The Hoey Annex

This picture dates back to 1957 when my father had just been promoted to general manager of the African Mercantile and the company rented a house for us to live in while the manager's house at the end of Cliff Avenue was refurbished. This resulted in a memorable summer holiday for my brother and me as the Hoey House fronted onto an almost deserted white-sand beach beyond which was a lagoon ideal for swimming and snorkelling.

Although his promotion meant that he was less involved in the shipping side of the company, my father still invited the captains off 'his' ships, particularly those he knew well, to spend time ashore with us as a break from the heavy responsibilities these men shouldered during the weeks they were at sea. Occasionally a captain would be invited to spend the night with us and, at first, the Hoey house seemed ideal for this as, at the end of the main bungalow (at right in the picture), there was a two-storey 'annex' which the captain had to himself.

To the left of the annex can be seen the sea, not fifty metres away, and there were glorious views across the lagoon from the upstairs bedrooms. It should have been blissfully peaceful for the captains but when some came across to join us for breakfast the next morning they had to admit that they hadn't been able to sleep. The reason: if the tide was high during the night the captain would have woken to the sound of the surf pounding the beach, and the horrible fear that his ship was about to hit a reef.