and elder brothers had done) or to the apparently greener and more liberal pastures of Ntare School? In the event the ruling came through, that Mwiri boys would stay at Mwiri, at least for the initial HSC intake.

The Quad before Chapel. Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 2 of 16

Big building changes were underway, Presidents, Willis and Nadiope being moved to new locations away from the Quad and new HSC classrooms being built in the space vacated. Four new teachers arrived as part of the build-up for HSC – Martin Cash and Pat Davis to teach Geography, Terry Howell to teach Chemistry and myself to teach Mathematics. More were to follow in 1964. I recall Geoff and Pam Charrett taking Pat and I aside after an early staff meeting and telling us we should never be alone together after dark, ‘as this would give the wrong impression to the Africans’. I have to say we departed to Pat’s house for a (very decorous) cup of coffee. Pat did follow the injunction to keep her shoulders and knees covered, during teaching times and on the Hill, but I think she found the Jinja Sailing Club more congenial.

Getting Started I lived on my own in the small house between the Headmaster’s house and Mr. Taylor’s. It had a bhati roof and mosquito gauze windows and a veranda with a superb view over the lake.

It had previously been occupied by Mr. Albert Taylor, who had moved on to work full- time for the Scripture Union. (it was many years later that I learnt that a youthful Yoweri Museveni from Ntare School had attended a SU summer event at Mwiri shortly before I arrived. There he thought long and hard about the scriptural injunction to ‘turn the other cheek’ and concluded that in some circumstances this was not right and so he departed from the ‘Balokoli’). I took the advice of other staff members and took on a venerable houseboy – Mr. Maliyo Wambi, who came with an impressive set of ‘chitties’ going back to his days as a batman in Burma in WWII. Bobby and Elizabeth Jones, who were on leave, had with typical generosity left their car for the use of the incoming VSO so I was more comfortable than any VSO had a right to expect!

Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 3 of 16 The highest classes I had initially were S3 Mathematics, along with some S1 English. The keenness of the boys to learn was a pleasant surprise. Learning the names was a great challenge. I became deputy housemaster of Wako, with Gordon Silk, who was also head of mathematics, as housemaster. Martin Luther Ocheng was head of house and captain of the school football team. Boarding school customs were all a bit foreign to me, but I was soon becoming familiar with the Mwiri version – house ‘parts’, ‘sublampers’ and ‘kumolos’ to say nothing of ‘flying’ 1 and perennial school fees problems. The range of school activities outside the classroom was impressive and all members of staff were expected to contribute (and did so). The Scouts were without a master in charge (Peter Eriaku having left) – who better to take this on than the new VSO? I had been a Wolf Cub but graduating to Scouts had fallen by the wayside with the move to the grammar school. Fortunately the Scout troop pretty much ran itself with excellent scouts like Atanaziraba, Sembera, James Waiswa and Wairindi (later Abwoli, name changes did happen sometimes much to the confusion of Bazungu staff, who also had to figure out that brothers didn’t have the same names). Later the same logic, when Colin Sherwood went on leave, led to a very inexperienced Woodsford becoming Health Master. Naomi Lukungu ran a very tight ship in the Dispensary – ‘managing’ her was quite an art! Her contribution to the school over the years was remarkable and we still visit her when in Uganda. School plays were always highlights and at Christmas 1963 there was a performance of ‘Julius Caesar’ produced by J. Barry Taylor. Julius Nyerere had translated the play into Swahili. The Mwiri version was in English, but the political undertones were evident to all. Pascal Mukasa played Mark Anthony, Patrick Kisitu was Caesar and Mwanja Brutus. (in the early 1990’s we were in Jinja and there was a gathering of OB’s to greet us and to welcome back Paulo Wangola, who had just returned from exile in Nairobi. Most of the cast of ‘Julius Caesar’ were there and they fell into their old roles – ‘Hail, Caesar’….etc).

