THE BORDER

Upper: Aloes common to Rhodesia.

Lower: African musicians playing various instruments.

Motif: Secretary bird.

Embroidered by the Gwelo Women's Institute.

Gwelo
MRS. HURRELL HOISTING THE FLAG AT GWELO, 1890

In 1894 the village of Gwelo was established on a site chosen by Dr. Jameson. Among its earliest inhabitants were Mr. and Mrs. Hurrell who in January 1895 opened its first hotel. It was called The Horseshoe and to begin with consisted only of pole and dagga huts which were sometimes washed away during heavy rains, so that at times the guests had to wait about while the accommodation was being hurriedly rebuilt. Gwelo, a centre of prospectors and smallworkers, soon gained the reputation of being the thirstiest town in Rhodesia, and within six months of The Horseshoe having opened, five other hotels were built.

At the time of the Rebellion all the white people in the area took refuge in Gwelo laager where they remained from March until mid-August 1896. In all they numbered 600, including 27 women, 22 children and the soldiers of the garrison. Supplies were commandeered from local shops but there was no flour other than ground rice, and because of the rinderpest the meat supply was largely limited to bully beef.

Mr. Hurrell was the agent for Zeederbergs coaches which for many years were the normal means of travel, carrying mail and passengers far faster than an ox-wagon. The Hurrell’s baby son celebrated his first birthday in the Gwelo laager, and the troopers at the nearby Fort Gibbs situated on the Charter road decided to celebrate the occasion. No Union Jack could be found so Mrs. Hurrell and her friends collected enough scraps of cloth to stitch up a makeshift flag, which she was given the honour of hoisting. The scene is depicted in this panel of the National Tapestry.

Mr. and Mrs. Hurrell owned one of the few pianos in the country at the time, and it was very much in demand for open-air concerts: indeed music by moonlight played a large part in the early life of Gwelo. Mrs. Hurrell spent the next fifty years of her life in the town. Gwelo was said to be the first place in Rhodesia to build a swimming bath; Mrs. Hurrell’s name is associated with it as well as with the first bowling green.




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