Newsletter
for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas, 6 of June 2015 No. 709
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Dear
Friends,
An idea
from another school, with the same problems as ours, except that it is still
functioning.
I am sure
that The Abbey School would have had yearly reunions just like other school.
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Mar 31
This thread, exceptionally, reads from the top going down.
It starts with a message from George Mickiewicz.
If you respond, please copy Ladislao, as he will need your comments for
a Circular.
Don.
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From:
GEORGE MICKIEWICZ
Attached is an article written by a good friend regarding her 45th
class reunion.
For me personally, it probably captures well our current state regarding
our Abbey School and beloved classmates, friends, clergy, teachers and
alumni.
I suspect that a similar article could be written by an Abbey School
alumni after a reunion is held in the future.
I welcome your personal reflections on this subject.
May God bless you and yours,
George Mickiewicz…Class of 1962
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A 45-Year Diamond Reunion
By Marilee Williams Alvey
My reunion weekend is over. Now, it is back to my regular life with
breakneck speed. We carved out a rare
oasis of time for this, but, now our routines beckon once again.
It was really wonderful to see people with whom I
spent those awkward teenage years. We
were so young, so naïve. Of course we
didn’t think so, but we were. Say what
you will, but our group went through four years of something truly unique. When we get together, we can feel it.
It’s odd. There
was a wave of insecurity that hit me when I was approaching this weekend. I spoke with other who felt it as well. As it came near, I think we became those same
insecure teenagers! However, I believe
that, once we were together, there was nothing more healing than being
together. It’s hard to express. We were like a big group of brothers and
sisters. Like siblings, we got some
wounds from being together, but we also became stronger, together. We launched, together. Now, it seems as if returning to the scene of
the ‘crime’ provides a unique place of healing for each other. We talked freely to those whom we never got
(or took) an opportunity to speak with in high school, as well as to those whom
we hadn’t seen for many years, some, since 1969.
The drama and poignancy of life was played out in this
weekend. We have lost 25 classmates so
far. We had somewhere around 150-160
seniors in our class. We have gone
through the early reunions where success seemed to matte greatly, only to have
come out on the other end of it where many are no longer working. There really is no point in bragging about
what you used to do. Success just isn’t
that important, nor is saving face. Tt’s
a precious, comfortable time of life!
Those twenty-five names whisper to us that life is
fleeting for us all. There’s now grey
hair (and white hair), no hair, pounds put on and pounds taken off, tooth loss
and cap, job change, job loss and retirement; but none of that matters. The joy is that the majority of us are still
here this day. We don’t care what they
do nor what they did. We only care that
they are here and that brings us contentment.
If I could have gotten one photo, it would have been
just a giant aerial group hug, with each of us drawing strength from each
other, the strength to continue on our own paths, to persevere, knowing that
our U-High ‘siblings’ will always have open arms to welcome us home, no matter
where we may have gone or the battering we may have faced.
Home is where they always have to take you in. For our Class of ’69, U-High is our home.
U-High’s Class of ’69 is not only my heritage, they
are my family, where I will always be loved, defended, if needed, and accepted,
no matter what. There’s a reason for the
word, “Homecoming”. We all returned ‘home,’
one magical weekend in July of 2014.
----------------------------------------------
From:
Nigel Boos [mailto:nigelboos@yahoo.ca]
Thanks, George.
What a lovely article written by your friend.
It seems to echo our own thoughts as well, doesn’t it/
Nigel
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From:
GEORGE MICKIEWICZ
Hi Nigel…
Agree with you based on what I read in our memos and circulars,
George
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From:
Father Harold Imamshah
..." life is fleeting for us all"
What a beautiful reflection of a group that considers itself "family"
and the Class of 69, their "home"
This Year my Class of 75 (Fatima College), will celebrate 40 years. We
still have a monthly Lunch Meeting at the Oval, raise funds for our Alma Mater,
(twice a year Golf Tournament and Bingo). We send out Monthly emails of the
decisions made in the Meeting and ask for opinions/suggestions on upcoming
events etc. Last year over a few months, we circulated a list of suggestions
for our 2015 40th Anniversary celebrations and in one Meeting we decided on the
August Celebration Day and the events and left ourselves open to extras. Guys
have been nominated to get things done for that event and for my 25th
Anniversary in June. They have promised to pay for the catering of the meal and
if needed for the Tents needed. Guys in this gathering are all in Companies
where time is money, so they really move meetings right along...believe me, not
everyone reads emails, responds to emails and we never really have 100% of us working
on the day of events, but we plod along encouraging one another and being there
for Funerals or financially if there's a brother in need.
