Newsletter for
alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas, 29 of June 2019 No. 921
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Dear Friends,
A reminder,
The Circular Needs Funds to keep going. The conditions here in Venezuela are
difficult. Please Collaborate
It has
been a long time since I published something about the SCOUTS.
Although
there were many members but few enjoyed the stint enough as to write a few
lines of their memoirs.
Here are
two SCOUTING fanatics who have written their experiences.
Some
news from the Scouting group. Thanks to Roger and David Ames.
-----------------------------------------------.
From: David Ames
Date: 9/6/2004 6:05:02 PM
Ladislao,
I
think it better that my brothers speak for themselves.
Regarding
me, I left Mount in 1957 and spent 3 years at St Mary’s College in Port of
Spain studying for A levels exams before going on to McGill University in
Montreal.
What
an adventure it was to come from Trinidad to the big cosmopolitan city, winters
loaded with snow.
Ah, to
be young again and at university!
Graduating
from medical school I came south to the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill to study psychiatry.
It was
my goal to return to the West Indies to practice but that was not to be; in the
early 70s things were just too unsettled, there was too much social-racial
conflict.
So my
wife and I chose to stay in these parts and I have practiced in community
mental health programs ever since, 30+ years.
These
days much of my time is spent working with people addicted to drugs and alcohol
as well as promoting community education/prevention efforts.
From
time to time I have come back to Trinidad and Tobago to visit but have not been
to Mount.
On my
next trip I will visit the substance abuse treatment program being operated
there and write something about that.
Thanks
for all the good work you do.
The
pictures and stories are stimulating some very dormant memories.
David
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Sent: Saturday, September 04, 2004 7:36 PM
Dear David
I am
preparing a Circular for the photos.
Also
in the circular I shall send out the letters that the Ames family sent
recently.
I hope
you can send new information, like info on your brothers.
God
bless
Ladislao
<-----Original
Message----------------------------------------->
From: David Ames
Sent: 8/15/2004 4:00:26 PM
Do you want me to
resend the photos to the other address?
I don't have any
scouting material from Mount. - Sorry.
-----Original Message-------------------------------------------
From:
kertesz12@icqmail.com
Sent: Sunday, August 15, 2004 8:14 AM
Dear David,
Thank you for the photos.
-----------------------------------------
From:
"David Ames" <davidames1@cox.net>
Date: 14 Aug 19:16 (PDT)
Ladislao,
Here
are a few pictures from my time at Mount.
The
first is Castro with an armadillo captured at camp in Scotland Bay.
That
animal was subsequently cooked and eaten.
The
second is the old “bell tent” we used.
An
ancient design and very heavy, especially when wet.
Everyone
slept with their feet towards the centre pole – efficient.
The
third is a tower built for “Pioneering Badge”.
Built
in 1956 on the area that was subsequently used for the pool.
Look
at the enormous height – in those days no one was concerned about liability and
there was no shortage of building material.
I have
been a scoutmaster here in North Carolina and no one in his wildest dreams
could ever do something like this.
There
is a picture of the assembled troop with Fr Ildefonse – must be about 1955-56
Lastly
there is a picture of some boys ( I can see Geoffrey Ames and Matias de Fedak)
posing in the handicraft shop.
This
shop was a unique feature of the education at Mount – I am still using the
skills.
Thanks
for all the work.
It’s
fun and stirs up some old synapses.
----------------------------------------------------
From: David Ames
Greetings.
I
graduated in 1957 from Form 5 and then went to St. Mary’s for Form 6.
My
brother Geoffrey graduated in 60 or 61, I'm not sure.
I sent
the web page link to all of my brothers - Michael 54, Peter 56, Geoffrey 61,
and Roger 63 as well as the last circular.
Hopefully
you will hear from them
I have
a few pictures from those days that I will scan and send to you.
However
I have lost contact with all the members of my class.
But I
do talk to Maroth De Maroty and Urban de Fedak.
Maroth
sent me the original page link.
Many
thanks.
David
----------------------------------------------------------------------.
Ladislao
Kertesz <kertesz11@gmail.com>
Monday,
February 19, 2007 8:48:11 AM
Dear David,
Thank
you for replying.
I
shall make the necessary corrections to the address.
Two
days ago we had an Alumni dinner with Urbano and other old timers, older then
me!!!.
I
shall include a photo soon from the reunion.
Looking
thru the archives, I noticed that I have no recent images?
Photos,
from your family or, yourself?
