Robert Oakeshott, of Swaneng and Shashe Schools
Sandy Grant | Wednesday November 30, 2016 16:32
Robert, making polite conversation: Wouldn’t you say, Sister Clair that the Pope did remarkably well during his recent visit to Uganda? Sister Clair: Ach, the dear man - and splendid he looked in it.
Robert: I am afraid that I don’t understand - looked well in what? Sister Clair: Did you not see the pictures then - His Holiness in a safari suit? Robert: I can’t say that I did.
Mind you, humour is tricky and what is amusing for one may not be at all amusing for another. One of my favourite stories, which I recounted some years ago, for instance, brought me a stinging rebuke which can still, perhaps, be found on the internet.
In sum, Seretse, arriving by plane in Gaborone was met by an excited aide, David Finlay who said, Sir, Sir, Ian Smith has declared UDI. And Seretse replied, and who is Ian Smith? Brilliant.
But I was then denounced for making out that Seretse was so stupid that he didn’t even know the name of the PM of a neighbouring state! Much like Nelson’s reaction to the order to withdraw at the battle of Copenhagen of 1801when he put his telescope to his blind eye and famously remarked, 'I can see no such order'. That is, if he needed to see this order, why did he use his blind eye? Hm. Even so, I am going to take a risk.
It is now five years since Robert Oakeshott died and there then appeared in many British newspapers the most wonderful stories about this remarkable man. But as a preamble, let me make the point that, sadly, there appears to be only few anecdotal stories about the country’s major figures of the last 50 years, stories which would add to the usually dry accounts of their character and personality.
But having started with Robert, I am obliged to continue and to mention that at his death, one flag in the whole wide world was lowered to half mast in his honour - in Bulgaria! It transpired that Robert, after the collapse of the USSR, pushed his crusade for employee ownership in many of the newly freed states.
In Bulgaria, he was impressed by a small wine making consortium, which being unable to provide collateral, had failed to secure a loan which would enable it to grow.
Robert stepped in and provided one against the one and only collateral the group could provide, a warehouse full of red wine which, had the need arisen, would have been totally useless to a Robert in London. When we stayed with him in London, he invariably asked if we would care for a glass of Bulgarian red, which was on sale nearby.
We took that as his personal preference but of course could not have known then, the remarkable background to his query. What a man! But now having started on Robert, I may be I obligated to continue with him next week.