Circular No 790

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

Caracas, 24 December 2016 No. 790

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Dear Friends,

This is the issue for the Christmas cards that I get from you.

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1 January 2017

Dear Ladislao

Jon Golding (jon@goldings.net) has sent you a Jacquie Lawson e-card. If you haven't heard of us, you'll be pleasantly surprised! Our e-cards are known for their artistry and gentle humour.

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Also a card from

Your greeting card from George Iwaskiewicz

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Daniel de Verteuil

12 Jan (2 days ago)

Hi Ladislao,

Correction on the photo of the Class of 1960:  #21 is Daniel de Verteuil not Dennis.

Bye for now,

Daniel de Verteuil

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Don Mitchell

18/12/2016

Thanks, Elspeth,

And a Happy Christmas to you and Richard too. 

You have galvanised me into rushing to complete our Christmas letter, and I hope to get it out in a day or two once Maggie has finished her proof-reading :-)

Keep well both of you.

Don

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O'Connor Elspeth <pethrich@westnet.com.au>

17/12/2016

Yes, our number is 61-08- 93645800 but I think when dialling from overseas you leave out the 0 before the 8,  

Regards.  

Elspeth

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Ladislao Kertesz <kertesz11@gmail.com>

17/12/2016

Dear Elspeth,

Do you have a telephone number??

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O'Connor Elspeth <pethrich@westnet.com.au>

13/12/2016

Many thanks for all your emails and news during the year. 

I try to get Richard to write something for the Mount newsletter with no luck. 

He has very fond memories of Mount and particularly the Scouts and made some great friends while there. 

It is good that you all keep doing what you do as we also have an Old Girls Association from my old school, The Assumption Convent, in Ramsgate, Kent but we are all getting to the entrance of the Pearly Gates soon!

Richard keeps well as you can see in the newsletter but has the occasional bout of sciatica.

He comes to exercises (with a physiotherapist) every Monday and is the only man there now as he is with his Lifeball to which he keeps going.

He also walks half an hour every day which keeps him fit.

He would love to give up driving, and I do most of it now, but I encourage him to do what he can for as long as possible. 

His joy is his grand children and building jig-saws but now has to get up every half hour to avoid the sciatica. 

One keeps the mind fit the other the body! 

Unfortunately, Leary has now been diagnosed with dementia but he is still able to drive to his block of land, about 12 kms away as he knows the route well and he is as happy as anything there, so hope that does not come to an end too soon, but it will I think. 

Gillian is having difficulty adjusting to having to make so many decisions but the children have rallied around and are a great support. 

Everyone getting older, including me!

Attached is our newsletter in case you can glean something from it. 

God Bless you all. 

Elspeth

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laszlo kertesz <kertesz11@yahoo.com>

12/23/16 at 6:15 PM

Don !

I do include about 10 emails addresses taken at random from the list, when I send a new Circular.

The purpose is to eliminate those addresses that get bounced during 2016.

I just copy the excel email address and past in CC. 

Then about a couple of days I check those that are not deliverable and make a note.

I am sure Kazim does not do this,

Happy Winter Solstice Day, may the god, or supreme deity favour you in the following year

Ladislao

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mailto:idmitch@anguillanet.com

12/23/16 at 7:21 PM

Okay, that is fine. 

But, if you want to do that, the best help would be to send emails to those in Venezuela, as my circulars to the Venezuelans about your circulars are nearly all bouncing. 

I’ll complete the list of email addresses and send you a note later.

Keep well.

Don

PS:  Solstice day was great.  It is my job to cook the turkey on Sunday coming.  All I know how to cook is barbecued steak.  So, we are offering our guests a 7-lb tenderloin that I shall marinade in red wine and rosemary for 24 hours, and which I shall name “turkey” :-)

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ARTICLE FROM THE PAST

I have the following on the spot information on the Event, Fr. Christopher has been kind enough to have sent the following report. This time the oldest e mail is in first.