1964 The new HSC cubicles, extensions on the end of the existing houses, were ready in time and the HSC classes started up. Most of the intake were former Mwiri SC students but there were some newcomers, including B. K. Raval, an Asian from Jinja SS and a number of Catholics. Mwanja Magezi continued as Head Prefect as did most of the other prefects. Mathematics teaching became very stimulating intellectually – not only were we starting up the HSC course (fortunately using textbooks with which I was familiar from my own A levels just five years earlier) but also we were introducing the School Mathematics Project modern maths course at SC. This was very new ground – it included elementary matrices which I had only encountered at university. Never a dull moment and the students were very willing and sometimes able. The situation was the more challenging since the Silks went on leave, so I became head of maths and housemaster of Wako. One of the outstanding juniors in the house was D. S. Magezi (who was in fact the younger brother of HP Mwanja). He first came to notice as the President of a newly-formed table tennis club. Nearly all members of staff (with the exception I am sure of Barry Taylor - even Magezi’s persuasive powers had limits) were recruited to be leaders of teams of school boys. Daudi Magezi was to become a lifelong friend. I don’t think the table tennis club lasted very long, but tennis on the court near Brewer house overlooking the Lake was an ongoing feature under the tutelage of John Plumptre, who played a very wily game. One redoubtable partnership was from Presidents House – Samson Nkusi and Pascal Sabiti Mukasa, who too became a lifelong friend.

Athletics and trips in the Eastern Region.

1 ‘house parts’ = cleaning duties, ‘sublamper’ = a junior responsibility, originally i/c paraffin lamps, ‘kumolo’ = a kind of party, ‘flying’ = illicit studying in bed after lights out. Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 4 of 16 Football was the most popular sport and was taken over by Martin Cash. , supervised by Geoff Charrett, was THE Mwiri sport, dating back, I learned much later, to H. A. Brewer and High School. But it was with athletics that I got involved, as assistant to Bobby Jones. The school had a very strong recent history and a Mwiri boy, Ado, had competed for Uganda in the Rome Olympics in 1960. The record book was immaculately kept and indicated a very high level of performance, far beyond any English school (when we returned to UK we were not surprised at the impact the Africans made on the 1968 Mexico Olympics, only annoyed by the patronising attitude of the commentators). Alas, the record book disappeared during the bad times. Athletics took place in the middle term of the year and involved the whole school in ‘Standard Sports’. Everyone had to participate against a standard performance for each event to gain a point and the house with most points was the winner. People took part with more or less good grace although some of the S5’s were a bit reluctant – another of the very communal Mwiri activities that was to come under pressure with the changing times. Fitting a (nearly) flat 440 yards track exactly to the topography of Mwiri Hill was a considerable feat but could be done (although it has to be admitted that the outside lanes did involve slightly more down and up than the inner ones). I was initiated into the art (my first encounter with basic surveying) by Bobby and duly passed it on to John Lewis and Martin Cash.

Sports Day, 1964. Nabikamba were the Champions. Stars of the mid-sixties included Dan Kirya Nsongola, J. P. Edyau and D. L. Okunu (always known as ‘Anxious’). Kirya was the backbone of the Wako athletics squad. A muscular 5’ 9”, he could jump over six inches higher that his own height and was equally proficient at long jump and triple jump. We were very pleased that he didn’t follow his brothers (who included George Kirya, later Uganda High Commissioner in London) to Budo for his HSC. Edyau was a superb middle distance runner and Okunu was a sprinter. At one Sports Day Okunu, who was desperate to get into the School Record Book, apparently broke the World 100 yards record, until the time-keepers (Messrs Plumptre and Leigh) admitted that their attention had been elsewhere and they had maybe been a bit slow starting their watches when the gun went off. After much disputation a re-run was Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 5 of 16 permitted (although the result of the first race stood for the inter house competition) but a rather tired ‘Anxious’ didn’t quite break the record.

Edyau (Hannington) in the lead from Ntawera (Nadiope).

The highlight of 1964 was a triangular match held at Teso College Aloet between Sir Samuel Baker School Gulu, Teso College and Mwiri. The team travelled to Teso in the lorry the day before – for some a venture into new territory and for others a trip home. It was a very tight contest with Mwiri emerging as narrow winners. Colin Sherwood was on leave and had left me the use of his splendid blue Peugeot 403 estate. When it became known that I planned to travel back from Teso via Karamoja and Moroto, I was besieged by requests to join in. We had a memorable journey and the Karamojong were friendly:

Karamojong, Patrick Kisitu, Sekaziga, Ocheng, Karamojong, Obore, Sembera, Charles Bamusonighe, Karamojong, Okot Chono. Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 6 of 16

In the same term John Plumptre and I took a group of schoolboys to climb Mount Elgon. On the way we had a warm-up climb on Tororo Rock, I was not the first to reach the top, and as I did so a school boy clicked an imaginary stopwatch and said ‘Sorry, Sir, you’ve just missed your standard!’ We all reached the top of Elgon and the only one to suffer from altitude sickness was Edyau the athlete. After a certain amount of hilarity – ‘Edyau is dying!’ – boys who were used to trailing in his wake enjoyed helping him onwards and upwards.

