Circular No 688

Newsletter for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.

Caracas, 10 January 2015 No. 688

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

Let us start this year with new vibes, new accomplishments.

As vice president of the association I believe that:

The Abbey School Alumni Association, ASAA, should perform according to its statutes.

This year we want to have a dynamic and not a slumbering ASAA, as our president, Joseph Berment wrote in the Christmas card,  “Looking forward to your active participation in the coming year!” 

If everybody at ASAA would do his part then we would move in the right direction.

I know that the Oldboys are waiting on the leadership of ASAA for actions, guidelines.

I know that ASAA performs multiple activities every month. Maybe small, insignificant, but real.

I propose to publish these, so that all members get to know and maybe willing to collaborate.

I would like to silence the critics and the unbeliever with a strong showing.

------------------------------------------------------------------.

Glen Mckoy mckoy43glen@hotmail.com

30/12/2013

Dear Nigel,   

Thank You for the update. 

We have quite a few brothers with the same names, but from different years, I do believe both Hugh & Shaun are correct.

So sorry to read of more brothers that have passed on.

Chris Webster, who died on May 22, 2013 & Neil Woon Sam, from 1950's.

May The Lord Bless Our Brothers Sir Chris & Sir Neil, May They Rest In Peace.

Please remember them in your prayers.

As The Eagles flies Over Mt. Tabour, They Circle That, Secret, Sacred, Place, we call, "White Stones".

Then They Fly Over The Abbey School, They Bid Us Farewell.

Adiós Amigos –

Glen McKoy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Subject: Re: 2013 End of Year Report

From: nigelboos@yahoo.ca

Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2013 12:17:34 -0500

I've received another msg only 15 minutes ago from Shaun Gianetti, to say that Neil Woon Sam is indeed alive, and that he'd spoken with him only a few days ago.

I have therefore been incorrectly informed and I hasten to correct the error.

Keeping track of the lives of 1500+ Old Boys spread over the world, from a tiny desk in Ontario has its limitations, to be sure.

Shaun tells me that Neil's contact info is as follows:

Dr. Neil Woon Sam <neil@woonsam.com> 

Married to Lesley

+1(868) 678-3338 

Lives in Valsayn, Trinidad

DOB: 24 May 1964

But I think we have a problem. See, Hugh, if, as you claim, Neil was a school-friend of yours, he would have attended the Abbey School in the 1950's. BUT, according to Shaun, he was born in 1964.

Were there two Neil Woon Sams? The mystery continues.

Someone, please check this and get back to me.

Thanks.

Nigel

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

On 2013-12-30, at 12:05 PM,

Hugh Henderson wrote:

Nigel, thank you for the sad news about Neil WoonSam.  

He was one of my best friends at school and we played cricket, football, tennis etc together.

Also scouts.  

The Mount toured Guyana in 1955 to play all sports against St. Stanislaus, after which Neil went to live in California.  

Two years ago he visited T&T and Joe Azar organized a nice lunch for Neil attended by Malcolm Boyack, Peter Ames and myself plus one or two more.

It was great to see Neil after all those years and to learn that he had changed his name to Neil Wilson.

At school, he spelled his name NEAL and I am sure he was born on November 02.

I am interested to know how you learnt of his passing so I can tell the others.

If you have a spare minute please let me know.

Thanks again and Happy New Year to you and family - a special hello to your Mom.

What is Charles doing these days?

All the best.

Hugh.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Mon, Dec 30, 2013 at 10:14 AM,

Nigel Boos nigelboos@yahoo.ca wrote: 

Guys,

I've screwed up, and I'm sorry.

I'd forgotten two names of our Old Boys, who have also passed away this year.

Thanks to Mike Howard for reminding me about Chris Webster, who died on May 22, 2013. 

 The second name is that of Neil Woon Sam, about whom I know nothing, except that he died in July this year.

Please add these names to your prayer list.

May they rest in peace.

Nigel

---------------------------------------------------------.

Cornel de Freitas <corneldefreitas@hotmail.com>

31/07/2011

Hi "Sal", or by what name are you most called...

It was great to hear from you~

It was even better news to learn that you are going to be "in town" ... !

I am hoping that someone here in 'Toronto' (I don't want to name names like 'Nigel Boos' ~ lol...!)

But that someone will pick up the 'Baton' and run with it.

Sal: On a slightly different subject...

For a long time I have been trying to find out if any of our 'Brothers have any 'photographs' of "Mount St. Benedict" at the time when they were attending.

