The Old Watering Hole
- Frans Bijsterveld
- Dec 31, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Life at Bata — The Place We Called Home
. .
Join Frans as he bobs and weaves his way through childhood, from being a suspiciously blond-haired baby to leaving the nest at eighteen.
Born in 1961 to a Dutch father working for the Bata Shoe Company and a Rhodesian mother, Frans grows up moving between worlds — from a steamy tropical island near India, to Kenya’s highlands, and ultimately to the Bata Shoe Estate in Gwelo, Rhodesia.
Life at Bata was no ordinary upbringing. It was a self-contained village built around a factory — with its own houses, school, swimming pool, sports clubs and legendary social life — and it produced a tight-knit community of families who shared work, play, friendships and Friday nights at the Bata Club.
Surrounded by a constant flow of people, places and events, Frans grows up in a world where childhood freedom rubs shoulders with history. Anecdote follows anecdote, weaving personal memories with historical insight and enough twists and turns to keep the pages turning.
Discover what happened when a five-year-old boy from Africa visited Europe for the first time and why his mother once found him standing there with an armful of rusty bombs. What it was like to live near Kenya’s Great Rift Valley, and how did the bush war in Rhodesia slowly ripple through everyday village life.
The Old Watering Hole is both a personal memoir and a tribute to a unique way of life and to the people who once called Bata home.
Video of book
Index and List of Images
Check out the index to see who and what is in the book.
Ordering
Recognise the scene, back in the day when ordering a beer set you back 20c and was delivered with a smile by Aubrey Holmes?
For those who would like to make the book even more special, you might consider ordering a copy for your children or grandchildren, with a personal inscription from you. A few handwritten words inside the cover can turn it into a lasting keepsake — something meaningful they can treasure in years to come.
To Dearest [Name],
So you will always know a little more about your family and the world we knew.
With love,
Grandma & Grandpa
Note: The usual printing cost is relatively high due to Amazon’s pricing for a 441-page (1.3 kg) publication with a high number of large colour photographs.
1. Order via Amazon (proceeds to the Zim. Pensioners Support Fund)
Discounts 52% now + free delivery:
Discounts 30% now + free delivery:
The book on Amazon.com (USA)
Please see point 2 below to check whether you qualify for an author's copy.
2. Order via me (Europe only)
As the author, Amazon has given me access to a limited number of author copies, deliverable in Europe only, which are identical to the retail version. These are much cheaper — approximately €35 instead of the normal retail price of around €58.
If you are family, a friend, or an acquaintance connected to the Bata story, have a delivery address in Europe and would prefer this option, please feel free to contact me via WhatsApp or Messenger.
Procedure and Payment
a. Please provide your:
Physical delivery address
Phone number
Desired number of copies
Note: All of the above are required by Amazon.
b. With that info, I am able to check the total price and let you know a.s.a.p.
c. Next, if you're good to go, I'll provide you with my account details in Holland.
d. Finally, once payment is received, I will place the order on your behalf and let you know it's taken place. It will then be sent directly from Amazon to your address.
Note: While I'll do my best to ensure a smooth ordering process, I cannot be held responsible for delays, delivery issues, or errors arising from Amazon’s printing or shipping services. Once orders are placed, fulfilment is managed entirely by Amazon. Thank you for your understanding.
Acknowledgement
Finally, my sincere thanks to all of you who generously shared your time, information, and material during the preparation of this book. Your help made it all possible.
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