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Now we go back to Rebecca’s and Jock’s children and end with their youngest son:

L

ESLIE: 1908 – 1985.

Leslie was to marry Ruby Anderson and become my Father. Les was the
conscientious, good-looking, conventional, somewhat humourless and moody child
who grew up to be the conscientious, good-looking, conventional, somewhat
humourless and moody Adult! As I’ve said, Leslie as a child had a hard time with his
demanding, slower but older adopted brother Bertie who made his life at school tiresome. And,
although he never spoke about these times one could surmise that he suffered from the aftereffects of his Father’s alcoholism, his Mother’s financial stresses and the numerous crying
infants that crowded their home and filled it with demands and noise. His behaviour and
attitudes and moods sadly pointed directly back to his childhood.
There was one great interest and pleasure that young Leslie developed and carried through to
his Retirement days: he loved chickens, hens and all Poultry matters. He developed his own
little poultry ‘farm’ in the backyard of his family home when he was a child and delighted in
supplying his ‘Mum’ with new laid eggs. When he was busy with his hens and reading up about
poultry farming he could find the peace and quiet he craved.
Les as a child worked hard at Boys Model School. He was ambitious to succeed and he must
have been distressed that he had to leave school after Standard 8. He valued education highly
but he was now expected to contribute to the family coffers and Get a Job. Les who felt
sympathy and a deep love for his Mother would have taken this responsibility seriously. He
applied to Town Hall and was given a position as Meter Reader which meant that he spent his
days on a bicycle traipsing the streets and country roads of Maritzburg in order to read the
water and electricity meters of the residents. His worst aversions were the Maritzburg heat
and the encountering of vicious dogs and one feels a definite sympathy for him and for others
who perform these jobs still today.
It must have been during Les’ early working life that he found an interest that got him out the
house, gave him peace and quiet and time to think. He joined a competitive Walking club and
eventually became a much-medalled Champion Walker. In being a Walker the rule was that no
running was allowed and so long-legged fast walking
speed was aimed for.
Here is Les at about twenty as a Chamption Walker
Leslie at work must have been promoted to some sort of
office job at Town Hall and to his relief could now ditch
the bicycle, the dogs and the Maritzburg sun which was
always the bane of his life. When he clocked out for
lunch he had to take a long obligatory walk home to
endure his Mother’s piping hot soups and stews for the
midday dinner. In all his life after marriage my Mother
was not allowed to serve anything other than salads for
lunch! Why he didn’t take a sandwich to work for lunch
is puzzling: certain ‘laws of lunch’ were in motion and to
break them was tantamount to breaking a
Commandment. On the other hand, being a domestically
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