A Long Way Home

Grace Fulton has written a very interesting story about her life in Rhodesia. Her grandparents arrived from Scotland in 1897 chasing gold and they settled in Bulawayo. Her early life was traumatic with her father commiting suicide whilst suffering from black water fever and her mother was left with six children who were put into an orphanage. Fortunately life improved when her mother remarried and they moved to a ranch, horseback riding and spotting leopards. Grace met and married Willie Fulton who had just won a bronze medal in the Empire Games for boxing. Then WW2 saw Willie in Egypt and guarding the oil fields in Iraq, and her brother Alan Douglas , a spitfire pilot, saving Rhodesian Prime Minister, Ian Douglas Smiths' life over Sicily. Grace and Willy then started a sucessful sporting business, manufacturing and supplying sports goods.They met and hosted many sportspeople from all over the world as well as being involved in charitable sports training and events including at Kutama Mission where Robert Mugabe was educated. Willie was awarded an M.B.E. from Queen Elizabeth for his service to sport. Grace and Willie had 3 children , all of whom had great sporting ability. Grace's story of keeping the family together during Willies' altzheimers and his death, the loss of their business and home due to political changes in Zimbabwe makes for interesting reading. Grace now lives in Houston, Texas.