David Townsend

David did not remember much of his birth place Umtali (Mutare). His father was a Fitter on the Rhodesia Railways. His father owned a house just off King George Road in Avondale immediately above the Avondale Junior School. This was handy for schooling. When he reached about 9 years old the family moved to St Patricks Road in Hatfield. The plot was much larger and David and his brothers milked the cows and fed the chickens getting up at dawn so as to be at school on time. David went to Hatfield Junior School. With older brothers he learned that he could ot get his own way and often had fisticuffs with his brother Harry John. This taught him to be a fighter in all he did. He loved fairness and had a tender heart for those less fortunate. His parents had joined a Christian group known by various names such as 2 x 2s , the Truth, Cooneyites, followers of Irvine etc. and were schooled in the tenets of the bible and its principles from an early age. When his younger sister developed a serious diease that laid her off school for a year David taught her so that when she went back to school she went straight back to her class without having to skip a year. David loved hunting and fishing. He also enjoyed helping others. As a Fitter and Turner he was a skilled workman. When they moved to Cape Town some friends (Meintjies) car broke down David removed the cylinder head and fixed it so they could return to Limpopo. His home was always open to his friends. He never tolerated thieving or crime in any form and in the workplace was highly respected for his technical knowledge and fairness. Loved by his children.