On top of Mount Elgon – Wairindi, Sembera, Obore, Ndege, Bykwaso, PAW, Bakwesegha, guide. Whilst living that term in Colin Sherwood’s house, I took the chance after the customary shopping trip to Jinja on Saturday to entertain a girl VSO from Iganga TTC to tea. I was not all pleased when two boys (Wairagala and Kitakufe) burst in on us without even knocking and said “Sir, a snake has just come under your door”. And so it had – whether of its own accord or because it was released for the purpose by those two miscreants who can tell.

The Staff and Staff Meetings When I arrived the staff operated under the guidance of the Headmaster, Jack Coates, along well-established lines. At times, to me as a newcomer, Jack seemed a bit remote and pre-occupied with the grounds and the buildings, and staff meetings sometimes got enmeshed in seemingly trivial issues over school uniform and suchlike, but there was a very high degree of teamwork and everything worked well. Certainly the staff went out of their way to welcome newcomers and to support those who like me were very much beginners. ‘Maido’ at break time in the Staff Room sustained us and we got used to the sound of the drum to demarcate lessons. I learned for the first time just how tiring standing on one’s feet and talking all day could be – the ‘Wampa’ drum at the end of the day was often a welcome sound.

Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 7 of 16 There was a growing expectation amongst the boys, especially the S5s, that the school regime should become more liberal. However this was not the view of the Headmaster and the Board of Governors. At a time of considerable unrest in schools in Uganda, Mwiri was proud of its record as the only school in the country never to have had a strike.

The 1964 Strike I was the master on duty on the day the school went on strike. The first manifestation was at breakfast in the mess, when the boys refused to wait for grace. After a brief consultation with the Head Prefect I went to fetch the Headmaster, who came and addressed the boys. There was a banging of spoons and clattering of plates and he was not given a hearing. Classes did not happen and the day passed with a certain degree of tension. Later the Banda by the tennis courts was burned down – this turned out to be the most serious incident. Discussions took place between the Headmaster, the Board of Governors and some representatives of the school and the decision was taken that school would resume for the remaining week or so of term (a good decision, I would judge, as the easy option would have been to close down). The staff were asked by the Governors to tread carefully and so classes resumed. As it happened, one of my first lessons was Senior One English in which we were reading ‘Nicholas Nickelby’ in a simplified version. Reading aloud, I got halfway into a passage in which Mrs. Squeers was arguing that Squeers needed an assistant ‘as even the overseer on a plantation has an assistant to whip his blacks for him’. I paused, and we all saw what was coming (at least those who were paying any attention did). I proceeded to read the rest of the paragraph and the moment passed. At the time there seemed to be no clear set of reasons why the strike happened. Some subsequent accounts have adduced the effects of a visit to the Nurses school at Jinja where the Mwiri boys were not allowed to dance, had to leave early and were taunted by the some of the nurses. The fact that an unexpected consequence of Independence was that the school had for the first time in its history a totally ‘Bazungu’ teaching staff must also have been a factor – some said also that the boys resented being taught by women teachers. As always Food was on the list of grievances and I wondered at the time if the news that Colin Sherwood, regarded by some as a liberal influence, had been posted elsewhere at the end of his leave was a factor too. In all events, Mwiri had its strike and the life of the school continued, albeit with the confidence of the staff dented and a number of departures amongst the senior boys. I was due to return to the UK shortly after the end of term. The stress of the time was heightened when in driving rain I slid off the road near Bugembe and dented the wing of Colin Sherwood’s Peugeot, which he had graciously lent me. Fortunately Mr. Aziz was able to make good the damage just within the very limited funds I had available. There was some talk that I might be required to stay on for an enquiry into the strike, but fortunately this was not necessary. I had already cashed in my VSO ticket home and arranged to travel via Cairo and Jerusalem where I was to meet my brother who was on an archaeological dig and had a spare seat in the Landrover for the trip back to UK. Pat Davis took me to Nairobi and my momentous first year at Mwiri came to an end.

