A remarkable collection from the past

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Sent by a friend now living in France, there recently arrived in my post box a package of mixed material accumulated here during the 1970s and 80s. My instructions were to see if the collection contained anything which I thought was of interest and to dispose of the lot as I saw fit. So I had a quick look.

And then a rather longer one. 

It quickly became clear to me that the collection was, in fact, a quite remarkable time capsule.  The items were mostly routine and unexceptional but were, nevertheless, the sort of bits and pieces that would be kept by an expatriate couple who knew that they would be here for only a shortish period of time. Thus the collection comprised photos, letters, cuttings mostly from the Daily News, menus and formal invitations.  It is the latter, the extraordinary number and variety of formal invitations which indicate that the collector was not just another expatriate on a short-term contract. The couple were in fact, Derek and Vera Haldane, he being twice, the Manager of the President Hotel.   Go back to the immediate post Independence years when the only two hotels in Gaborone were the grotty old Gaborone Hotel at the station and the President and it will be realised that a young,  popular couple running the latter were likely to be  welcome society figures.  It is hard to see the first manager of the President in that role, a gent  called Massey Hicks or indeed to imagine that the manager of the President today or even any manager of today’s hotels would be automatically invited to whatever was going on, as were the Haldanes.  But then none of today’s managers is likely to get a Xmas with the handwritten note, ‘And if you do go, do please remember to come back, again. We do need you and Vera and we need you badly, (signed) Quett and Gladys’. 

Editor's Comment
Stakeholders must step up veggie supply

The Ministry of Agriculture, local producers, retailers, and industry associations must work together to overcome the obstacles hindering vegetable production and distribution.This collaborative approach is essential to improve the availability, quality, and affordability of vegetables in the market.Firstly, the Ministry of Agriculture should provide support and guidance to local farmers to enhance their productivity and efficiency. This could...

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