'There were insects and creepy crawlies everywhere you looked'

'There were insects and creepy crawlies everywhere you looked'

Frank remembers daily life in Malawi.

Frank Gaynor

Trinity College Dublin

1973

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Frank Gaynor

Marriage and Family

Life Story

Malawi, Africa

1970's

In 1973 Monica started playing golf. From then on we spent many happy hours together playing golf at Mulanje, Limbe, Blantyre or Zomba. By then our second daughter, Claire, our son Fergal, and our youngest child, Margaret (now better known as Mags) had arrived - all born in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Blantyre. Meeting the needs of four young children in Mulanje was a challenging assignment but Monica was well up to the task. She worked her way through and around water and electricity cuts, irregular supplies of food, great heat, weeks of heavy rain and high levels of humidity when it was difficult to get clothes dried. All items of clothing hung out to dry had to be ironed before wearing in order to destroy the eggs deposited on the damp clothes by putsi flies. If the clothes were not ironed the eggs would cling to the skin, hatch and the larvae would burrow into the skin. After a couple of weeks the skin would become quite infected and resemble a boil. A rub of Vaseline would help bring the larvae to the surface. It reminded me of the problems cattle had with the warble fly. There were insects and creepy crawlies everywhere you looked. Most of them were harmless. Some, like the geckos, were entertaining. We used to love watching geckos chase other small insects on the walls and ceiling of our livingroom. The cockroaches were a nuisance and had to be fumigated out of food storage areas at regular intervals.We employed a cook, a gardener, and at times two girls to help with the children and the housework. Monica was strict but fair with those who worked for us. She helped them in many ways. I can recall her helping them with blankets, mattresses, beds, bicycles and radios. On different occasions she transported those who were ill to the hospital, paid school fees for children and purchased building materials for their houses. This resulted in mutual respect and friendships, some of which lasted for many years after we had left Mulanje. While some employees stayed with us for years others moved on quickly. One cook arrived early in the morning. Monica briefed him before we went to work in the school. When we returned for our morning break he had fresh scones and tea ready for us. We praised his scones, returned to the school and never saw him again. Close to Christmas another cook was introduced to our kitchen. When we returned home from mass on Christmas morning we found him lying very drunk on our konde (veranda). Another very pleasant, gentle mannered cook we had was a Jehovah Witness. Jehovah's Witnesses were banned by President Banda because they refused to purchase political party cards and become members of the Malawi Congress Party. During one upsurge in violence against them our cook had to flee across the border into Mozambique with his wife and new born child. They had been waiting a few years for this child. He sometimes crossed the border at night and came to visit us. One night he came with the news that their precious baby had died.

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Irish Research Council for Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (IRCHSS)

Dr Kathleen McTiernan (Trinity College Dublin)

Dr Deirdre O'Donnell (Trinity College Dublin)