Circular No 915

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

Caracas, 18 of May 2019 No. 915

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This issue has some narrative on Fr. David Oliveire, and Fr. Abbot, and some oldies from Edward Lloyd and Charles Prada.

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Empower With Art  <empowerwithart@gmail.com>

May 18 at 10:07 AM

Thanks for the update Don and Brother Pascal.

Fr. David Oliveire was a parish priest in Arima.

Interesting photo of him in his young days.

Blessings to you all...

Kaz

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Don Mitchell  <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

May 18 at 9:54 AM

Thank you, Bro Paschal,

I am by copy of this thread passing the information to George, Kazim and Ladislao for updating our records. 

I shall also post your message as “comments” on the Blog.

Best wishes,

Don

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From:  Paschal Jordan

Sent:  Saturday, May 18, 2019 8:52 AM

Thanks for the latest update.

Two things:

Lawrence Scott joined the Benedictines at Prinknash Abbey in England.

Benedictines, not Premonstratensians.

That photo of Roberto Bodington and the 'priest' or seminarian: he is Fr. David Oliveire. He died in 2017.

Bro. Paschal

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A letter from the past.

December 15, 1982.

From: J. Gordon Lang

Bogota Colombia

I have en [sic] receiving your le [sic] disclosed in a Christmas Circular Letter which I plan to mail in the course of next week.  [My apologies, but the original received as above. Ed.]  Mysterious like Hitchcock, eh:

However, what I want to tell you in this letter cannot wait until then.

My eldest daughter, Johana (20 years), is going to spend Christmas and the New Year in Connecticut (U.S.A.) with friends and plans to visits Canada for a short while immediately after, which would be around January 7th next.

I would greatly appreciate if you could receive her and put up with her, sorry, put her up and guide her as much as you can about studies and universities in your part of Canada.

She speaks English.

If I don’t receive a telex of something from you before then, I shall phone you at your office on Monday, the 13th instant because Johana is leaving for the Sates on the 15th.

She can sleep in the living-room sofa. Anything!.

Love to all

Gordon

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Here is an oldie, from 1982

18 August 1982

Nowadays, abbreviation seems to be with us, so when I was in T´dad 2 years ago, I realized that Sangre Grande has became simply “Grandi-e” and now I see that in true Canadian style, they’ve caused a further change from Arthur to Art!!

I really must congratulate you on starting up from 3000 miles away – yet another effort to keep the Alma Mater alive.

A few weekends ago, I saw JOHN CAMPS- CAMPINS (or has he just become Camps? I’m not sure) in B´dos en famile – told him I would let you know I saw him. I believe he told me one of his daughters got married recently. His address in POS is c/o Printers Ltd, 25 Dundonald St.

I see SCIPIO SOODEEN from time to time. He lives in B´dos now. 2 houses East of me but has – seems to have business interests overseas as well. I told him I heard from you, his address in Rendezvous Terrace, Christ Church, B´dos.

MACK KING - Eric´s younger brother also lives over here – has in fact for years.

I don’t have his address off hand.

Did you know that TREVOR EVELYN has been living in Canada for quite some years now – Elizabeth (my wife) and I saw Trevor and his family at their very nice home in Mississauga last September.

My last old boy news is that last Sunday when I attended Mass at the very quaint church in Vierdun, St. John (one of our country parishes) I seemed to recognize, vaguely, the face and baritone voice of the officiating priest – now rather grey and like myself, has lost more hair (he lost the first bit when, as a personal witness to the incident, he was one of the five seminarians to be ordained a Deacon in 1948 and given his circular “tonsure” by Count Finbar Rayn´s assistant) FATHER JOHN MENDES (or is it Mendes), I think anyhow pronounced “Mene”.

We had a short chat; we had not seen each other since 1949, 33 years. He said he would love to be included in OASIS, his address c/o Catholic Presbytery, San Fernando, where he is a parish priest.

As to myself, we have one son Edward 20, who will commence his 3^rd year at York University in Computer Science this September, our other son Martin, 18 just completed his 13^th grade at St. Andrew’s Collage, Aurora, Ontario and will commence his 1^st year also at York in Business Administration. Our daughter, Maureen just 13, attended Queen’s College in B´dos and will enter Form 3 in September.

I have so very much to thank God for - from what, in hindsight seems to have been a very unplanned, insecure future lacking the guidance of my father who died when I was just 13, my footsteps have been guided over the years and I thank God every day of my life for his many blessings, spiritually and materially.

As it turned out John Gordon Lang (it was his 2nb attempt, but my first) and I secured First Grades “Oxford and Cambridge in 1949.I have always been very proud of that achievement and very grateful to God for it.

