Assisting in reuniting adoptees and bparents.

A side view of the Lady Rodwell Maternity Home in Bulawayo

Date Posted: 04:15:51 09/02/05 Fri

The home was really a home from home, the love and care we got was the best, I will never forget my time at St Clare's and even though to this day my heart aches for my little girl I was forced to give up, I remember going down "strawberry lane",we would climb over a fence of one property and grab as many green mango's as possible and scramble ( with great difficulty) back over the fence and run as fast as possible back to the home to eat the mango's with salt..... of course the owner of the fruit knew it was us, but he never complained.
Many memories of many special girls over the 4months I lived there and I will treasure those memories for the rest of my life.God bless you all and I hope each and every one of you have had Gods richest blessings in your lives.

Date Posted: 04:24:38 07/27/05 Wed

I remember all to clearly the train trip to Bulawayo in the middle of July 1977 - it was freezing and drinking coffee the next morning, the was worst thing any pregnant Mum to be should do - especially Rhodesian Railways coffee!! Yuk! Being collected at the station by Mrs Brink and then taken to St Clare's. I must say it was a lovely house in great big grounds, next door to Hopelands Home. I was shown to a room upstairs near the bathrooms. True there were many girls there. Things that I can clearly remember were the exercises in the main living room lying on the floor - with I think - Mrs Cressell but perhaps wrong. Also the walks we took every Thursday around the block. These were awful and you always felt like your baby was about to fall out especially towards the end. The trips to Ascott post office and the shoppiing centre. This was a treat as only a few of us could go at a time. The blackboard outside under the lapa where we used to mark off our days to " THE D DAY" Oh my word and the CHORES - this was also on how long you had been at the home to which you were given to do..... gee I hated this. I enjoyed the little chapel, and also the "Friends of the Home" that used to visit us and hold tea parties for us - they were very special ladies. I kept that little book of poems with me for many years. I still think so fondly of so many people I met while I was there: Grace - sorry for having given you nightmares with my bad wheezing when sharing rooms, Michelle, wish I knew where you were now. Hillary,Linda,Bev,Margaret,Shiela,another Linda,Sue,Sally, and many more but the names just don't come to mind right now. Yes good memories but also some moments of the dull sad ache I know that we all felt at sometime while we were there.

Date Posted: 03:40:07 08/03/05 Wed

Whilst I was at St Clare's in September 1977, there was a girl about 15 years old, short with short blond hair and her boyfriend used to visit her. He was about the same age. They were both at boarding school together. If she reads this please contact me as your daughter would like to make contact.

Date Posted: 03:40:57 07/27/05 Wed

Who ever has been here will never forget this place. When I arrived there was about 8 other girls. How nice to know you were all in the same position together - where you could laugh and cry together (although my first night I hated the place). I was there for 3 months and besides having to give my son up, there were such a happy 3 months. We used to go to Drive Inn on either a Friday or Saturday night. I will never forget the look on people's faces when this Peugeot station wagon pitched up full of pregnant mommies. We were a very "lively" bunch of girls in the home and some of us had the habit of smoking. Now there is nothing worse when you really need a smoke but the shop is to far to walk to - no trouble two of us used to take the gardeners bicycle and cycle to the shop - tummy and all.