The Inside Story - Edition 3

The Inside Story Edition 3 is about Debbie Dougmore who wrote the book A Donkey, A Turkey and Me.

Having spent the first ten years of her life growing up on a farm before moving to Salisbury and then on to Kitwe, Zambia, Debbie Dugmore completed her schooling in Johannesburg and became a civil engineering draftsperson.

Her passion lies in writing and her love and connection to animals continues unabated.

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My early childhood,spent on a cattle farm in Rhodesia, was one huge and glorious adventure; the most magical time any living soul could be blessed with.

Nowhere on earth is as breathtakingly magnificent:wild countryside is mixed with the deep green leaves of orange trees laden with fruit.

We once even had a huge male kudu race through the garden, in the middle of a tea party. It was chased by at least seven furious dachshund lunatics, hell-bent on catching this intruder, though what they were going to do with it, if they caught it, remains a mystery. Except to them of course.

My book took years to write. It started as stories of the memories my older brother Marcus and I shared. Compared to the life my own city children had led, it seemed like a never-ending adventure. We were like little wild children, hardly ever wearing shoes,our knees full of grazes,bumps and scratches.

Eventually the stories spread to my friends  and their children so I began to jot them down. And so, from very humble beginnings, my book was born.

The biggest thing to remember is that this is a story told by a small child. The first ten years of my life. I have never wanted to go back to visit our old farmhouse and to see the changes the years have brought. I don’t want to see that the trees we climbed, halfway up to heaven, are actually not so tall. Or that the Mazoe Dam is not the huge expanse of water I thought it was.

I keep these precious and priceless memories intact. To keep them safe. Encapsulated forever, in a bubble, somewhere in theether. For me to find again one day.

The older children attended Amandas Primary Schoo in Concession. Parents met at the pickup point, spending a very sociable twenty minutes, before the small green bus arrived to fetch its loud cargo.

The younger children went home, to begin our own busy day. My two friends, a white turkey named Walter and a fat brown donkey called French, would both be waiting for me to arrive back home. It had nothing to do with the handful of Rice Krispies in the pocket of my shorts.

I am still surprised that, apparently, they couldn’t speak. I can remember their voices so well. Walter spoke in quite a high-pitched voice.  French’s voice was low and a bit slow, but quite eloquent. Deep down inside I believe we did speak, but when I got older, I seemed to lose that gift.

My early teens found our family living in South Africa. A far cry from the life I’d been used to. My deep love for animals, great and small, never dwindled and never will.

After I’d completed school, I studied engineering draughting. The precise shapes and angles appealed to me ,and I can honestly say I was one of the lucky ones. I really loved my work, as well as the very diverse people I came into contact with.

No day was ever the same; the drawing office banter and all the impossible deadlines were invigorating. We worked hard and laughed a lot. Rejoicing and grieving together, becoming like a real family unit.

I am busy with my second Mazoe book. People have asked how on earth there is anything more that I haven’t written about those days. My answer is always the same. How do you fit ten years into one book?

Life never turns out as you have planned.Those years were filled with laughter, friends and happiness. Grief and sorrow had not raised its head. Perhaps this is why Marcus and I have kept these memories alive in our hearts, all these years. It was the time we were safe and secure, and life was full of smiles.

Thank you, Mazoe, for all the fantastic memories.

Debbie Dugmore