Let me say, how shocked I was, when I attended Planning Meetings (as a
former Abbey teacher and Monk) for our intended 2014 Abbey School Reunion, at
the surprising differences in styles and preferences that led to the
cancellation of the 2014 Reunion.
I do hope and pray that we can proceed soon being able to iron out our
differences and preferences and have another Reunion; you all deserve to have
that revival of the camaraderie that was the Abbey school spirit that
characterized your Abbey Family in each of the generations on the Mount.
This email list is missing a lot of Abbey guys that live in Trinidad, so
please add the names you might be aware of that need to be added in the next
reply to this. Please forward this email to others not on this list (I added a
few I remembered from our meeting) and even print and distribute to others who
may not be online.
Fr. Harold
(As a
member of the Directorate of the Association, I doubt that any reunions can be
made since the debacle of reunion 2014, I have not been informed of any activities
since last year.) (Please surprise me. Kertesz.)
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From: Don
Mitchell [mailto:idmitch@anguillanet.com]
Hello, Fr Harold,
Good to read the enthusiasm.
It may be a little more difficult for us to organise than the Fatima
case.
Most of the relevant and interested MSB alumni are overseas, and have
been overseas for between 50-30 years. However, . .
Keep well.
Don
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From:
GEORGE MICKIEWICZ
Thank you Father Harold and Don for your feedback.
Thanks also for adding others to the distribution list.
I am very impressed by Fatima College’s dedication but also understand
Don’s point.
Also suspect that it is easier to hold reunions when the given school is
still open and active.
There is an infrastructure in place to support alumni.
In the school, from which my 3 children graduated, there are up to 4
generations represented in some cases.
Several reunions for different classes are celebrated each year.
I am not voicing excuses but speculating why it is indeed more
challenging for us “old, old, old boys” to get together as “life fleets
away”…..
May God bless all alumni and their families.
George
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From: GEORGE
MICKIEWICZ
Hi
Glen, Nigel, Salvador, Kazim, Ladislao, Joseph, Kazim
I know
from past circulars and e-mails that you occasionally get together to break
bread and drink wine/beer with alumni and sometimes their families in your part
of the world.
How
often do you have these get togethers?
About
how many do usually attend?......maybe not formal reunions but meet the spirit
of staying connected.
Pax
vobiscum,
George
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From: Brian
Goddard [mailto:bajanwriter99@gmail.com]
A brief
message to George and Don:
Good morning to you both and not being certain from whom I rec´d this
e-mail, I merely wanted to make a few comments on my part towards the contents
of your message and hope that it might be of interest; specifically concerning
getting to Trinidad due to the travelling difficulties these days from
Venezuela to Trinidad!?
Last year on my way back from Barbados, I was able to get a taxi service
in Trini Village to take me to Mount and enjoy remembering those wonderful and
trying days on the hill.
To be honest, I have not been able to return to any of my "alma
mater" graduation class reunions (neither high school nor university) due
to be living so far away from both institutions of learning in which I studied.
I must admit that I was kept informed by several of the eager Mount
"boys" concerning last year´s reunion which was cancelled; however,
if you all find a way of successfully planning one this year or next, I´m sure
that those of us who can get there will do their best to do so, if possible!?
Looking forward to being kept informed and wishing you both the best,
take care, saludos,
Brian Goddard
PS:
Imagine that I am only about two and a half to three hours drive to
Caracas and hardly get the chance to drive up the mountain from Valencia where
I live to accompany Ladislao with their reunion; mainly due to the severe
insecurity on the road these days but when I can and get up the nerve, I´ll do
so!!
