Circular No 743

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

Caracas, 30 of January 2016 No. 743

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Dear Friends,

Here is the last issue of January 2016, I having been away travelling through Venezuela, trying to get a feel of what is left of this beautiful country.

This is why I could not write to you before.

The news is sad, you can see that the poverty has set in, as a day to day matter, with long lines queuing up for daily needs, shut down factories and businesses.

People dress sparely, just the minimum for decency.

Law and order is slipping away into chaos. God help us

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Tim

Many thanks to all and yes Kazim as and when you have the time it will be a very good idea to have the database on-line for as long as “old” MSB members are interested.

Like life, it will only be a matter of time when all is forgotten and confined to the archives.

Sorry, did not mean to be depressing, but we are getting older and our MSB School does not exist anymore, however in the meantime we can still reminisce to our hearts & minds content.

Cheers Tim.

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On Sat, Jan 2, 2016 at 8:37 AM,

Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Hello, Tim,

How good to hear from you!

Happy New Year to you and yours too.

The present keeper of the original database is Kazim, who is copied.

He could perhaps consider in what way he could make it more accessible to us.

I am sure there are privacy and other sensitive issues connected with simply putting it online, which would not be technically difficult for someone of his abilities.

But, it should be no problem at all to send a copy to those Old Boys who express an interest. I am sending you my outdated copy now.

It is 4.3 MB, so I hope you get it.

If not, I’ll put it in my dropbox account, if you are accustomed to accessing documents by this means.

I have every copy of the database that Nigel ever circulated, starting in February 2008 and ending with this last one of his of January 2015.

Keep well through the New Year, and hopefully we can fight off the old spoiler for a little while longer.

Don

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From: Timothy Mew MHC

Sent: Friday, January 1, 2016 9:34 PM

Hi, Don & Ladislao,

First of all we wish you both and your families a Very Happy 2016.

Do you still have the excel spread sheet with the years and students from MSB, I think it may be now not updated any more, but I have a friend who is interested to have a look at the previous one.

So if available please just send down the link for us.

Thanks, Tim

PS: Your good work with MSB is not unnoticed and is much appreciated.

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Kazim Abasali [mailto:empowerwithart@gmail.com]

Sent: Saturday, January 02, 2016 6:59 PM

Don and Tim,

Yes, I thought of putting the database online on our website with access only by members with a password.

This I have already done with another Alumni website.

So, I will work on it this year early as I am in the thick of things project-wise right now.

Blessed New Year to you all and your families......

Kazim

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Father Harold Imamshah <frharold12@gmail.com>

Jan 26 at 8:32 PM

Dear Nigel, 

My sincere sympathy at this very difficult time of the deaths of both your dear mother and sister. 

I will offer my 6pm Mass tomorrow at the Church of the Nativity in Crystal Stream in Diego Martin.

I got your sister Jennifer's name, but what is your dear Mother's name?

God bless

Fr. Harold Imamshah

Servant of Mary for Jesus

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Kazim Abalasi<empowerwithart@gmail.com>

Jan 26 at 7:05 PM

Just to let you Guys know, that it is Peter Tang who informed me of Vernon's wife and Nigel's sister passing.

And he asked me to share with the Boys. I am sorry for not including you in the original email Peter.

Blessings to all.

Kaz

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Abasali <empowerwithart@gmail.com>

Jan 26 at 6:57 PM

Wow, Nigel,

I am so sorry.

I did not even know your dear loving Mom passed on.

Forgive me.

Kindly accept my sincere condolences again.

May your dear Mother rest in peace. ......

Kaz

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mailto:%C2%A0Nigel%20Boos%20%3cnigelboos@gmail.com%3e

Jan 26 at 2:17 PM

Thank you, Kazim, for your welcome words of condolence.

Losing a mother and a sister with seven weeks has been a very difficult blow.

I appreciate your kind expression of sympathy.

Sincerely,

Nigel

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Don Mitchmailto:ell%20%3cidmitch@anguillanet.com%3e

Jan 26 at 1:00 PM

How absolutely awful. 

I was so sad to hear this news after all she went through.

I hope Vernon and Nigel and their families can find the strength to endure and the courage to let time have its softening effect. 

