Edward Morrow
Encyclopedia
Edward Sydney Morrow Anglican priest and anti-apartheid activist in Namibia
, England
, Swaziland
, Zimbabwe
and South Africa
.
on 30 July 1934, the youngest of seven children. He trained as a quantity surveyor and architectural draughtsman, and worked in Durban for the construction firm Murray & Roberts. He and his wife Laureen were active members of the parish of St Barnabas, on the Bluff in Durban.
In 1970 Bishop Colin Winter
, of what was then known as the Diocese of Damaraland
, and later the Diocese of Namibia, spoke at a meeting in Durban, and said that people were needed to help the Anglican Church in Namibia. Ed Morrow said he doubted whether he could help, as he was just a builder, but Bishop Winter encouraged him to go anyway. He and his wife Laureen Morrow put some of their furniture into storage, sold some more, and bought a second-hand Volkswagen Kombi with the proceeds, packed the remaining furniture into it, and set off for Windhoek
, 1800 kilometres away.
On arrival, they established a building firm. They wanted to call it "Ikon Construction", but the registrar of companies said the name was already taken, so they turned it around and called it "Noki Construction", with a share capital of 200 shares at R1.00 each. The diocese owned 198 shares, Ed owned one, and the diocesan treasurer owned one.
Clergy in Ovamboland
were asked to recommend three people from their parishes who wanted to learn the building trade, and three young men joined the firm. They undertook various building projects for the diocese and outside work as well. At his report to the Diocesan Synod in 1971 Ed Morrow noted that they paid three times the going rate for building workers in Windhoek, and were respected in town for quoting fair prices and doing a good job, which showed that it was possible to run a business on Christian lines and still make a profit.
Ed Morrow later went to England to train to be a priest at Queen's College, Edgbaston, Birmingham
, and had barely finished his training when he was recalled to Namibia as Vicar General after the deportation of Bishop Richard Wood in June 1975. Three years later he was himself deported from Namibia, and then went to work in the Anglican Diocese of Swaziland
at the Usuthu mission. He and his wife Laureen visited Zimbabwe for the independence celebrations in 1980, and were asked to return to help rebuild after the Chimurenga
, the war of liberation, and for the next few years he was back in the building trade.
In 1984 Ed Morrow and Laureen moved to Sabie
, in the Anglican Diocese of Pretoria
, but a couple of years later they were asked by the Namibian churches to set up an ecumenical pastoral care centre for Namibian exiles in Europe, and so moved to Islington
, in London
. When Namibia became independent he became vicar of St Thomas's, Stamford Hill, in London, and chaplain of Bromley College, a home for retired clergy.
He died on August 13, 2003 of natural causes.
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Swaziland
Swaziland
Swaziland, officially the Kingdom of Swaziland , and sometimes called Ngwane or Swatini, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, bordered to the north, south and west by South Africa, and to the east by Mozambique...
, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
Biography
Edward Morrow was born in Brakpan, TransvaalTransvaal Province
Transvaal Province was a province of the Union of South Africa from 1910 to 1961, and of its successor, the Republic of South Africa, from 1961 until the end of apartheid in 1994 when a new constitution subdivided it.-History:...
on 30 July 1934, the youngest of seven children. He trained as a quantity surveyor and architectural draughtsman, and worked in Durban for the construction firm Murray & Roberts. He and his wife Laureen were active members of the parish of St Barnabas, on the Bluff in Durban.
In 1970 Bishop Colin Winter
Colin Winter
Colin O'Brien Winter , was an Anglican bishop of Damaraland, a diocese of the Church of the Province of Southern Africa coextensive with the territory of Namibia during the apartheid era.-Early life and career:Born in England in Stoke-on-Trent, Winter was educated at Loughborough College, Oxford...
, of what was then known as the Diocese of Damaraland
Anglican Diocese of Namibia
The Anglican Diocese of Namibia is part of the Anglican Church of Southern Africa, which is itself part of the Anglican Communion.The diocese, which covers the whole country of Namibia, was originally known as the Diocese of Damaraland....
, and later the Diocese of Namibia, spoke at a meeting in Durban, and said that people were needed to help the Anglican Church in Namibia. Ed Morrow said he doubted whether he could help, as he was just a builder, but Bishop Winter encouraged him to go anyway. He and his wife Laureen Morrow put some of their furniture into storage, sold some more, and bought a second-hand Volkswagen Kombi with the proceeds, packed the remaining furniture into it, and set off for Windhoek
Windhoek
Windhoek is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Namibia. It is located in central Namibia in the Khomas Highland plateau area, at around above sea level. The 2001 census determined Windhoek's population was 233,529...
, 1800 kilometres away.
On arrival, they established a building firm. They wanted to call it "Ikon Construction", but the registrar of companies said the name was already taken, so they turned it around and called it "Noki Construction", with a share capital of 200 shares at R1.00 each. The diocese owned 198 shares, Ed owned one, and the diocesan treasurer owned one.
Clergy in Ovamboland
Ovamboland
Ovamboland was the name given by English-speaking visitors to the land occupied by the Ovambo people in what is now northern Namibia and southern Angola...
were asked to recommend three people from their parishes who wanted to learn the building trade, and three young men joined the firm. They undertook various building projects for the diocese and outside work as well. At his report to the Diocesan Synod in 1971 Ed Morrow noted that they paid three times the going rate for building workers in Windhoek, and were respected in town for quoting fair prices and doing a good job, which showed that it was possible to run a business on Christian lines and still make a profit.
Ed Morrow later went to England to train to be a priest at Queen's College, Edgbaston, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, and had barely finished his training when he was recalled to Namibia as Vicar General after the deportation of Bishop Richard Wood in June 1975. Three years later he was himself deported from Namibia, and then went to work in the Anglican Diocese of Swaziland
Anglican Diocese of Swaziland
The Anglican Diocese of Swaziland is a diocese in the Anglican Church of Southern Africa.The diocese was founded in 1968. It comprises the country of Swaziland....
at the Usuthu mission. He and his wife Laureen visited Zimbabwe for the independence celebrations in 1980, and were asked to return to help rebuild after the Chimurenga
Chimurenga
Chimurenga is a Shona word for 'revolutionary struggle'. The word's modern interpretation has been extended to describe a struggle for human rights, political dignity and social justice, specifically used for the African insurrections against British colonial rule 1896–1897 and the guerrilla war...
, the war of liberation, and for the next few years he was back in the building trade.
In 1984 Ed Morrow and Laureen moved to Sabie
Sabie
Sabie is a forestry town situated on the banks of the Sabie River in Mpumalanga, South Africa. Once the Sabie River was teeming with crocodiles and the local Shangaan people dubbed it uluSaba or ...
, in the Anglican Diocese of Pretoria
Anglican Diocese of Pretoria
-History:The diocese originally covered the whole of the South African Republic, which later became the Transvaal province of South Africa. In 1922 the Diocese of Johannesburg, covering the Southern Transvaal, was formed. In the 1980s and 1990s several new dioceses were formed.The northernmost part...
, but a couple of years later they were asked by the Namibian churches to set up an ecumenical pastoral care centre for Namibian exiles in Europe, and so moved to Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. When Namibia became independent he became vicar of St Thomas's, Stamford Hill, in London, and chaplain of Bromley College, a home for retired clergy.
He died on August 13, 2003 of natural causes.