Yet it is a sign of the times that this particular image which will be only too familiar to those living in the rural areas may well puzzle many of today's urban dwellers, especially the young - the gap between the two getting ever wider.  It may also be that with the effects of climate change about to hit us, a depressing photo such as this one may be more appropriate than another of new year cheer.

I was puzzled to read in the Historical Dictionary of Botswana that the 1982-86 drought was the most severe in living memory because my recollection is that nothing that has subsequently occurred exceeded the 60s drought in its sheer awfulness.

True, no one died of starvation but either one third or one quarter of the national herd died (both figures are quoted) and three fifths of the population were believed to be destitute and in need for emergency food supplies.

In Mochudi, the skins of dead cattle were being purchased by Johnny Odendaal of Mochudi Trading Store for half a crown (2/6) each and on many days he reckoned that he had at least 2,000 of them piled high in his back yard. 

If the cattle were in bad shape, the people were not much better. I remember arriving at Linchwe 1 Primary School on the first day of a project to build a new classroom to find literally hundreds of people patiently waiting to start work. We had made it known that, having no money to pay wages, we could only provide mealie meal.

There could hardly have been a more startling indication of the severity of the problem.Yet, unwittingly we had jumped the gun. The government's food for work programme was due to commence only in several months time - and at that point it was unable to do anything.

So, at the old Community centre, we scraped around, solicited help wherever possible and by the time that the government's work for food programme was started we had five work for food projects on the go  which the District Commissioner, Peter Cardross-Grant insisted should be handed over to him and his administration.

For some time afterwards, we continue to run an emergency soup kitchen for any child who was able to turn up equipped with a tin mug. Looking back, it seems a marvel that for 18 months there were women in Mochudi who were willing to cater for those children without demanding any cash return for their services.