One determined woman built a home for pensioners.

Dorothy Bell and her husband, the Revd Lionel Borradaile Bell, had previously been at Plumtree School in Rhodesia, where he was Chaplain, and met while he was Chaplain of Sherborne School in Dorset, UK. They returned to Rhodesia after the Second World War, where he was for some time Rector of Marondera Anglican Parish.

It was during this period that Dorothy conceived the idea of a retirement village for poor pensioners, which resulted in the Borradaile Trust. She is remembered as a brisk-mannered, efficient little “red-head”: a formidable character with a heart of gold, who never took “No” for an answer.

1. 1951Dorothy forms a committee, persuades the State Lotteries to help financially, holds a whip-round for the architect’s first payment, and gets the Town Planning Office on her side.
2. April 1952With further donations from the Nkana-Kitwe Lotteries and well-wishers, the first buildings begin.
3. 24 November 1952A Miss Mold and her brother occupy the first cottage. They arrive a week before the electricity is on, and Dorothy tells them, “Well, you’ll just have to camp then.” And they did!

Dorothy Bell will forever be remembered as the indefatigable founder of the Borradaile Trust.