A Home Interlude It had been informally agreed that I would return to Mwiri under a Ministry of Overseas Development contract, but I had to apply for this. I was very grateful that the Headmaster of my old school arranged for me to do some teaching for the term I was back in Weymouth. It was a great joy to catch up with my parents and family. I remember Charles Biroli coming to visit, the first African to do so. Mwiri had a scholarship place at Cheltenham College, and after a lengthy staff meeting it had been decided to allocate it to him. He was the first of several Mwiri OB’s to encounter the rigours of an English winter Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 8 of 16 whilst visiting us – somewhere there is still a photo of him in a duffel coat breaking the ice on a pond. In due course I was summoned for interview in London. In some ways it was a bit of a formality – there was a post allocated to Mwiri, I had already done the job and the school wanted to appoint me. One member of the panel, however, decided that I was having too easy a ride, and asked ‘what would you do, Mr. Woodsford, if you encountered a strike in your school in Uganda?’ My answer must have been satisfactory and in due course a contract for a 2-3 year appointment arrived.

Returning to Mwiri In January 1965 Mwiri was recognisably the same, albeit somewhat subdued. Change was in the air and Jack Coates’ departure was fixed for the end of the second term. There was considerable speculation as to who would be his successor. The new HSC intake was very mixed with a much higher proportion of incomers. Prominent amongst them were Ojambo Were, a formidable boxer and Baryabishabamu. Kiga names were always a challenge for the Bazungu, and he became Barya – we were told his name meant ‘they will consider it later’. With the departure of Mwanja Magezi as a consequence of the strike, Bakwesegha had been appointed Head Prefect. A suitably grave ‘safe pair of hands’ he did a good job which maybe prepared him well for his role much later in life as Head of Conflict Resolution with the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). I remember entertaining him to tea, and chatting at length about matters great and small until he became visibly agitated and finally said – ‘Sir, excuse me but I must go. I cannot be late for Miss Schofield’s rehearsal’. Sue Schofield was teaching English and was one of two VSO teachers who came to replace me, the other being Mary Keith-Lucas, who taught Biology. Sue produced ‘The Winslow Boy’, which was a great success. She still remembers powdering Bakwesegha’s hair for his role as the Headmaster. Other parts were taken by Sabiti, Daudi Magezi, Wangola and Ndege, I was again fortunate in my living quarters, being allocated a brand new three bedroom bungalow next to Wako House with a wonderful view over Lake Victoria. Mr. Wambi re- appeared and I took on Jamesy as gardener. Sue and Mary shared use of a Landrover with the two VSO’s at Butiki. Generously they lent this to me so I could go to Jinja to pick up a fridge. When I got to Jinja, I found that the engine didn’t stop when you switched off and took out the key. Rather embarrassed, I drove round to Mr. Aziz’ garage, where a grinning ‘Loopy’ – his splendid Luo mechanic – showed me how to switch off the fuel. Sue and Mary had omitted to tell me that it was a diesel Landrover and so that was the only way to stop the engine. In January 1965, Gordon and Mary Silk had moved to Mukono, where Gordon became headmaster of the Senior Secondary School. Alan Mercer, an experienced Maths teacher, had arrived in his stead. I resumed as Housemaster of Wako, with Alan as deputy. There was some reallocation of S4’s across the houses and Wako acquired Okot Chono from Brewer. In due course he became Head Prefect.

Scouts, and the Dispensary The traditional Scouts Camp had been in abeyance since the camp at Bujagali Falls when tragically a boy had drowned. It was decided in 1965 to try again, but this time to go to Buluba, near the leprosarium on Lake Victoria. By this time I had become a qualified driver of the school lorry, and Mwase (the school driver) allowed me to do some of the driving. The scouts and their tents were duly deposited at Buluba and we returned to to collect a load of ‘bikajjo’ – sugar cane, courtesy of Mahdvani Estates. This was greatly enjoyed by the scouts although it made keeping the site clean a challenge. A shilling was collected from each scout and Wairindi, Waiswa and I went off to the market to buy a goat. In due course this was dispatched by one of the Muslims, roasted and Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 9 of 16 ceremonially eaten, the scoutmaster being presented with neatly plaited ‘inside bits’ as an honour!

