This is not a
photo of the Samaki Club, it does feature Philo Mazor (he with the cats’ eyes)
Rodrigues, extreme left, Nascimento, Derek Lobo, Peter and Geoff Ahluwalia.
Once upon a
time in Nairobi, Kenya, there were a formidable, dedicated bunch of blokes who
called themselves “The Samaki (aka Fish)
Club”. Among them were Phil “Mazor” Rodrigues, the late John Goes, Diamond Mike
Fernandes, the late Jules Fernandes, the late Derick D’Mello, the late Sidney
Machado, the late Hipol Fernandes, the late Peter Fernandes, Norman Da Costa,
the late Steven Fernandes, the late Stas Antao, Tyrone and Reynold D’Souza,
Freddie Costa Fernandes and lots of others who this mzee can’t recall.
We fished all
around Kenya but our “big day out” was always to Stoney Athi, south of
Machakos.
We usually
met at the Railway Goan Institute on Saturdays. The main task of the junior
members was to ensure that the senior members got home in good time only to be
woken up a few hours later. The younger guys usually met Diamond Mike’s folks’
home in Pangani. The drivers would collect the senior citizens first and then
come to Pangani and pick up the rest of the members.
On one
occasion, a car bringing one bunch including Reynold and Tyrone broke down and
my brother Peter ran through the bush and heavy rain and got to our camping
site to warn us of the breakdown. Suitable mechanics raced there and brought
them to the camp.
One bunch of
us usually got to the fish site early so we could set up the cookery including
buying a young goat from the local chief.
Once everyone
had got there most guys got cracking with their fishing rods. However, six
stayed behind to make corned beef sandwiches and coffee. The next six would
clean the fish for lunch. Yet another six would cook lunch. There was plenty of
already ground spices, pickles, etc from all the Mums or wives.
Lunch was 12
o’clock sharp and all individual fishing would finish at 3 p.m.
Perhaps the
most important member of the group was Esteves Martins, our barman, who had the
simple philosophy: pay up and he would serve beer. No big notes, or no money no
beer, no matter how much you begged him.
At 3 pm Philo
Mazor would be training Derek D’Mello in throwing the pagalle (the large circular
fishing net seen in Goa and the Pacific islands.
With that, we
would set off to get to the club at 6 p.m. Everyone was welcome to the fish.
Kenya’s
independence killed the Samaki Club, like everything else.
By the way, I
would not have been able to tell this story and others but for a minor miracle.
I had pitched our tent in what I thought was a safe place, I had always set it
up there. What I did not know was that there was a river trench inches from the
tent. It had never rained before and we only got out of it because I chanced to
put my arm outside the tent and I screamed water, water. I think we all said a
prayer.
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