Newsletter
for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas, 23 February 2019 No. 903
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Nigel Boos <nigelboos@gmail.com>
Jan 26 at 12:22 PM
Ohhhh, this is so nice of you, Joyce.
Thank you for responding.
I appreciate all your information, and I am passing it on to others
involved in this exercise, so that they can also update their records as well.
Please let Bernard know I was asking about him and the family.
Best wishes,
Nigel
Boos
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On Jan 26, 2019, at 10:13 AM,
Joyce Johnson <johnsonjb@candw.lc> wrote:
Dear
Nigel,
I'm responding as Bernard, my husband, is at present attending a fishing
tournament in Grenada.
I never was able to get Bernard to use a computer but I'm his 'email
female'.
Anthony Johnson lives in California, his address is
tony@tonyjohnsoncpa.com
The address I have for Charles Devaux is:
charles@ferrands.com .
His brother, Desmond is mentally ill and lives in 'sheltered
accommodation' so I'm not sure whether he would respond to an email.
Hope this helps.
Kindest regards,
Joyce
-----------------------------------------------------------
From: Nigel
Boos
Sent:
Saturday, January 26, 2019 10:58 AM
Thanks
again, Mike.
Of course you’re correct.
How stupid of me.
I should have remembered that the Johnson boys were related to the
Devaux folks.
Thank you for reminding me of this.
So now, I shall spread my net wider, in my attempt to contact Charles
and Desmond Devaux.
I have no knowledge of a Martin nor a Christian Devaux, who may / may
not have attended school at the Mount.
If anyone receiving this email would wish to clarify this for me, I’d
certainly appreciate it.
I’d written to Bernard a few years ago, and he did tell me that Claude
had died in England and was buried there, but I’ve not had an opportunity since
then to re-connect as yet with him, so here goes, to both Bernard and “Bookie”,
Richard:
Bernard and Richard, howdy to you and yours.
I hope this note finds you in great health and doing well.
I need a little help, please, and I wonder whether you might be able to
offer it?
I’m trying to get the email addresses for Charles and Desmond Devaux, in
an effort to update our MSB Old Boys database.
Are you able to help me to get these?
If so, gracias, gracias,
gracias!
I’d also like to know how to connect with Anthony, my old buddy “Gabby”.
He seems to have drifted off my screen into outer space and I haven’t
heard from him for perhaps 20 years.
Last I heard, I think he was in California somewhere.
Best wishes to all you great people.
Nigel
-----------------------------------------------------------
On Jan 26, 2019, at 6:12 AM,
Michael Devaux <michaelj.devaux@gmail.com>
wrote:
Hello
again Nags.
One further point...
I don't know if u realise but Bernard Johnson is also a first cousin to
the brothers Charles & Desmond as well as to Geoffrey.
Bernard's mother was sister to both Uncle Denis (Charle's &
Desmond's father) & Uncle Cyril (Geoff's father).
If I remember rightly all the Johnson boys went to Mount.
Their names were Bernard, Claude, Anthony & Richard.
I know one has died.
When I was in St Lucia recently I met both Bernard & Richard who are
very much alive!!!
By the way Martin is also still in St Lucia but I believe he is not too
well.
I understand he has one of those terrible diseases like MS or something
similar.
Poor fellow!!! His brother is Christian who may have gone to Mount as
well but I am unsure of that.
Christian now lives in Australia in Northern N S W.
Keep well & happy & please remember me in your prayers.
Love to Jackie & the family.
God bless.
Michael
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Nigel Boos <nigelboos@gmail.com>
Jan 26 at 6:22 AM
Thanks
for the update, Mike.
I hope you had an inspiring visit to the Holy Land.
Well, I guess that the email addresses, if they ever come, will have to
come from Geoff.
I look forward to hearing from him in due course.
Thanks to you both.
Nigel
------------------------------------------------------------
On Jan 25, 2019, at 3:11 PM, Michael Devaux
<michaelj.devaux@gmail.com> wrote:
Hello
Nags.
Sorry I cannot help with the addresses here but Geoff should be able to
fill in the gaps.
He is a first cousin to Charles & Desmond & a distant cousin to
Martin.
All 3 of these boys live in St. Lucia.
Patrick I am not aware of but expect he is St. Lucian as well so again
Geoff may be able to help.
Sorry I took a while to reply but have just returned from a pilgrimage
to the Holy Land.
I am currently in Melbourne with Stephen Nivet & his wife Elizabeth.
I will be leaving on Sunday to return home.
We had a most inspirational 11 days there with 26 other pilgrims
visiting the Holy Sights.
There were 3 priests included so mass (or on some days masses) every
day.
Many of these Stephen & I served (in private as well as in the Holy
Places sometimes).
Fr. Toba was probably smiling on us from above.
Apart from my parents I think that man had the greatest influence on my
life...
Good luck with the addresses.
God bless always.
Michael
-----------------------------------------------------------
robert elias
<dmightytrini@tstt.net.tt>
AddWednesday, May 13,
2009 8:38:45 PM
Hello
Ladislao,
I do hope that this e-mail reaches you before you leave Caracas for
Port-of-Spain.
