A sportswoman to reckon with

I was born in Fort Portal in 1950 at Virika Hospital to Eng. George William Blick (RIP), then an Engineer with the Ministry of Works and Molly Blick, a tailor. I spent most of my childhood in Bweyogerere where my mother still lives. I am the only girl in a family of five and that possibly explains why I was a bit of a tomboy. We would ride bicycles around the sparsely populated village and climb trees for fruits, thanks to the friendliness of our neighbours. We used to have several “parents” because parents kept their eyes on all children as parenting then, was hinged on a communal spirit.

My childhood was amazingly fun filled and enjoyable. During our family time out, we would go to Silver Springs Hotel, Entebbe Zoo, Botanical Gardens and in the mornings, we would go for cowboy movies. I found myself falling in love with Kung Fu films thanks to my brothers. I was the epitome of a dignitary with my brothers always there to protect me and give a shoulder, for instance, when the bike got faulty, they dashed to repair it.

By design or default, this probably made me grow wings as I was always at logger heads with my mother whom I found unreasonably strict. As a parent now, I understand where she was coming from. One holiday, there were two discos near home and given our adventurous teen age, we craved to attend, both but mummy turned me down and it really got me cantankerous.

Gayaza High School didn’t go down well with me. I always wanted to be independent and do what I wanted at my convenience but oops! The teachers and prefects were friendly and nice to me though we used to sneak out of school to Kabanyoro farm for evening walks and munch on strawberries, raspberries, guavas, avocados and the optical nutrition that came with the appealing beauty of the place which was very risky as it was tantamount to expulsion. One day, we desperately wanted to watch Miss Uganda on TV and it was not going to be screened as it was to air after bed time. With the dexterity of classic movie stars, we sneaked to the dinning hall, closed all doors and windows and enjoyed the show. Our angels of luck were on guard and no teacher caught us.

But putting the stubborn bit aside, I fully exploited my talent in and love for sports especially tennis. We would come to Lugogo and play. I come from a family with a rich sports legacy, my father was a renowned cricketer, my mother is an excellent runner, my brothers were boxers and my grandchildren are good cycle riders.

I derived lots of fun from sports and one time at Gayaza, I was selected to attend (for three weeks) the Outward Bound Mountain School on the slopes of Mountain Kilimanjaro whose peak we reached. While there, we learnt various aspects of life like first aid, scouting, making our own shelters and map reading. Trust me, when we came back, we began trekking mountains and camping. I also engaged in motorcycle racing and emerged Uganda Ladies’ Champion in Senior Six at Kololo High School. When I joined medical school, my schedule became too fixed; our lectures ended at 7pm, so I dropped a bit but still squeezed time for my other hobbies like reading literature.

As a child, I craved to become an air hostess because of the smartness they exude and the travel they enjoy, but my father opted for medicine for which I don’t regret because much as I didn’t get the uniform (of air hostesses) I have got the travel. Certainly today, I don’t coerce my children to pursue any career, all I need is a basic degree in any field of their interest that is why I have a rapper (Daniel Kigozi alias Navio), my daughter is a doctor and my other son is a marketer.

In a nutshell, I have lived a happy life. I got the best possible education, grew up in a stable family, my mother is alive and my father passed on just three years ago. I owe the confidence I have today largely to my childhood. Growing up with boys and doing what they did, I appreciated that what a man can do, a woman can do. Indeed, today I have traversed the career world and competed with men without choking with even a whiff of inferiority complex.

Apart from losing my dear husband early, I have no regrets in life. My parents did their best so I didn’t really miss much and that drives me to give my children the best life can offer.
-As told to Ivan Okuda