I Know a Place in Africa

This deeply moving poem, I Know a Place in Africa, written in April 2017 by Wayne Visser from Bulawayo, was read by my brother, Richard, at our beloved father Brian Chalk’s funeral in March 2022.

Three years on, its powerful words continue to stir cherished memories for all who knew and loved Dad.

Born in 1928 and laid to rest in 2022, Dad was a devoted servant of mother England yet an African at heart. He migrated from England to Zimbabwe in 1951, where he built a life and served with distinction in the British South Africa Police, resigning in 1973 as Chief Superintendent. Though he returned to England that same year, his love for Zimbabwe never faded. He carried with him an abiding affection for the country that had been his home, alongside a deep admiration for the land of his birth and its influence on southern Africa. A sage of African politics and a passionate devotee of cricket, he embraced both worlds with great reverence.

His funeral took place at Cromer Crematorium in Norfolk, UK, on 28th March 2022.

The poem, with images, can be viewed in the video below.

I Know a Place in Africa