Interview with cousin Julie Harrison
This photo is of me and my cousins at our grandfather George Harrisons 100th birthday celebration. I had come from France for this event and Melissa and Julie had come from New Zealand.
Cousins Julie and Melissa are the daughters of my dads brother Clive Harrison, and they've lived an exotic childhood in African countries, Malawi, Zambia and South Africa, as well as their father having a cottage with vineyard in the French countryside. Finally when the girls were grown up all settled in very distant New Zealand. This interview is of some of Julie's African memories.
(I only have two pages remaining from the original interview)
In Malawi
We did swimming in Malawi, badges at school and a swimming gala at Lilongwe. It was exciting to go away there. We stayed with Myra's (Julie's mother) friends. We had a gardener. At school the headmaster was called Mr Johnson and everyone was scared of him because he had a big white tacky, a plimsol, and if you got in trouble you'd go to him and he'd hit you with it. We used to go away on holiday to the lake. At first we used to camp. Later we stayed in a bungalow, on a beach, called Baobab Mansions. There, one night, with the Beavis family, who were friends, sitting round the table, they saw a dark little thing scuttle through the doorway and it ran up Rosemary's skirt. It was a baboon spider. She jumped up on the table screaming. It fell on the floor and ran away. I got conjunctivitis and was sleeping in mum and dads room so they could bathe my eyes in milk in the morning, so I could see. Plus I had to keep my eyelids closed. Someone put their hand through the window and stole a camera and some clothes from a chair. I was awoken by dad shouting at the disappearing hand. We had nice big parties at the house, with a barbecue, and a band, and everyone danced and got drunk. Also, on the verandah a big white metal pole was holding the roof up. I used to climb it and it was fun.
We came to England for six months when I was aged six.
In South Africa
We went to South Africa when I was seven. The first night we stayed at the Holiday Inn and I threw up all night, but was fine the next day. We moved into a flat in Johannesburg, in the city centre, living up on the fourth floor. The flat was huge with windows right down to the floor. We had table tennis in one bedroom. This is the only time I ever remember my dad hitting me. I still see his big hand coming towards me in my dreams. It was only a tap. I remember with Melissa being on roller skates on the fourth floor. There was a lift going down. Melissa got her fingers trapped in the lift door and was screaming and got blue fingers. There was a park near the flat. Princess Towers was the flat. In the park I got flashed at. I told mum and dad who were about 100 yards away. They just said 'Oh come on!'
(there was lots more to this interview but that's all I can find for now)