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The Rhodesia Herald,

February 25, 1969

THE illicit love lives of merchant seamen here have foundered since a slippery coat of paint was applied to the dockyard wall.

The sailors knew they could not take their girlfriends through dockyards gates here without permission, so they helped them to climb the surrounding wall and smuggled them onto their ships.

Now the wall has been covered with a non-drying paint which makes it impossible for burglars and lovers to get a grip on its greasy surface.

A local police spokesman said: “The paint is very effective. It certainly keeps down crime figures and puts an end to the seafaring Romeos getting their girls on board over the dockyard wall.” – Iana-Reuter

LESSONS FOR TODAY

• All illicit dealings or habits tend to have a short life span because of their illegal nature. The timeframe may vary, but in the end, the authorities will always find ways to plug any loopholes.
• When dealing with a problem, it is important to sit back and think carefully and innovatively about solutions to the problem. In this case, someone came up with a genius idea to use non-drying paint on the wall to make it slippery and this dealt effectively with the problem.
• There is always a cost to one’s actions and one can never get ahead using ill-gotten fame or wealth. In this case, the popularity of the seamen waned when their shenanigans were abruptly stopped.
• There is always a solution to a problem if people really apply their minds. Today, house-breaking – burglary especially in residential areas, is on the rise and this can be an easy solution in addition to other security measures such as pre-cast walls or fences.