I must end here, I will look forward to further OASIS!!.

Cecil Ince.

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From: Edward Lloyd <edwardlloyd@yahoo.co.uk>

Date: 24 Apr 07:07 (BST)

Ladislao

I must have been having a senior moment.

The message was for you was to please direct all further Circulars to my new email address, which is edwardlloyd@tiscali.co.uk

Keep up the good work, it's a pleasure to read and view what some of the old Mount boys are sending in from time to time.

I've been in touch with Michael Azar by phone from Oregon USA (8 hours time difference from Scotland),

Howard Ho by email and my old pal Tony Vieira on numerous occasions am presently waiting for a reply from him on the result of the cricket in Guyana with the WI vs England.

Let's hope that we can turn around the result today and tomorrow in POS.

Regards

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From: Edward Lloyd <edwardlloyd@yahoo.co.uk>

Date: Mon, 30 Dec 2002 21:57:09 +0000 (GMT)

Hi Lazslo

I went to Mt from 55-62 and left in form 4, same class as Box head Mitchell.

I am retired now and have been living in Scotland these past 24 years (an old oil engineer).

Also just did 2 years consultancy work for BP in Trinidad working offshore Mayaro, so saw some of my old class friends now and again.

I've got some photos from yesteryear some where in the house, so will scan and forward to yourself.

I was captain for the AS swimming team in 62, also for St Lawrence and still have some records for my age group that still stand till today.

I've enjoyed getting the few most recent Circulars, which came as a surprise and I believe through Gregory Farfan.

I've noted with interest Eden Hutton writing in.

Is it possible to get his email address?

I also many years ago worked in Eastern Venezuela (65-77), in Anaco and San Tome and had the pleasure of meeting Fr Bernand during one of his visits in 73.

Saw some of the Farcheg boys in El Tigre (they ran a ferrateria). 

Take care.

Edward Lloyd

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From: Michael Azar

Date: 9/17/2004 6:55:51 PM

Ladislao

Hope you have a good weekend

Joe

(Good to hear from you, ed.)

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Another oldie from 1982

Hey There

Got your bulletin and the invitation to the Carnival fête. We received the invitation 2 days after the fête so naturally we could not attend.

I wrote you shortly before you went to Barbados, or perhaps you had already left, to let you know that our eldest son Ricky died suddenly from an Aneurism that burst in the brain. We were devastated by this and Bernice has not recovered from the shock as yet. Up to this morning she wept as she admired “Fall” on the way to work and recalled that he, like herself, used to count leaves remaining on the trees in our yard when they became scares of course.

We went on a trip to Miami by car in February for 2 weeks and enjoyed it immensely. We didn’t camp, we stayed in Motels. We even saw the Daytona 500 race. When we got back we learned that the Apartment building had been sold and the new owners wanted changes that were unacceptable to us so we had to leave. We moved in with Bernice’s Mother, brother and sister supposedly for a few weeks while I looked around in Toronto and Mississauga for a suitable position but Mother became very ill. Eman, the brother (Father Pinard) is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease which left him crippled and unable to speak. With both of them unable to fend for themselves and Claire incapable of coping with the situation alone. I had to stay on to be able to assist with lifting them, onto wheelchairs etc. I am therefore looking for something in St. Catharine’s without much luck so far.

No.3 son Gerard got married to his long time girlfriend Janet Reid on July 1^st in Calgary. They were supposed to come to St. Catharine’s to be married but Gerard got into a Computer School and could not get the time off so they tied the knot there. Janet and Gerard went to school together and have been going steady ever since. She is a Canadian. We, unfortunately, were unable to attend the wedding.

No.2 daughter Susan, plans getting married on January 8 to Cristo Bernard, son of Bernard and Binco (Millar). The date is somewhat tentative.

Susan lives in T´dad but they plan coming up here to get married. We are hoping that you can arrange to come to Toronto at that time in order to attend the wedding. We can’t offer to put you up ourselves but we may be able to arrange something with the Furbachers. Let me know whether you can make it or not before I ask them.

Geoffrey’s daughter Lisa got married on July 17 and his son Ricardo was supposed to have gotten married on August 21. I haven’t heard from him on that wedding as yet.

Best of everything to you and yours.

Regards

Charles Prada.

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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:

58RB0001e8, Roberto Bodington, Randal Galt, Nigel Boos

18UN0028DALGMC, Damian Ali and Garth McAlpin

57RB0002a4, Roberto Bodington and David Oliveire

11LK3946FBDGU, Dennis Gurley