Only time heals all wounds.

Please accept Maggie’s and my sincere condolences,

Don

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mailto:%C2%A0Kazim%20%3cempowerwithart@gmail.com%3e

Jan 26 at 12:48 PM

Vernon and Nigel we offer our deepest condolences to you and your families on the passing of Jennifer (who is the wife of Vernon De Lima and the sister of Nigel Boos).

May she rest in peace.

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I am annexing a message from: "R. d'Abadie Consulting Services"

roland@on.aibn.com

Date: Tue, 15 Oct 2002 11:40:16 -0400

Ladislao,

Michael Howard, one of my many cousins who attended "The Abbey School", was good enough to recently send me some info. about the Mount and now I must thank you for placing my name on the mailing list and bringing back many faded memories of days long past.

The Mount has many memories for me although I was only there for a few short years and left prior to graduation.

My younger brother Bernard attended after I left, my sister worked with the addicts that used our old dorms after the school was closed and my Dad died at the old age home.

The de Verteuils featured in the "recent photo's" are cousins and living here in Canada, and Richard and Randall Galt were also classmates of mine, just to name a few.

The student list also reminded me of many names and memories that were tucked away in my memory bank.

While looking through the recent photos, I also came across one of Pedro Castro, one of the three Castro brothers who were there during my day.

Do you have any news of Timieno? 

He was a good friend and classmate. 

The last I heard, several years ago, was that he was living in Caracas.

I could go on forever but this is a starting point.

Having left Trinidad in 1960 for Jamaica and then moving to Canada, trips to Trinidad have not been frequent and crossing paths with old friends, much too infrequent.

Unfortunately, I have no photos to share of my days at the Mount but many pleasant memories.

Playing soccer, cricket, volley ball, boy scouts "squirrel patrol" singing in the choir etc. 

Thanks for the memories and yes I received circular No. 48 this morning.

All the best 

Roland d'Abadie

Toronto, Canada

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From: "Costelloe, Dion"

Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 08:56:52 -0400

Sean lives in Toronto, Canada, and Brian is in St. Augustine , Trinidad.

Neither would have an E-mail address but their wives, children would.

Sean's wife is Hillary, child is Brenna.

Brian's wife is Charlene, child is Sarah.

Perhaps you could find them with a search.

Dion Costelloe

Dion.Costelloe@ispat.com

Can anyone help???  Those living in St. Augustine????

Maybe Jerry Bain can help in Toronto???

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And now:             MASS:

Again I am writing about another regular event that happened at the Mount:

In this one I wanted to recall our everyday going to Mass at 6:15 am.

The chapel was next to the small boy’s dormitory and on the other side the staircase going down to the playhall, where we had pictures, 16mm pictures, every Saturday night.

What can I say, this can be called a routine, for some of you the memories might recall happiness but for the majority it was no fun.

The bench prefects had to keep their charge awake, no head was allowed to touch the bench top and the kneeling had to be straight, no backside was allowed to touch the seat.

This drill, which some objected, did make us what we are today, I do not regret it.

In my case I was one of those that preferred study to Mass, I always had something to write or read, mostly unfinished homework.

From the time I entered MSB, Prep A ( I entered MSB on Sept. 1955) to Form III (1957) the routine was of going to Mass as soon as we woke up, before breakfast.

The Mass lasted exactly 37 minutes!!!, joking, but there were favourite priests who took about 30 minutes and those not so favourite that took 45 minutes.

No matter those with a watch always found that the time crawled.

Naturally I am talking as a personal experience and the looks on the faces of those that kneeled around my location.

Piece of wood plank was the surface for kneeling; not the soft kneeling stools of nowadays.

But I enjoyed the Latin of them days to the local language now days and the Gregorian singing to the rock and whatever and wherever is done today.

Maybe someone would like to add to this!!!.

Ladislao

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz kertesz11@yahoo.com, 

For information, and if you would like to be in the circular’s mailing list or any old boy that you would like to be included.

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Photos:

Bandit p76x p77 The Early Times

16LK0002LKEGRP, Brian Goddard, Ladislao Kertesz and Roderick Smith

16LK0001BGO, Brian Goddard

16LK0001RSM, Roderick Smith