Newsletter for alumni of The Abbey School,
Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas,
19 of December 2015 No. 737
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Here are some of the Xmas cards received.
The Circular wants to wish you a Merry
Christmas, thanking you for the support through the year.
We hope that next year you would make it
possible for me to keep up with the news.
Would like to receive more happy news,
rather than news of deceased members of the Association.
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Mª Carmen Torrado
Dec 20 at 6:37 AM
Dear Ladislao,
First of all I would
like to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
2016, with good health and lots of luck.
My wife and I were
happy to see you here in person in March and we hope to be able to see you here
also in the future.
We are very worried
about the political and economic situation in Venezuela, because apparently the
worst is still to come, and it won’t take long for a default!!
As you know we’re
having elections here today and the situation is pretty dangerous because of
the rise of the leftist parties.
Un abrazo
Mary Carmen and
Csaba
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Elsa
Fernandes <weigh2go@live.com>
8 Dec
Hi,
I stumbled across this website http://www.msbasaa.com/. My father Elson Fernandes attended Mt St
Benedict in the 40's. -I assume, he was born in 1935 and attended the school
from the time he was 7 or 9 until he left for Canada to attend high school. He
was originally from Guyana. I was wondering if you could provide any links to
anything about the school during that time.
I was also wondering if I visited Trinidad if I could get a tour
of the school, is it still a school?.
My father is now 80, and still speaks about his time in Trinidad.
The friends he made there have lasted his lifetime.
Thank you for any information you can provide
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David De Castro <calypsobandit@gmail.com>
21 Dec
HAVE A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS "BANDIT"
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Don
Dec 19 at 9:52 AM
Don and Maggie’s Christmas Letter – 2015
We started the year on a cruise around Cuba – we did two
back-to-back and thoroughly enjoyed the first week. However, the second week
was a disaster – hundreds of Norte Americanos joined the cruise with all their
bugs, and Maggie was diagnosed with influenza A and was quite ill, and confined
to our cabin for the rest of the cruise. At one point it was doubtful if she
would be able to leave Cuba when we were scheduled, but by hearty doses of
ibuprofen to reduce her temperature, and valiant efforts to appear bright eyed
and bushy tailed, we succeeded in leaving. Don is determined never to cruise
again, but Maggie still has hopes …
In the Spring we had a surprise and most enjoyable visit from
Brian Goddard, a Venezuelan Old Boy from the Abbey School in Tunapuna in
Trinidad. Brian got Don out exploring the island once again, and visiting Sandy
Island for one of Simone’s delicious lunches. He had lots to tell us about
conditions in Venezuela, and must be very happy with the change of government
there.
Talking of change of government, Anguilla had an election in
April too. The previous government did not win one seat – the present
government won six of the seven seats, and the last went to an independent.
There are now three women in the House of Assembly, two of them lawyers.
Brian was a great walker and with his encouragement, Don did some
more exploring of the coast. The fact that he was accompanied by our lovely
neighbours and friends helped, he claims, to make the walking easy, no matter
how rugged the going.
Maggie’s niece Belinda stayed with us for two weeks in April. She
was on a year in Canada on a student work permit, and was between jobs, and was
tired of snow. She appeared to enjoy her trip, and certainly lapped up the sun
and warmth during her trip
The year 2015 is setting up to be the driest on record for
Anguilla. We have had in all approximately one third of the average rainfall
for the year so far. That is not only a problem for the garden. The only water
we have at home is what we catch on our roof, and store in our cistern. So, a
drought is a very serious problem. Probably the most profitable business in
Anguilla this year has been the trucking and selling of processed well-water.
Don is still teaching CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exams,
which in our day were called A levels) law at the High School, but has informed
the powers-that-be that this is his last year. He has also given notice
to the Department of Social Welfare that he will no longer provide his free
legal aid clinic, and to prison that he will no longer visit there each
Wednesday to help the prisoners.
By the end of this year, all six of Don’s books for Form 6 law
students should be published. You can see their covers here if you are curious:
As of the time of writing, only four are published. So, now
whoever comes after him will have the teaching tools they need, at least until
his work get out of date.