Scouts off to Buluba in the School Lorry, Kibedi to the fore.

I also resumed the role of Medical Master which was on occasion the cause of anxiety. I never had to administer the snakebite serum (which resided in my fridge) and escaped being involved in delivering a baby (although the school labourers left it very late to summon help – a nocturnal call to say ‘Sir, my wife’s time has come’ happened more than once.) Naomi Lukungu dealt effectively with most matters, including the split toes of boys who thought they could still pay football barefoot after getting used to wearing shoes. Gentian Violet was applied liberally after the initial injunction to ‘get it washed’ had been followed. My main role, in fact, was to get serious cases to and to ensure they were properly treated. Several other duties came my way, so I was quite relieved when Gordon Holmes appeared and was ideally qualified to take over responsibility for both the Scouts and the Dispensary.

The Changing of the Guard 1965 saw the long awaited ‘changing of the guard’ at the top of the school. There was quite a lot of speculation about who the new headmaster would be, with, I think, a presumption that he would be a Mwiri Old Boy. In the event, Dan Okunga from the Mount Elgon region was appointed. Just before the departure of Jack Coates, the Prime Minister, A. (a Mwiri OB) visited the school to open the new Mess. This building, funded by USAID, was large enough to easily accommodate the whole school. The caterer, Mr. Isabirye, and his staff were delighted with the new facilities. As part of the visit, Mr. Obote addressed the newly formed ‘Inter-Tribal Society’. I remember that he was asked for his opinion of the ‘Vernacular Rule’ 2 – was it a colonialist imposition?

2 At least thirty local languages were spoken in the school, but the ‘Vernacular Rule’ forbade their use except on Sundays. English (the only language understood by all) was mandatory from Monday to Saturday. Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 10 of 16 To the surprise of the questioner he came down in its favour, citing the need for nation- building. (Was this at this time or a later visit after Obote became President? I’m not sure.)

Rev. F. G. Coates, Prime Minister A. Milton Obote, D. N. Okunga (courtesy of Martin Cash)

On the day of the handover there was a service conducted by Archbishop Leslie Brown. Jack told Dan he had aimed to make Mwiri a place of beauty, like the Backs of the Cambridge colleges, and that he entrusted the care of Mwiri to him. After 34 years of sterling service, Jack had been made an honorary Basoga chief and he left the Hill with his family in barkskin ceremonial robes to the singing of the Mwiri boys. Dan Okunga had a friendly and efficient style and got on well with the staff. The quad had become a building site, but he was determined to have it re-grassed and to re-assert the traditional rule that nobody walked on the grass in the quad. We wondered if he would make this stick, in the post-strike atmosphere, but he did. The second intake of HSC students had a much higher proportion of non-Mwiri boys as S4s this time were allowed to move to other schools. So the selection of prefects and leaders was not as obvious as had often been the case in the past. Somewhat controversially, Okunga chose Wilson Okot Chono as his first Head Prefect and this turned out to be a good choice. Many years later, Dan Okunga visited us for the day in Cambridge on the wettest February day imaginable. Nevertheless he was determined to see ‘the Backs of the Cambridge colleges’. So armed with large umbrellas we splashed along the Backs so he could see what Jack had been talking about. Several more pillars of the traditional Mwiri staff left, in particular Gordon Silk to a Headship at Mukono, Geoff Charrett to get ordained in UK and Bobby Jones to Birkenhead School. Soon only John Plumptre and Barry Taylor remained. Most of the replacements were career teachers from the UK under UK government aid programmes, most fitted into the Mwiri ethos and all brought a range of talents as well as their teaching abilities, Messrs Mercer, Sparkes and Shore nursed the vital water pump and maintained water and electricity on the Hill. Ossie Butler and Mike Leigh looked after cricket in succession to Geoff Charrett. Mike Leigh also got the Inter-Tribal Society off the ground. Compulsory Chapel disappeared but Alastair Conn took on the role of School Chaplain and the Scripture Union continued with John Plumptre and Terry Howell. It was Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 11 of 16 interesting at a Mwiri Reunion in 1990 or thereabouts to listen to Alastair and George Kayondo, the then Headmaster who had re-introduced compulsory chapel, discussing the pros and cons! New African staff appeared. The first, Peter ‘Complex’ Binaka had an interestingly Bohemian artistic lifestyle. Y. Y. Okot was an impressive and welcome addition as a Physics teacher. Mwiri didn’t have any ‘Two Year Tourists’ but the expatriates were all there on limited assignments and we all knew that sooner or later the staff would be substantially or completely Africanised. There was a considerable variety of teaching style – one day there was amusement in the staffroom when I revealed that Barry Taylor had complained that my voice carried through to his classroom! On another occasion Paul Anderson, the biology teacher and our only American, complained that he couldn’t teach the functioning of the knee and the elbow properly because we in physics hadn’t taught them about ‘levers’. We gently explained that they were thoroughly conversant with ‘lee-vers’. Alan Mercer recalls a visit from a Muzungu schools inspector from Kampala who suggested we should make our Maths lessons more lively. Apparently I asked for suggestions and the only offering from him was the use of coloured chalk. Neither of us can remember whether we took up his helpful idea.

