TIMOTHY KAMBILIMA was a promising footballer at school and, one day, after his teacher asked him to play he was obliged, but was not so lucky;  he incurred a fractured leg from a defender’s crude tackle that landed him in hospital for the first time and says the experience  was  unforgettable. HAVING resigned from Chililabombwe Municipal Council at the end of 1993, out of several acceptance letters from various training institutions, I opted for primary school teacher training.
This was after extensive consultations with family members who encouraged me to go ahead with the teaching course, in spite of my heartfelt interest in journalism, attested by my being an active member, from 1988-92, of the Chililabombwe Secondary School press club whose editor-in-chief or managing editor was Paul Kabuswe, now PF Kakoso Ward councillor in Chililabombwe.
That aside, in January 1994, having got ready, I headed to my homeland in North-western Province, to be specific Solwezi, to start my teacher training and I was very excited to be in a boarding set up for the first time.
I was welcomed by nice lecturers such as Mr Kandolondo who is currently with the Zambia Teaching Service Commission, Mr Mutobo who is the vice principal and the Late Mr Kapitolo.
During the first term, Mr Mutobo  organised the first years to take part in various sporting activities and  I decided to go for volleyball. No sooner had we started training or trials than I was identified to be a spiker.
I later on made it into the college volleyball team, though I never played volleyball either at primary or secondary school. I did extremely well and helped the college team win trophies during the provincial agricultural and commercial shows.
Besides that, we frequently visited Solwezi School of nursing to play volleyball, what with the support of the then principal Charles Yamba, who provided the team with a minibus that was driven by a cheerful, Mr Mbanza.
Seeing that I was doing very well in volleyball, Mr Mutobo one day approached me and asked if I could play in the Solwezi Teachers Training College football team. Since I actively played football at Kakoso Primary school in Chililabombwe together with Kedrick Chipampe in the 1980s, let alone a brief stint with Konkola Blades football club under-16 team under the light- in- complexion coach Knox Kalonda, I gladly and naturally accepted the offer from my lecturer to feature for the college football team.
I was thus introduced to the football team where I found fellow students like Martin Lukama, who was a very good goalkeeper, Crispin Chowa and Evans Kamocha. Although I played in defence and the midfield, I insisted to play as a striker on the right wing and did better than expected as I managed to make accurate crosses to top strikers to score at will.
In the second and final year (1995) of my teaching course, our college volleyball, netball and football teams were invited by Mufulira Teachers Training College of Education (MUCE).
The trip to Mufulira,  the home of nine -time Zambia football champions, the then “Mighty” Mufulira wanderers, reminded me of the time I accompanied some boxers during the hey days of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines (ZCCM),when the company would provide a big TATA bus for only 10 boxers and six supporters.
On that day, I was in the starting line-up in the match between our college and Mufulira. In that game, I played very well and, believe you me, I was the darling of the crowd with my fast running and accurate crosses.
But then, as the match progressed, I was just about to cross the ball when I was crudely tackled from behind by a Mufulira defender and I limped off the pitch. Mr Mutobo asked me if I could continue after being attended to by the ‘team doctor’.
I declined due to the sharp pain in my right foot. We lost the game and when we got back to Solwezi I was rushed to Solwezi General Hospital in the company of volleyballer Dorcus Kamboyi where I got admitted for the first time as an adult. My immediate next of keen uncle Smart Kankung’a was notified since he was within Solwezi.
The following day after undergoing X-ray, it was discovered that I had a minor fracture and the same day a plaster of Paris was put on my foot. I was in that condition for almost a month, though I only spent three days in hospital.
At that time, mobile phones were not available and we depended on Posts and Telecommunications Corporation, (PTC) now Zamtel land lines which the hospital used to inform my mum through Uncle Kamuchacha who worked for ZCCM then. They were assured not to panic as everything was under control.
During the three days I spent at the hospital, I imagined how my late dad Zedi Kambilima felt when  he was admitted at Konkola hospital in may 1991. I will never forget those three days spent at Solwezi General Hospital and the care I received from fellow students, lecturers and nurses.
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