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From:
GEORGE MICKIEWICZ
Que tal, Brian.
Thanks for your remembrances.
Long time no see…I recall that you left the Mount before graduating
around 1960 or so.
Cannot blame you for not going to Caracas.
I read in El Universal this past Palm Sunday about the homicides in
Caracas.
52 personas fallecidas registraron en morgue de Caracas este fin de
semana
De acuerdo a versiones extraoficiales del Cicpc, la mayoría fueron
víctimas de homicidio.
HOMICIDIOS | Este mes han sumado 466 cadáveres
And that is in Caracas only and does not take into account the dozens
more killed in other parts of Venezuela.
It looks as though Venezuela is probably on the road to another record
year for homicides…….
What a “dishonor and misfortune” for such a beautiful country with
beautiful people.
Also have read that on the travel front, the remaining airlines serving
Venezuela require payments in $$ which seem to be available only on the black
market at unbelievably high exchange rates.
We lived in Maracay before immigrating to the States in 1963.
We visited Valencia many times to visit friends who lived there.
We also drove through Valencia many more on our way to the beaches of
Puerto Cabello, El Palito and other beaches further west whose names I do not
recall today.
I see from the internet that the changes in Maracay and Valencia have
been astronomical from my childhood in the 50s and early 60s.
Ten mucho cuidado mi hermano y que Dios te bendiga y a toda tu familia,
George (Jorge, Yury, Shish)
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From: Glen
Mckoy [mailto:mckoy43glen@hotmail.com]
Hello Sir George,
Just got back from Isla Mujeres today, sorry very little contact with
the outside world when I am there, ha! ha!
Now this subject on reunion and alumni.
I think its an unfair comparison with these other well organized groups.
Only Lady Kitty & Fr.Sir Cutty, would reply to request of school
certificates etc. Sir Cutty tried to keep a local reunion going & also
corresponded with boys abroad, and I would bet most of them were boy scouts, he
also supported the local home chapter in many successful events.
That was his personal contribution.
As the management of the Mount changed, so did our status it seems. At our first reunion an Abbot was present and
sanctioned our humble beginnings of staying in touch with the Mount.
I can send you the email with photos, as proof of why we are Knights. Now under new management, we were sort of cut
right out of the actual Mount Saint Benedict Community. Not so for Fatima and the others, they still
have their addresses.
Sir George, we had our years in darkness. I speak of the boys outside of Trinidad.
We were called upon. after 20, 30, 40 years, a shock to many, but
we are now connected by many circles, in a circular / blog. & club.
LinkedIn, face book. & home chapter alumni. Other than that, we are a volunteer
alumni, in spirit & in mind and we are reuniting, in social
intercourse right now.
We do have small reunions all the time, all over the world, and what you
see is what we have, of our own free will, without any shame or shy away from
saying, I am Proud To Be A Mount Boy.
Time does fly.
We have over 200 active members, in contact at all times. I think this is wonderful.
We are still a private group of friends, sharing our history of -The
Abbey School. 1942-1984.
We are all now veterans.
Thank you for sharing, it’s all good.
Sir George, we met at a reunion in Toronto, I feel the same for you, as
I felt before I met you, so I am more for the Spirit of Brotherhood, than the
actual meet & greet. However that is
good if brothers are living in the same vicinity. Anymore than that must be the desire of a
collective body.
Best Regards, Mis Hermanos –
Adios, Glen.
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From:
GEORGE MICKIEWICZ
Hey
Glen
When
are you going to go to Isla Hombres? .....need to be fair to your Lady.
Thanks
for expanding the horizons of our discussions.
Your historic
perspectives provide us with new visions of the past and capture our challenges
in the present and the future.
Sharing
a Broadway song that, when I hear it, always brings back memories of my past at
the Mount to enjoy and reflect on.
Et cum
Spiritu tuo,
George
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Photos:
Bandit
p28 The Early Times
15LK8803LKEGRP, Reunion en El Tigre 2015 May
14LD0001LDO, Luis Dominguez
13LK4606FB, Terrence Ferreira
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