Don has, however, been appointed – again – to a Constitutional
Reform Commission, and, much to his reluctance, been appointed chairman – again
– 10 years since he last did it.
Maggie still volunteers at WISE twice a week, is a member of two
book clubs, and enjoys reading. She is using her Kindle more for rubbish books,
but still prefers dead trees for keepers.
At Easter we hosted the annual High School Form 6 Law Class pool
party at the Mitchell’s veranda. We provided the venue and most of the drinks,
while the young people brought plenty of food.
During the Summer, Don was very proud that he managed to locate
both of the Anguillian rock orchids. The variety with the larger clump of
flowers has eluded him for the past 30 years, but he finally found it again.
The variety with three lavender petals is quite common and is known locally as
the “Anguilla rock orchid”. The name of the variety with the five lavender
petals we found on the Kew Gardens website as Psychilis Kraenzlini.
We took a trip to Nevis in at the end of April - beginning of
May; we went with some friends and had a good weekend at Hermitage Hotel,
(where Don had got his first peafowl decades ago. He has had two male chicks
this year, so he has hopes of more next year). Most of the group we were with
were avid walkers, so Maggie spent a lot of time reading on our veranda while
Don and the others romped around the hills. The hotel had a good restaurant,
and the food was excellent. We both put on a couple of pounds over that
weekend.
Maggie flew to Europe in July. She stayed with her brother in
Brecon, and then ferried to Brittany to visit her sister. On the last day of
her sojourn she had an accident: she thought in the dark she had reached the
bottom of the stairs and had not. She had a nasty fall and her right foot was
badly strained, swelled up like a balloon and turned lots of pretty colours – purple,
blue, green, yellow, red … she was rather circumscribed in her movements for
the rest of her holiday. She enjoyed seeing her siblings, nieces and friends,
but her accident meant she was unable to get to see her brother Flurry and his
wife, which was a great shame.
In the Autumn, Don went on a trip to Greenland where he delivered
a paper on Anguilla and Independence. If you are really desperate for something
to read, you can see it here:
On one of Don’s walks he discovered someone had started a coal
kiln in the bush. You don’t often see this sight in Anguilla today, since we
mostly use gas-powered barbecues.
In November, Don went off to Montserrat to help with the
discussion on the banking crisis that is affecting the Eastern Caribbean. The
Central Bank wants our banks to be subject to more stringent standards and
supervision, which some of us violently oppose on the grounds of patriotism and
nationalism. We have yet to learn if our local bank accounts will be safe.
This Christmas Tom Scott is visiting from the Isle of Wight, and
Alix and Brian from Canada. There will be plenty of champagne spilled in
Anguilla over the season, and I hope there will be wherever you are too.
Happy Christmas, and a bright and healthy New Year when it comes,
from us both.
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Reminiscences
Dear
Friends, a couple of lines from the Circular Santa, OOOOOO!
Like
last year I want to use this circular to wish you all a very Merry Christmas,
envious of those that can, wishing them a white Christmas and those that have
snow, slow down when driving. This reminds me of the time I was in Washington
D.C. at the Catholic University, which is just in the borderline for any
serious snow activity, how I waited for some of the white fluffs (movie type,
big as a fist), especially during my first year. When snow arrived, the horizon
was misty white, the air was still and I was happy even if these fluffs were
rice sized. When they hit ground they melted fast, with it my illusion, at
least momentary, for as a saying reads, a lot of grains make a mountain?
Last
year I mentioned Graham Gonsalves who sent a FW on Nativity in TT, I had hoped
that this year he would have contributed some so that I could include it in
this circular.
Now
backing up a couple, two figure, years. I can remember the pre-Christmas
moments at the Mount, everybody was talking about the Xmas holidays (was it because
of the illusion of presents?) and the impending school year end. The future
trip home, away from jail, as we prepared to travel home to meet our families.
