Circular No 921

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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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?

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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 

  www.livingwatercommunity.com/work.htm#MINISTRY%20TO%20DRUG%20ADDICTS  

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?

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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:

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57DA0010DAMGRP, Woodwork

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