St Ignatius alumni honour Fr Watsham

01 May, 2016 - 00:05 0 Views
St Ignatius alumni honour Fr Watsham

The Sunday Mail

Alvin Zhakata
SCORES of former students turned out last Saturday to congratulate Father Antony Watsham SJ on his 92nd birthday having served as a teacher at St Ignatius College for three decades.
The occasion was organised by the St Ignatius Alumni Association, a group of former students who work as development partners for the school.

Born on April 30, 1924 in England , Fr Watsham – who was ordained a priest in July 1958 – was assigned to serve at St Ignatius College in 1967, five years after its establishment.

He taught Biology for 28 years and retired in 1994.

Making reference to the school motto, Fr Chiedza Chimhanda (the Jesuit Zimbabwe-Mozambique Provincial) who celebrated mass with Fr Watsham and a couple of fellow Jesuit priests encouraged the former students to emulate the retired teacher.

“We should strive to live according to our school motto, Ignem Mittite In Terram (Set the Whole World on Fire) like Fr Watsham whose former students are shining beacons around the world.”

On behalf of the former students, Mr William Mandinde heaped praises on Fr Watsham.
“He is a very simple man, shy but warm-hearted and above all industrious. We have seen his products: physicians, pharmacists, entomologists, molecular biologists, and even politicians.

“I was an Arts student but I benefited a lot from the times that he diligently said mass, pouring blessings upon our lives,” said Mr Mandinde.

Engineer Solomon Nyamazana, who is based in New Zealand, sent a message reflecting on his experiences with Fr Wetsham.
“In my six years study at St Ignatius I had only one biology teacher and he was the best teacher ever, full of knowledge which he delivered with humour.

“Publicly we called him Fr Watsham, behind the scenes we called him Chikwama, after the bearded character that featured in the TV series ‘Mhuri yavaMukadota’.”

The message continued, “In one of his biology lessons, Father brought dead rats for dissection. The dead rats must have been kept a bit too long without preservatives and there was a foul smell in the laboratory.

“A student protested to Fr Watsham that the rats were smelling and he retorted, ‘The rats are dead and can’t smell, you are the one smelling them’.”

Dr Walter Mangezi, a psychiatrist who passed through Fr Watsham’s hands in 1984-1987, shared how the Biology teacher impacted on his life.

“His biology lessons moved me from an intended career path of engineering to my current calling in the field of medicine. Thank you Fr Watsham for 92 years dedicated to humanity.”

Some medical dotcors who have come out of his tutelage include Drs Annamarie Nyakabau (oncologist), Patric Chihumbiri (late), Natisius Danga, George Makoni, Francis Jim (dermatologist), Prosper Chonzi (Harare City Council director of health services), Taurai Nenguke (molecular biologist, US) and Collin Masimirembwa (molecular biologist who founded the Zimbabwe’s first DNA centre).

Fr Watsham was also known for his love for nature and invested much time in studying insects.
The online Watsham Gallery is testimony to his fondness for nature.

A major highlight of Fr Watsham’s stay at St Ignatius is Bibiana, a baboon he bought from Mt Mary Mission and tamed as a pet in a “mini zoo” he built at the school.

Fr Watsham said the baboon was so named because he bought it on the feast of St Bibiana.
He also recalled: “I was in Macheke, and one day after a memorial mass ate a lot of sadza. I wanted to identify with everyone. I did not want to be given a different plate. I wanted to show appreciation that I belonged.

“I over ate, (and) gobbled the whole meal. The next day during mass I fainted. It’s a good thing when a priest collapses and is carried out of church. The congregants now really pray for you. They prayed so hard.”

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