Getting Married Sue Schofield and I became good friends and more. Her imminent departure at the end of her VSO year two terms after my return to Mwiri served to focus our minds and before her departure we became engaged. We used her last access to the Landrover to travel to the newly established Kidepo National Park in the north of Karamoja, bordering on the Sudan, and at this beautiful and totally remote location the decision emerged. On our return to Jinja, we travelled to Nairobi on a very overcrowded overnight bus, bought an engagement ring and travelled back in rather more style by train. And then Sue was off back to the UK, and the daily arrival of Abironzo, the school runner, on the Hill with the post became a major event.

At the end of the next term, I flew back to UK and we got married on 8 th January 1966 and returned to Uganda. By then I had acquired a sturdy Ford Zephyr (UEH839) from Geoff and Pam Charrett, and Terry and Heather Howell brought this to Entebbe airport to meet us. Our plan was to make for the Mount Elgon Hotel at Mbale for a couple of nights but in the event the Mount Elgon had been taken over for a government workshop and we landed up in the rather less romantic Rock Hotel Tororo. Then back to Mwiri and I was closeted in the study getting the timetable done for the new term. With expatriate leaves, and the constant arrival of new staff, each term’s timetable was a fresh challenge, solved laboriously (without the aid of computers) using a large board and myriads of little coloured flags. The final task was to transcribe it onto ‘skins’ for the duplicating machine – which required liberal application of correction fluid. As soon as this was done, I was immersed again in teaching and the life of the school.

Sue didn’t want to become a housewife - for a very brief while she thought it was great having a houseboy to do the work, but soon she needed a job. We didn’t think it would be wise for us both to work at Mwiri, so were very glad when she was offered the post of English teacher at the Muljibhai Mahdvani Farm School at at the foot of the hill. The only snag was that they had an early start, so she had to set off soon after 7am. We debated, and continue to do so to this day, whether she was better serving the interests of Uganda equipping people to be good farmers than I was teaching maths and physics to the elite! Uganda seems to have made up its own mind, as the Farm School is no more and instead has become Wairaka Senior Secondary.

Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 12 of 16 The Debating Society and Some Notables The departure of Colin Sherwood left the Debating Society without a patron, so I took this on. Persuading speakers that the Floor was not a territory to be grabbed and held for as long as possible, was a never ending task, but some headway was made. I remember one (inevitable) debate on the subject of Polygamy when one speaker declared that Africans were parallel polygamists whilst the Bazungu were serial polygamists, and that the former was more honourable. I reflected that at least some aspects of the Physics course had been noticed. A prominent debater and leader was , who stood out even in S1. I remember one senior referring to this precocious junior with his deep voice as ‘that brown boy from Brewer’ and realising that Africans made colour distinctions as well. Ruhakana was always ready with apposite quotations – over time the authority shifted from the Bible to the Little Red Book of Chairman Mao. His emergence as a major leader in Uganda and on the world scene has been a great achievement 3. Some time much later he told us that he still had his Bible and his Little Red Book but had come to rest ‘somewhere in the middle’. He became Head Prefect in 1968, the year after we left. Daudi Musoke was given to prolix utterances in the Debating Society and was also the author of a song with the catchy title which resonated at the time – ‘Love is like a Jigger’. Balidawa enthralled audiences at Kumolos with his incredible abilities as a limbo dancer and Awonie was the star painter and artist. One of the few official pagans in the school, when he was interviewed on Radio Uganda after winning a national competition, he said his name was ‘Awonie, no other’. The interviewer heard this as ‘Awonie, Noah’ and so he became. An excellent picture of his of the Kintu myth came back to the UK with us – our son now has it on his wall. We were of course aware to some extent of tribal and sectarian strife building up in the country at large, but Mwiri seemed to rise above this. Once or twice Youth Wingers appeared on the Hill and denounced Imperialism and their message had some effects, no doubt, but not at the time a significant one. Looking back, it is remarkable how diverse were the backgrounds of the boys at the school. Although some were second and third generation educated and part of the middle class (or higher!) most were from poor families and from every part of the country. For most the end of term meant returning to the village not the city, and for most fees were an ongoing struggle. In all events the motivation to learn was a strong one, and this made teaching a pleasure compared with the situation in the UK.

