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   Tony Bond

  

Tony Bond

Nickname: Nyani
House: Hawke
Years: 1942-1947

Elder brother, John (Gorill).

Memories of School:
  • Initiation and having to sing at the Slide.
  • Hideouts with ones friends in the Valley where we used to smoke and eat food parcels from home.
  • Cross country and the Scott Labs where I remember Robby Boyd trying to ride a Giraffe which was in a quarantine boma there.
  • We were very proud of our school, and inter-house rivalry was intense.
  • Honesty of the boarders - no need for locks on lockers ,I am sure that ones wallet would have been returned intact if one dropped it.
  • The discipline was strict, but we had plenty of freedom over weekends to wander far from school. I remember climbing Longonot having bicycled out, scoff supplied by the school kitchen.Towns were out of bounds.
  • I think the recommended amount of money for a boarder for a four months term was Shgs 25.

    On leaving school I worked for J F Lipscomb on an Ayrshire stud farm. Then to Egerton Agriculture College. After that I worked for CHE Simms on a ranch, dairy and pig farm at Sotik. I think he had had twenty three managers and assistants in two years. I was in the Office one day when he fired his wife. The manager, mechanic were commanded to come and play Poker evry now and then when we used to lose most of our pay packets. I then worked on a maize farm with DO Russell at Kipkarren.

    I was called up from there for Kenya Regiment training in Salisbury - 1952. Then to C Company on forrest patrols on Kiperpirri and Mt Kenya. Then to Home Guard Posts near Forthall. I was transferred to the administration as DO Maua and then to Miathane as DDO Nyambeni Div.Meru district. I then transferred to the Veterinary Dept as LO Kilgoris, then LO Narok - these were marvellous postings .My duties on disease control took me into all the best game areas in Masai and Masai Mara. The locals used to look forward to my visits as I always carried a cure for trypanosomiasis (Tetse fly infections) and I and my Vetinary Scouts had many a sheep barbecue at the Masai manyattas. Then to kitui where I met so many great people. I was then transferred as LO malindi in charge of the stock route to Lamu and Mombasa with a big holding ground at Karawa. My duties were not too strenuous and my skills at squash and deep sea fishing improved greatly.

    Then transferred to the Norther Frontier Div stationed at Isiolo mostly ALMO duties unfortunately the Shiffta were very active and treking cattle from as far as Moyale, Wajir, Marsabit was a hard task for the herders. I sadly had to do all my buying safaris by plane and so missed out on all the overland trips into this fascinating area.

    To South Africa where I have done drilling for water with an air drill and saw a lot of the country, diamond digging near Kimberley and am now farming together with my son about 50Kms north of Kimberly with cattle , wheat, maize and vegetable crops.

    (Registered 25th March 2004)

    • If anyone wishes to contact Tony, please e-mail webmaster@oldcambrians.com to obtain his contact details