Can
you provide. Maybe an Xmas photo? Thanksgiving?.
Also
no telephone number.
Any
short story for this year??
You
might get a duplicate circular as I am changing from Icqmail to gmail.
God
bless and best wishes for 2007.
Ladislao
-------------------------------------------------------------------.
David Ames
29/05/2007
That’s
very hard to say – memory fails me.
I left
in 1957 – some that I do remember include Vernon DeLima, I think Millard
Howell?
a
fellow from Surinam who was in the seminary, and some one called
Kellett?.
There
were only 9 people in the class.
Are
you able to get class rolls from the school records or were they all thrown
away?
----------------------------------------------------------------.
David Ames
15/11/2007
I have been
following the discussion of the future of the Abbey and its property.
Last
year I visited the old school which houses a substance abuse rehabilitation
program operated by the Living Waters Program
This
is a lay religious organization that operates a number of programs in Trinidad.
There
are about 20 individuals in the program at any time with a length of stay of 3
months.
Anyway
the building was in poor shape – lots of repairs needed – yet it seemed to be
well suited for the purpose.
I
wonder if there could be a project by the alumni to repair the facility?
What
would be the interest in that?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------.
Luke Easton, another old boy you might like
to contact,
Managing Director at True Blue Pools Ltd.
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From: John Skinner
Subject: School, Aphasia
Date: 8/16/2004 4:54:39 PM
Dear Ladislao,
I did
not send you my schooling years, I presume it was in 1947-1948, I don't know, probable
about one year, I started work about that time 1948.
My
schooling was:
Mount
St. Benedict College, Trinidad.
Jamaica
College, Jamaica. –
St.
Benedict, San Fernando Trinidad.
The
Covent, San Fernando, Trinidad, where I started school.
I
wrote this with difficulty, as I have diagnosed to have:
APHASIA:
THE HIDDEN DISABILITY
Communication
is fundamental to our lives. It's how we relate to each other; how we express
our personalities. But what if, overnight, your ability to talk, to convey our
language was erased? a tragedy.
The
words are in your head but you can't utter them; numbers mean nothing to you;
you can't even write your own name. That's the reality for the people with
APHASIA, a crippling disability that affects all of us, some more so than a
speech difficulty. Some speak a lot other don’t say a word.
Then
one day without warning, my life was changed for ever. I was at a meeting away
from home, it was in Birmingham, I sat down to meeting, all of a sudden the
coffee spilt from my cup in my right hand, it spilt right down my leg, I
mumble, the speech was not there, all of them around me. Any way, I was
admitted to Sandwell Hospital in Birmingham, and then the Derby Hospital,
D.R.I. It was a long time ago.
I have
APHASIA, due to a stroke. Although I know what I want to say, I have great
difficulty getting it out because I have very real problems speaking, and
writing. I have had help writing this letter. Aphasia is a DISABILITY that I
share with about 255,000 other people in the UK, but because we have difficulty
communicating, everybody ignores our needs.
I am a
member of a Self-Help Group, that is part of the network of self-help groups
set-up by the charity SPEAKABILITY. The charity helps in different ways:
Organising information workshops for people without aphasia who work with
people with aphasia. Campaigning for greater recognition of aphasia and the
needs of people with aphasia.
There
sufferers meet to discuss how they can break down barriers they encounter, for
example, how to combat a transport system that won't give them free passes
because they don't recognise APHASIA AS A DISABILITY, even though you can't
work and therefore have no income.
"APHASIA
is very, very poorly understood" It's A HIDDEN DISABILITY. Most people
don't know its name or how to react when they're confronted with it. But its
effects can be devastating. Speech may not be an option, but there are other
ways you can communicate using gesture, facial expression, pointing, materials
such as maps and newspapers.
I want
everybody to understand that when I tell them I have APHASIA, it means that I
need help with communicating so, I COMMUNICATE with sign and gesture.
Remember
APHASIA affects each one of us differently, and that our communications
abilities can vary from day to day depending on factors such fatigue and stress
levels.
Having
APHASIA doesn't mean you are stupid.
Yours Sincerely
John Skinner
Like to keep on getting the
newsletter???. Yes
Did you look up the web page?? WWW.theabbeyschool.com, Yes
Maybe the photos would
bring back good memories, Yes
Jems
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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:
57DA0001SCOUTSGRP
57DA0010DAMGRP, Woodwork
64UN0002SCOUTBAND
53UN0010SCOUTS