I know that whenever "Voosh!' put up pictures on the glass cases by the pursers office.

(Whenever he did so, each picture being carefully 'pre-numbered' so you could select the pictures by number, and thereby let him know which ones you wished to purchase.

Each time he would publish his pictures, I know I would purchased a number of them, and had acquired quite a collection.

But sadly my collection was misplaced or, worst yet, lost ... in any one of my moves.

But having said that, there are some particular areas I would so like to be able to have had some kind of a record to show to those dear to me, all the places where I spent probably the most important years of my life.

Like the route we took to go down to the sports field, from our school building, down the different levels, pass the "Great Wall" of the monastery, which if memory serves me correctly, was a dirt path lined with the 'bougainvillea flowering bushes, of which the tips of each branch brandished a different coloured bunch of flowers.

Then we walk past that building (the name of which eludes me now - and I know myself to have a pretty good memory.)

I have many times purchased the delicious ice-cream and other snacks and treats, and also treated many of my "friends" (and shared many sweets and snacks); a few names like "paradise candy”, “dinner mints" (each wrapper would have a little saying printed), "Butter-nut" - a kind of peanut-brittle, when you bite into it, it would burst into peanut butter flakes that melted in your mouth.

(You can tell I really loved those)

And then, that very steep path that led down to the sports field just behind the guest house.

I have seen no pictures of that ever, and I was made to understand that that same path is now all grown over.  

It is an awful shame that Mount St. Benedict closed its doors, and very sad as well.

Take good care of yourself my Brother (You know you have also earned the title of "Our Ambassador Brother"   ;)

This name, I feel earned by your many trips to locate our 'Lost Brothers'

I shall never (ever) forget the great feelings I had, when I received that very first 'e~mail' from Ladislao, saying to me: "Cornel, thank GOD we found you" ... 

...believe it or not, I just sat there, and felt my eyes well up with tears.

I knew then, at that very moment, that Yes, indeed, I was found and in a manner of speaking, "rejoined with brothers".

That I missed so much. 

(And) then there was the "First" Mount brother I visited at his home in Ajax after Ladislao informed me that I had a 'Mount' brother living not far from me.

I didn't waste any time going to meet him, and I went into tears up once again when I gave him a real big brotherly 'Hug'! I was so overjoyed to see him.

I love you, GOD bless you and take good care of yourself!

I truly hope I get to see you.

(And I still love "Roti~Liscious!" our visits there bring back a flood of great memories...!

Sincerely: Cornel ... (Brothers4Ever)

Cornel A. de Freitas

MSB 1959-1964

PAX IN VERTUTE

Toronto, Ontario, CANADA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Otto Williams is a professional producer, musician and musical director.

He studied at the High School of Music and Art in New York City (The Fame School), The Jazz Mobile of New York, and the City College of New York.

LIVE PERFORMANCE: 

Chaka Khan, Bobby Brown, Amy Winehouse, Ray Charles, Jocelyn Brown, Sia Furler, Lee Ryan, Jessy J, Jhelisa Anderson, Tom Browne, Evelyn 'Champagne' King, Paul Brown, Brian Culbertson, Peter White, Mindi Abair, Marc Antoine , Sarah Jane Morris, Michal Urbaniak, Keziah Jones, Masaki Ueda

ALBUM RECORDINGS:

Sia, Kalashnekoff, Keziah Jones, Michal Urbaniak, Xantone Blacq, Cartel (feat. Roy Ayres), Eugene ‘Hideaway’ bridges, Curlew, Steve Swindle, Masaki Ueda, Fumiaki Miyamoto,

DVD RECORDINGS:

Keziah Jones – Live at The Elysee Montmartre, Paris

THEATRE:

Dancing in the Streets – Cambridge Theatre, London

Thriller, the Musical – Dominion Theatre, London

Jail House Rock – Piccadilly Theatre London 

125th Street – Shaftsbury Theatre, London 

T.V. COMMERCIALS:

Coca Cola “The Real Band”

Halifax Bank “Minnie the Moocher”

BBC Queens Jubilee “Dancing in The Streets”

Sapporo Beer – Japan 

America-Ya – Japan

ITV Morning - England

Founder of Platinum Fingers Music

Bassist, Musical Director, Writer, Producer

------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Photos:

Bandit p12b The Early Times

13HH4386HHO, Howard Ho

11ND0003NDEWFE, Nicholas de Verteuil and wife

63HV0002KPH, Kenneth Phelps