From: "the-mount" <the-mount@carib-link.net>

Date: 16 Aug 12:11 (PDT)

Dear Ladislao,

As you know the 1st Reunion and Dinner of the old Abbey Boys Association took place yesterday, 15th August 2003, at the Centre of Excellence.

About 100 hundred people attended, including about 8 monks and some of the former teaching staff, among whom most prominent Miss Kitty Marcus (88).

It was a most enjoyable evening.

Several of those present commended the work you have been doing in sending out Newsletters.

Some of us, including myself, feel your work and tireless efforts are not being appreciated enough.

Thus this little note of encouragement.

Keep it up. Even if we do not respond as often as we should, many, I can assure you, do enjoy your regular newsletters, even the abbot who you took to task in your last one.

By the way this same last one was inadvertently deleted from this computer before I had a chance to print it.

Kindly mail it to us again.

Many thanks, very best wishes and hope to meet you in the living flesh at the 2nd Reunion (or before).

God bless.

Fr. Christopher

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Caracas, 29 of August 2003.

Dear Fr. Christopher,

Thank you for the email and the lines on the event.

Please give my apologies to Fr. Abbot.

My worry from the start was that there would be not enough publicity for the EVENT.

I had sent Miguel Gonzalez, the Circulars since I received his email address in March.

First I thought it was a hoax, and after I sent out Circular No.87 I got a reply, too late to make a decent publicity to the Circulars readers.

With No. 91 I did get a lot of replies.

I always thought that there must have been interaction with the priests of the Mount, but no answer from there, so this was my complaint.

This is the first email from MSB, after 93 Circulars, so you might gauge my worry.

Well, the important part is that the EVENT was successful and there is a hope for 2nd EVENT. God Willing.

Please ask Fr, Cuthbert for Fr.Francis and Fr. Paul´s address at their retirement home in Holland.

Also I ask you to have the circular passed to Fr. Benedict, Fr, Augustine, Fr, Cuthbert and all the others that have made these Circulars possible, thanks to have been part of MSB and the Abbey School.

Please inform me if you need old Circulars, and send me the number of the one that was deleted, so that it can be replaced.

Can you send me the name of the oldboys that you did recognize at the EVENT.

Also the 8 priests that assisted, there were brothers also??

God Bless

Ladislao

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The old memories remain:

Lifting Mr Lionel Tyrell's old Morris 8 automobile and carrying it up the steps to the lower classroom landing hallway. (He never found out who did this but we all got flogged anyway)

Do you remember "Toots"? We used to spray ink on the back of his suit when he walked by in the isle of the classroom.

I really felt sorry that we all did this. Poor fella.

Then there was the freshman initiation as a new student started school, they had to be thrown into the bougainvillea hedge with all the thorns. ouch.

That really hurt for days after.

Smoking in the bathrooms and getting caught every time.

Throwing the compass point at the blackboard while the teacher had his back turned.

And the Dean of Discipline....I was in his office every day it seemed like getting my ass caned.

(Amongst all of this, I managed to get an education somehow.)

I now live in the USA and would really like to get info from time to time., however you won't be able to fax me because it will be a long distance call for you.

Is it anyway possible that you can e-mail stuff to: paul.delabastide@att.net ??

I used to hang out with the Costello's, Rostant's, Russell Cuhna, Gregory Farfan, Bruce Hutton, The Kirtons and de Pass boys, so that should clue you in to my era (now 53).

I have been asking around for awhile now as to what ever happened to The Abbey School and all its records.

Do they have a web site that I can go to and do research on old student lists?

Let me know your response.

Please keep in touch

Paul de la Bastide

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PLEASE LOOK AT THE PHOTO; IT HAS NO NAMES.

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz,  kertesz11@yahoo.com,  if you would like to be in the circular’s mailing list or any old boy that you would like to include.

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Photos:

57UN0001CLASS,  This photo has no takers.  Sorry for the blemish.  it was received this way

07SA0219EDIMSB, Shower and bathroom at school

62TF0003RACEGRP, podium with Terrence Ferreira

12LK6171FBAGA, Alexander Garth