I just did a bit of reading about the conditions in Rhodesia / Zimbabwe preceding and around 1980. I see at http://www.biography.com/people/robert-mugabe-9417391?page=2 :
Robert Mugabe launched …”guerilla operations toward freeing Southern Rhodesia from British rule. In 1974, Prime Minister Ian Smith, who claimed he would achieve true majority rule but still declared his allegiance to the British colonial government, allowed Mugabe to leave prison and go to a conference in Lusaka, Zambia (formerly Northern Rhodesia). Mugabe instead escaped back across the border to Southern Rhodesia, assembling a troop of Rhodesian guerilla trainees along the way. The battles raged on throughout the 1970s. By the end of that decade, Zimbabwe’s economy was in worse shape than ever. In 1979, after Smith had tried in vain to reach an agreement with Mugabe, the British agreed to monitor the changeover to black majority rule and the UN lifted sanctions.
By 1980 Southern Rhodesia was liberated from British rule and became the independent Republic of Zimbabwe. Running under the ZANU party banner, Mugabe was elected prime minister of the new republic, after running against Nkomo. In 1981 a battle broke out between ZANU and ZAPU due to their differing agendas. In 1985 Mugabe was re-elected as the fighting continued….”
It seems there was a lot of unrest in this part of the world, and gaining freedom from colonial rule was the beginning of fierce fighting between the 2 rival political parties, with many lives lost. In fact this problem still continues today and there has been much unrest and bloodshed during the past 30 years.
Perhaps this was what made life ‘unsafe’ and the reason for the BC’s relocating – as far as possible away from Africa’s problems. Interestingly to another colony, not back to Britain – colonial life must have appealed to them – or perhaps it was the climate?….hence the move here to the sunshine state….???
Were they still “Clay” when they arrived here and changed their surname to Baden-Clay once here in OZ? I don’t think in Zimbabwe there would have been much reverence for the Baden-Clay name, so perhaps there was no point to change it there. But here in a colony with strong links to Britain and where the scout movement was well established, it could have been used to gain influence – to escape any stigma attached to being mere ‘immigrants’ and instead be elevated to the highest possible social standing it could achieve. Can anyone remember what date this name change was reported to have taken place early in the blog history?
It is rather interesting to change your surname to that of your mother’s maiden name, when she herself used her married surname Clay all her life. She did not seem to think she had to use her maiden name to give herself airs and graces. Nigel however felt a need to do so. And granted, it seems he did use the name extensively to elevate himself socially and in the scout movement. One wonders did Nigel Clay not command the standing he believed he deserved in his own right – did he have to become Nigel Baden-Clay to be ‘someone’ in this society??? Interesting indeed….