I continued to run the school athletics. Sports Day 1966 was notable for its principal guest, Sam Odaka – Dan Okunga’s brother and Minister of Foreign Affairs at the time. It was also notable back in the UK as it was the final of the Football World Cup. As the sports events at Mwiri came to an end, the match started at Wembley and we departed to the HM’s house to meet the distinguished guest. Discreet forays to the BBC World Service kept us appraised. 2-1 to England and in the final minute Germany equalised. ‘Ah!’ said the Foreign Minister of Uganda, ‘I know the Germans. They are very efficient people. They will beat you now’. We Brits held our counsel until Kenneth Wolstenholme had the famous last word – "they think it's all over, it is now". 4-2 to England.

‘Government House’ – Wako in the mid 60’s. Wako House in the mid sixties was particularly strong and in 1966 had the unusual distinction of providing both the Head Prefect – Magezi, and Deputy – Wangola. In addition Kazibira made a quiet but very efficient Head of House. We may not have been

3 Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhakana_Rugunda ) is at the time of writing the Representative of Eastern and Southern Africa on the UN Security Council in New York. Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 13 of 16 able to match Nabikamba on the athletics track, but we were definitely ‘Government House’.

We had the first Asian student at Mwiri – Raval – in Wako. I was invited to tea with his family in Jinja. Raval was bright and on the science side. I was asked for my opinion on what career he might follow. I extolled the many opportunities that would arise from taking a mathematics degree and was listened to politely before Mrs. Raval declared – ‘Bharat will do medicine. Whatever happens, and wherever we are, there will be a need for doctors’. This, of course, turned out to be a wise decision. We also had the second Karamojong student at Mwiri – Obin. He came to tea one Sunday afternoon and the conversation turned quite naturally to what did he do at the end of term. ‘It takes two days to get to Kotido by bus, and then I ask where my people are’, he said. ‘Then I might have to walk one day or two days through the bush’. ‘What happens if you meet a lion?’ ‘You have to run’ he said and turning to Sue – ‘I don’t think you would make it, Mrs. Woodsford’. Not lacking in confidence, Obin, and we often wondered what became of him afterwards but never heard any news. Another character in the house was the irrepressible cheeky chappie, Robert Mawata. It was always a mystery how Mwiri boys (and school children in Uganda in general) managed to be so smart and clean – but not so for Mawata.

Magezi was also in my HSC mathematics class. The first batch, which I had started off in 1964, had been taken through expertly by Alan Mercer and had achieved good results. Magezi’s year was the first I took through to (nearly) the examination. Great was the rejoicing when, back in the UK, we heard that they had achieved excellent results. Daudi Magezi came to Southampton University to do an Electrical Engineering degree and returned to do a PhD. Amazingly, he was joined in the early 1980’s by Paulo Wangola, to do a Literature PhD. Magezi completed and went back to Jinja to set up an electrical engineering business. When the elections were called post-Amin, Wangola dropped his studies and returned to Uganda to fight a Busoga constituency. Although he got most votes, another was deemed to be the winner and Wangola went into exile in Nairobi. In Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 14 of 16 the 1990’s Daudi Magezi became MP for one of the Jinja constituencies when the other was held by Henry Kyemba.

