Transcript
We had one group right up on the border in the very northwest. And they apparently were living in a very good compound because it was an NGOs compound that had been built. But they had no power, no running water. They had a water truck, because they used to go down, fill up, and come back and draw the water from that. And their food ... Well, they used to get their food from Malawi. But then, that travel across borders to buy anything had been banned. And whoever was up in that area it was decided had to comply. So, we'd taken ... Each of us had taken 10 days' ration packs with us.
So, just sent the message around, "Righto, get to me five for your 10 days." And we shipped all that off to them. Then, Shan found a UN generator, which we shipped north. And then, somebody up there actually recognised it and sent it back. But then the boys up north found one and sent. So, we got a generator up and running. And then, in Beira there was an Australian there who was there as a town planner with an NGO working with the local government. He was going at least every second weekend to Harari to visit his family. So, he started bringing back eskies full of meat for us. It was something you just couldn't get. And so, he'd bring it back really frozen. We fixed our freezer up and put it in there, really deep froze it.
And then, when we heard that the Japanese movement control at the airport, felt sorry for them. I mean, they were so used to things working on time. The UN didn't. But they would call me and say, "The flight's coming in." We would deliver to them the food to put on the flight when it left in eskies. They would tell the movement controller in the north, who would then call the boys up there, and they'd pick it up, put it in their freezer, and then send it on the next day. So, you found ways to get around things and to do things. So, that was all part of it. I mean, just feeding yourself was sometimes a problem.