I had read sometime ago where Nigel Boos was asking about
""THE CHINESE LADY"" that used to run the kitchen and if
anyone had known her name.
I immediately responded to Nigel giving him the information he had asked
for.
Her name is Ms. Victoria Soo Poy, she is in her late 80's and was the
victim of a car accident where she was in hospital for several months.
She had broken both her legs and now walks with a "Stand".
She lives at Mount St. Benedict in a little old house nearby the
""Guest House"" and
survives on a "Pension" and is under lots of stress.
She actually pays the "Mount" a rent for that little house she
lives in.
The purpose of this e-mail is to suggest that ""WE""
Past Students who ate from her Kitchen and I am told that she was up there for
Many Many Years could start a fund to assist her in this time of need
Please put this e-mail into your distribution to ""ALL PAST
STUDENTS"" who remembers her.
I Remain,
Robert Elias,
De Mighty Trini.( Trini To The Groin)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Justice Don Mitchell CBE (Retd) <idmitch@anguillanet.com>
Monday, January 26,
2009 5:36:09 PM
I remember a "Mr Rais".
I am not sure how his name was spelled.
But, we always pronounced his name with an "s".
He was probably your Mr Rai.
It was about 1955 or 1956.
I was in Prep B.
I was still learning my tables.
I have told the story often enough.
I even have a blog about it.
Here it is:
---------------------------------------------------------
Nigel P. Boos <nigelboos@eagles-wings.ca>
Monday, January 26,
2009 4:22:39 PM
Eden,
To be honest, No!
I don't remember him at all.
But you've given me two more names for the "Teacher's
Database".
Thanks.
Nigel
----------------------------------------------------------
On 26-Jan-09, at 3:18 PM, eden hutton wrote:
Hi
Nigel,
Do you remember Mr Sumasu Rai?
He was a vegetarian and to underline the fact he used to tell the boys,
when they made a mistake, that they had made a "beefsteak."
He took over Prep A from Mr Wood when he disappeared from Mt. (Somewhat
intimidating, Mr Wood "we young an strong we en fraid a soul in tong, who
tink dey bad to meet dem we more dan glad."
The first Carnival boys were allowed to go to town Mr Wood was still
teaching and we met up with him in front of the Queen's Park Hotel by chance,
jumping up in the same band.
He had a bull pistle “one of the most effective tools of correction,
The Bull Pistle. Its application must be used sparingly mind you, but most
definitely when deemed necessary and appropriate, as was just the case” on a cord around his neck hanging down his back.
"Boys! he said "stay close to me in case dey have any
trouble!! Ei ! Hutton ! Yu jumpin up boy !
I was mortally afraid of him and he knew it.
He was a master at throwing the wood backed duster.)
I met him - Mr Rai - in Hamburg in '75 or '76 and then in the late '90's I often saw him in London.
I met him - Mr Rai - in Hamburg in '75 or '76 and then in the late '90's I often saw him in London.
Very, very street smart, socially active, grass roots activist,
intellectual.
Best wishes,
Eden
----------------------------------------------------------
From: "Justice Don
Mitchell CBE (Retd)" idmitch@anguillanet.com
Date: Thu,
18 May 2006 21:20:53 -0400
Hi Jon,
You don't know the can of worms you opened when you wrote the anecdote
about Mr Rai below.
I have not heard his name called in 40+ years.
That man ruined my education completely.
He was my arithmetic teacher in Prep B and Prep A in the late
1950s.
His idea of teaching was to walk around the classroom with a blackboard
duster clasped firmly in his hand.
If he detected the slightest error in one's calculations, the result was
a sharp crack of the wooden back of the duster on the top of the head.
After two years of his tutelage, I emerged into Form 1 completely
ignorant of the basics of arithmetic, far less of mathematics.
I was in my 50s before I learned that there was anything positive about
mathematics.
I failed O Level Chemistry and Physics because of the phobias that that
man induced in my childish psyche.
If he were here in front of me today, I would shoot him dead as an
example of what should happen to a bad teacher.
And, I would not suffer a qualm about the consequences!
Don
----- Original Message ----------------------------
From:
Jon Golding
Sent:
Thursday, May 18, 2006 10:09 PM
Chris
I was there in Prep B at the time and those who were will remember
Jeanzie De Meillac who many years later met Mr Rai in a pub in Ireland.
Apparently Rai was being a pain in the ass as usual and it ended up in
an argument and Rai got floored by a De Meillac right hand!
They say what goes around comes around - even if it takes a long
time!
I guess it was one schoolboy fantasy come true!
Moral of Story - " Don't Mess Around With a Mount Boy!!!
Regards
Jon
Golding
------------------------------------------
EDITED by
Ladislao Kertesz, kertesz11@yahoo.com, The Circular needs your support, it is 52.oo
usd per year to cover the preparation of 52 issues. Must remind you that we are
in a crisis here in Venezuela where I am having difficulties with obtaining the
material for its preparation.
--------------------------------------------------
Photos:
07NT0026NTR, Neil Trotman
66LK0001FIL, Fr. Ildefonse
09LK2431FBAKN, Arthur Knaggs
58CV0011STANTHONY, St.Anthonys football team
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