Rob "Ralpapajan" Thurman lived in Rhodesia (Now Zimbabwe) from 1948 until 1982, when he moved to South Africa with his family. In Rhodesia he lived in the Umvukwes District on Lord Verulam's Forester Tobacco Estates that occupied 90 000 acres, a huge change for a small boy from Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.
From there he moved to Rhodesia's Capital City, Salisbury and six months later to Gatooma. His father, Ron Thurman was the Manager of Ferguson Tractor dealer, Farm Mechanisation, and under his father's guidance he learnt to drive when he was only nine and started working on tractor engines. .
After the family returned to Salisbury they lived near the Makabusi and he swam bare-arsed in the river, a la Roy Welensky. Whilst living in Salisbury he went on holdiay to the New Fullback Mine in Nayadire, a part of the Pfungwe Tribal Trust Land
Rob served in the Royal Rhodesia Regiment, the Rhodesian Air Force and BSAP all as a reservist. He saw almost all of Rhodesia.
