I Will

My name is Brett. I was born in 1947.

I was in the R.A.D.C. (Royal Army Dental Corps) for 6 years.  

From 1970 to 1972 I was a civilian dentist in Hertfordshire.

In 1972 I went to South Africa with my wife, my son aged 4 years and my daughter aged 11 months.

I always disliked being a dentist – I found it very boring - but it paid well.

My wife and I grew apart and divorced.

Zulu Company

I lived in Richmond and set up Zulu Company (MD), selling carpets, in 1983.

I traveled between my shops in Durban, Johannesburg, Cape Town and Kimberley. I also visited Farm Festivals to sell carpets in South Africa and Namibia.I lived in a caravan and stayed in national parks. Some of the places I stayed include: Springbok, George, Beaufort West, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Bloemfontein, Welkom, Asab, Mariental, Tsumeb, Swapkopmund, Windhoek, etc! I flew my plane, a Cessna 172 - I had got my pilot's licence in about 1973.

Click on the images below to see maps of where I traveled:

Click on the images below to see some of my favourite pictures of South Africa:

1993:

STROKE!!!

For 6 months, I couldn’t move or speak at all.

I tried to speak but nothing would come out.

I couldn’t move my arms or legs at all.

I was very determined to get better.

I was very frustrated.

I was in hospital for two months.

Yeuk!!! Yeuk!!!

BROKEN!!!

ILL!!  ILL!!

I WILL !!!

In the next 6 months to 1 year, I recovered some of the movement in my arms and legs.

I was running out of money and down to my last £1000. My healthcare had cost me £200,000.

So I came back to England.

Back in England

I had to move back into a flat with my mother in South London.

I stayed for two years, but it was very difficult.

We argued a lot!!!!!!!!!!! I used to ask my Mum’s sister to talk to my Mum, but she said she couldn’t get involved. So one evening I went to the council.

Croydon Council moved me into a hotel, where I stayed for nine weeks.

Then I was rehoused but had no furniture.

The Sheltered Housing Officers who had found my flat also furnished it for me. 

I’ve been living in it for eight years.

My neighbours are 78 years old or more!!!! It’s quite difficult not having people of my own age around.

I look after the gardens at the flats, including 350 rose bushes.

Connecting

Meanwhile, when I was living with my Mum I had been to see her doctor, who referred me for ten weeks of speech therapy and physiotherapy.

The physiotherapy was at Broad Green in Croydon.

The speech therapy was brilliant and made a big difference. Wow!!!!

It was at City University, with Liz Benton, who was amazing.

After ten weeks she referred me to Carole Pound MA, MSc, MRCSLT who ran City Dysphasic Group.

I ended up going to CDG for 2 ¾ years.

At CDG the students ran a group for six people.

Every three months the students changed placements. I went to CDG twice a week.

The students helped with communicating through:

• Gesture – which I find fairly easy because I used to act
• Reading - which I find very difficult – I can only read short sentences but not pages and pages
• Writing – which I use a lot and find very useful
• Facial expression – again easy because I used to act
• Drawing – simple line drawings are very quick and easy

About a year ago, CDG became

CONNECT (HURRAH)

It’s a good meeting place.

There’s a pub nearby called The George that was built in 1676 where a few of us go for a drink.

I’m good friends with John Wharton who is a very amusing man. Even though I can’t talk we still have a good chat.

Family  

Pauline, my ex-wife and Cristianne, my daughter came to visit from South Africa in 2001 for four days.  

It was tiring because Christianne wanted to see London. In November 2001 Christianne moved to Warrington in Cheshire.

Then she went to Andorra to teach herself to snowboard for six months.

I got a birthday card from her in May sent from South Africa so perhaps she’s gone home.

She could be in Australia! (Joke!) 

My son Conan is a chef in South Africa.

He is married to Cornelia and they have two children, Kayleigh and Nathan.  

In June 2002 Conan got a job as the head of the restaurant in an Arabian hotel, and they went to live in Dubai for two years.

Zulu Company – what happened next  

When I had my stroke, Sue (Suzanne) Uitzinger took charge at Zulu Company. She was the accountant for the firm.  

Sue and I write to each other every three or four months.

Nowadays Zulu Company has a new MD: Sue sold the business.

She set up another business selling carpets, and travels around like I used to, between Namibia, Botswana and South Africa.

How this page was made