Deteriorating Political Situation Mwiri was in my opinion making good progress under Dan Okunga’s leadership. It was a period of very rapid expansion and change, but the essential character of the school was sustained and grew and the initial HSC results were good. However the school could not be insulated from the deteriorating political situation in the country. First came stories of smuggled Congolese ivory and gold, ministerial plots and then the assault on Mengo and the flight of the first President of Uganda, the Kabaka of Buganda. So we avoided Kampala as much as possible and made our holiday safaris to Kenya and Tanzania. Worse was the growing evidence of an Army rapidly getting out of control. The most immediate impact on us at Mwiri was a number of road accidents involving Army vehicles. Staff members from nearby Butiki were killed. The Police seemed powerless to investigate anything that involved the Army.

Departure from Mwiri – August 1967 We decided not to apply for another tour. Sue was pregnant with out first child and I had secured a place at Cambridge to do the postgraduate course in Numerical Analysis and Computing. So there was much to look forward to in our return to the UK, as well as a very considerable wrench in leaving Mwiri. A week or so before we left was my last Mwiri Sports day. John Lewis and Martin Cash had already taken on much of the organisation so there was time for a little reflection. I remember saying to George Bykwaso that it seemed that we would be leaving before the military took over. He replied that this could not happen as Brigadier Amin had only Primary 6 level education. Alas, for George and for Uganda, he was mistaken. We travelled home via Rome, Vienna and Berlin and were soon immersed in catching up on our families, finding somewhere to live, the arrival of our daughter Rebecca and, for me, getting to grips with the mysteries and challenges of computing.

Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 15 of 16 The four years at Mwiri were perhaps the most vivid and exciting of my life. Sue and I were very fortunate in that the Mwiri/Uganda Connection did not end in 1967, but grew and became a significant part of our lives to this day. That is another story, for another time, but I will end with this Postscript.

Postscript Pascal Mukasa – a personal tribute written on the occasion of his death, January 2001. It is perhaps remarkable that Pascal, who was one of the leading Arts students of his generation at Mwiri in the 1960’s, should spend so much of his later years bringing technology to Uganda. At Mwiri, where he was known as Sabiti, he was notable as an actor, a debater and a tennis player as well as a scholar. With the late Daudi Magezi, and Ruhakana Ruganda, he was part of the ‘dream team’ which won the British Council inter-schools debating competition – I had the interesting task of chairing their deliberations. He also played a lead role in my wife Sue’s production of the ‘Winslow Boy’. The age differential between teacher and taught was in fact a very few years and when we next met, it was already on an equal footing. Pascal was studying in the Inns of Court in London – it was there that he got the legal training that was to be an important element in his career. It was also where he found the key pillar on which he was to build the rest of his life when he met and married Marcella Robinson. Dominica and Uganda in a most happy union. We next met in yet a third continent, as Pascal had become part of the Ugandan Diaspora. Through the ‘80’s I would see him and his family in Washington DC a few times a year, and gradually realized the importance of the role he was undertaking at Intelsat, in bringing modern telecommunications to Africa. I remember a postcard from ‘the most God-forsaken place on earth’ – Jan Smuts airport – with some humorous observations on being a black African representative of an important international organization in the depths of Apartheid. I also understood a little of the work he was doing behind the scenes to mobilize support for change in Uganda. So it was no surprise that when the call came – from Prime Minister Kisekka as I recall - to return to Uganda and run Uganda Posts and Telecomms, that this was a challenge that Pascal could not turn down. Not without tremendous care and consideration for what the transition would mean for Marcella and the family – it was a great joy on our visits to Uganda to see them established in Kampala. Scratch a Ugandan, even as international a Ugandan as Pascal, and you find a farmer. Pascal took great delight in his farm at Seta, and in getting his parents settled there. When we met them and saw his farm, we began to understand another part of the bedrock of his character. Back in Uganda, most of you know of his contribution, in the public sector and as a successful businessman in the private sector, and then in Parliament. Very few people have made such a wide ranging contribution to their country. And of course, with Marcella, providing a strong family home and a support network to so many. Pascal was a citizen of the world. He was a gifted and generous man who made an enormous contribution wherever he found himself, and most of all to Uganda. We are proud to have known him, across four decades and in three continents. His friends throughout the world will miss him and will hold his memory in highest honour.

Kulwa Katonda N'Eggwanga Lyaffe 4

Peter Woodsford Cambridge, UK. February 2011.

4 ‘For God and my Country’ – the Mwiri motto. In the form ‘For God and our Country’ it is the motto of Uganda. Mwiri in a Time of Change, 1963-7. A Personal Memoir by Peter Woodsford 16 of 16