As was to be expected, both dentists were overwhelmed but Barry still found time to do a quick survey of the dental needs and problems of children in and around Gaborone. I remember, as clear as if it was yesterday, his report to a Conference in 1971 about his findings. Slowly and with great deliberation, he said that what he had found was a great many children with periodontal disease or tooth decay. Why, he rhetorically asked? Because of sugar! That was 46 years ago so it is not very difficult to imagine how much worse the situation must be today. Yet this is a problem which is never brought to the fore and rarely if ever mentioned. Perhaps Loughner’s small survey of primary schools was the first and last to be undertaken? But as another element of heritage I need to skip to the Gaborone Club which, only reluctantly, had opened its doors to those of all skin colour. I had been told before he arrived that Barry sported a ponytail which, it was wondered, might prove of concern to a very conservative Gaborone. Having met him off his plane, and got him settled down, I was then at a loss to know what to do next.
Perhaps foolishly, I took him to the Gaborone Club which I visited about once every four years. The reaction there was immediate. The Police Inspector behind the bar – I omit his name in case his widow is still in town – ex Jerusalem, ex Cyprus, ex Malaya, ex Kenya, places which had not always shown the British at their best, reluctantly gave Barry his soft drink and myself a beer.
