*GROWING UP COLOURED Part One.* _(This is a refreshed memoir )(To my American friends, please note the word ‘Coloured’ is not offensive in Zimbabwe or South Africa, it refers to mixed-race people.)_ *By Joe Hussein* These snaps take me right back to my youth, growing up in the tightly knit Coloured suburb of Sunningdale in Harare, back when it was still Salisbury, in the late 70s. It was a familiar sight ,our mums, aunties and older sisters sitting out on the front lawn catching the sun, with rollers in their hair and a cigarette in hand, getting ready for Monday morning. No hairdryers needed when you’ve got that good old African sun. The kitchen would be buzzing too. Sunday was sacred in a Coloured home ,curried chicken and rice if it was an average weekend, or oxtail, butter beans and rice if it was month-end and pockets were a bit deeper. That oxtail had to wait for payday, let’s not pretend 🤣 The women in our community worked incredibly hard to hold the family down. But they also partied just as hard. After a wild Saturday night out at ‘The Scene’ at Arcadia Hall, it was back to curlers, shades and chores by Sunday morning. Most Coloured women held jobs that kept the country ticking. Bank tellers at Founders, Beverley, Barclays, Standard Chartered, Grindlays. Telephone operators at the PTC ,back in the days when you had to dial 0 and speak to an operator to connect your call. Try explaining that to the born-frees 🤣 My Mama Rose, worked at Greatermans Department Store and rose through the ranks to become a Department Supervisor ,in the shoe section. That was her last post before she retired in 1982. So many other women worked at Macy’s, Amato and Sons, Pick’n’Pay, Barbours, Public Services Medical Aid Society ,solid jobs, respectable jobs. It was rare to see a Coloured nurse at Andrew Fleming (now Parirenyatwa) and Princess Margret (now Mbuya Nehanda) Hospitals . Most were white, but the Ward Aides ,affectionately known as “Pinkies” ,were often Coloured women in those unforgettable pink uniforms 😂 A lot of Coloured men worked at Rhodesia Railways ,affectionately known as the Rails ,were employed as shunters, firemen, guards and journeymen. These were the bread-and-butter jobs largely accessible to Coloured men under the Rhodesian system, and while they weren’t high,ranking, they brought in just enough to make month-end feel like Christmas. 😂😅🤣 Though I was just a youngster, you could always tell when the Rails ouens had been paid. They’d show up after their shift in one of those iconic Renault R4 taxis ,Creamline, Rixi, A1 ,and if they were in Bulawayo, or “Skies” as we called it, they’d pull up in a York Taxi. But that wasn’t even the highlight. Some would go all out and hire three taxis ,one for themselves, one for their crates of beer, and another just for their leather jacket 😂😂😂 With brand new LPs in hand, the parties were guaranteed to go off. The Tempest stereos would be rigged up outside, those big speakers with the cushioned tops doubling as chairs, and you just knew the hood was in for a long night. 🕺🏽🕺🏽 Gatecrashers usually caused the most havoc, though some were the ones who made the booze up happen. The guys with a bit of frugality and ambition rolled up in Corsairs, Zephyr Zodiacs, Cortinas, Vauxhalls ,Alpha Romeos or Datsun 1200s, all “suped up” with mag wheels and a couple of aerials ,just for style 😂😂 Meanwhile, some of the guys who worked as “Mud Doctors” ,street lingo for road construction and maintenance workers ,had already blown through their salaries by mid-month. The Rails ouens though, paid on the very last day of the month, were vibing. And no other group of workers stood a chance with the chicks. Goffal girls knew exactly who to hang with when that money came in 😂 Their “bites”, those poor guys they didn’t really fancy but kept around for drinks and laughs, would be quickly forgotten. But it never lasted long. As fast as the money came in, it was gone. To be continued. *Knowledge Is Power That Is Best Shared. Please share and follow our Citizens Movement Radio Channel using the link below* https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VafxZGK8F2pNHgZGUP1B