Those that did not travel far it was a vacation with festivities and beach, and
those, especially those that had to travel by air, there was the excitement of
the gifts that were bought on one or more Wednesdays when we were allowed to
travel to PoS and shop. The first stop was at George Habib´s store by Marine
Square, then pack the bags, load the green Bedford flat-bed truck and the VW
buses and go to the airport for the flight. The excitement of seeing our
parents and family (freedom) at the end of the trip. Make up a lot of excuses
for those of us for the poor qualifications and notes from Fr. Bernard.
I am
including this new circular earlier than usual, to celebrate Xmas, I know all
of you are busy playing Santa, with or without red robe and white hair and
beard, pouch or not. The white hair, beard and all if not in evidence, shall be
with us in a few more years??
Here
in Caracas we are not lucky to celebrate the holidays with snow and all the
cold, but to emulate you snow bound folks, I bought a real West Virginian pine
tree, the smell is here!. This manner of seeing things puts a question in my mind
as I suppose that those that have to deal with installing chain on the tires,
shovelling snow in the morning, keeping the grand children dressed up for the
cold, etc. would prefer the tropics while we would like to see some snow and
the accompanying cold for at least a few days, just for the taste. I presume
that is why those in the cold and have the means, migrate to Florida and we
tend to go North.
I have
a special message for the following classmates from my Class 1960:
I have
been asked by some of the oldboys that have known you during or stay at MSB, on
your whereabouts and general information, I have not been able to satisfy the
inquiries because of the silence, so if you can send a few lines they would be
appreciated by all of us and by me specially.
Can
anyone relay this to them I would appreciate it very much:
Richard
Galt, Christopher Webster, James Seheult, David Pampellone, Egan Baichoo
All of
us hopefully would make it to the 31th, if the children and grand children help
us, after the big day!!. (see the gif image I am sending of the typical granpa)
The step from the 31th to the year 2003, I am sure is going to be easy and
smooth as silk. Of course if we do not try to eat (or swallow) a grape per bell
stroke at midnight as some traditions demand.
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mail
Jan <jankoenraadt@gmail.com>
3/11/14
Dear Ladislao,
Yes I receive your mails and links from Don Mitchell to the blog
where the circulars are.
We owe you a lot, tireless you put in labour to keep up the
connections between the alumni as far away as the Netherlands!
For that all my gratitude!
My class was the class graduating in summer 1968. I haven’t seen
very much alumni of my class, maybe one or two.
But now you enclose a picture of Derek Phillips and his wife.
Yes, he was in my class! Very hard to recognize in the picture, but that’s the
problem we all face, we are getting old.
Thanks very much for all your good works, I enjoy it very much.
Much greetings
Jan Koenraadt MSB ‘63-‘67
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Ed Lloyd <edwardlloyd@yahoo.co.uk>
3/11/14
Hi Ladislao
Received with thanks. Sad news about Gerard, only found out a few
days ago, that he passed away, I last saw him in Glasgow when we were at a
friend’s wedding about 15 years ago. Will remember him in my prayers.
Saludos
Edward
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Kazim Abasali empowerwithart@gmail.com
Hi Boys,
I will get back to you all shortly on the database, as I am
having major website hosting issues at present. Farouk and Anthony are brothers
from Arima where I came from, and we all knew one another. Will get the
database up to date. I thank and appreciate all the comments. When Farouk
passed recently, I posted in our MSB Facebook group and then photos of the
service by one of our Boys who attended. I guess the Facebook group is the
go-to place as we get with the times and with social media. A lot of these things
keep me busy everyday. The Facebook Group, the Website, and the Database. Phew!
All in this lifetime. Will share more with you all as I sort out my website
hosting issues. God bless us all......Kaz
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EDITED
by Ladislao Kertesz, Kertesz11@yahoo.com
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Photos:
Bandit p64x p65 The Early Times
15DM0018DMIGREENLAND, Don Mitchell in
Greenland
15DM0002DMIWFE, Don Mitchell and Maggie
60LK1960CALENDER, Calendar for my Form V
year.
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