Circular No 116

Newsletter for past alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
Caracas, 24 of January 2004. Circular No. 116

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Dear Friends,
A jump start in this Circular, no blabla from me to introduce the stars:

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De: "Cecil & Liz Ince" <shadowlawn@sunbeach.net>
Fecha: 14 Jan 11:20 (PST)
Asunto: Abbey School correspondence

Dear Ladislao:
I have been receiving your e-mails regularly.
I am interested to read them I belong to the l948/49 years - as a day-boy from ARIMA where I lived.
I went to work at l6 at Huggins & Co - as an office boy. After two years, I joined BWIA - transferring to Jamaica l954 - Barbados
where I have lived since l956 - with a transfer to Guyana and Antigua during l965-68.
Arthur Knaggs persevered for years with another newsletter - OASIS - but I think he eventually gave up some years ago.
I could supply, from Memory, some names of my contemporaries at Mount.
PAX/UIOGD.
Sincerely
Cecil

CECIL IP.S. In l969, I joined a small Travel Company here of which I was part owner. Since then the Company - Foster & Ince and its associates have grown nicely.
I am retired (200l) but stayed on as Chairman in what is now a fairly substantial service supplier to cruise ships.
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From: Stuart Monplaisir <stumon@yahoo.com>
Subject: Camping Hell
Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 16:44:34 -0400

Ladislao,
I have forgotten the badge for which we were trying to qualify and the name of the place where we were to camp.
Fr. Ildefonse dropped us off west of Tunapuna at the base of some mountain. We were to climb to the top and pitch camp there for the night then the next day we were to find our way to the area around Tunapuna while collecting information for
an accurate map of the route that we took.
The instructions were that we were to camp on the very top of the mountain not down on the side somewhere. When we got to the top we found that it was bare of any vegetation but grass and part of it was rocky. We debated whether to pitch the camp down from the top a bit where there was less rocky soil but we were afraid that Fr.Ildefonse would find out, so we camped at the very top.
There were three tents one modern and two were vintage World War II, or maybe even WW I, heavy canvass things which had snap fasteners at the top. One was used for the storage of the equipment and food. Some guys slept in the other old one and we were in the newer one. That night it turned cold, the wind started to blow and the rain came down in buckets. Suddenly there was someone trying to open our tent and in piled the rest of the group. The snap fasteners on their tent had become unfastened in the wind and the water had drenched them. Make room, don't touch the tent ... too late, in came the water. Needless to say it was a miserable, damp, cold night, worrying all along whether we were going to get struck by lightening.
By morning the storm was over. However, the storage tent had also opened up and any extra clothes were wet. We broke camp and proceeded to map our way down an old road carrying the extra weight of the wet stuff, grumbling all the way.
We drew our maps got grilled by Fr. Idefonse and got our badges, glad that we didn't have to do it all over again.
Stu Monplaisir
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From: Raymond Devaux <raydevaux@netscape.net>
Date: 10 Dec 14:22 (PST)

Dear Ladislao,
I am in Florida now but will be going to Montreal on December 18. When I will be in Montreal I will give you the date that I graduated (Senior Cambridge Certificate at that time) it is a long time ago, sometime in the early 1950's, but I will check the date on my certificate.
I know Richard and Leary O'Connors who where at MSB during my time, are they the one's you are referring to in your e-mail?
They live in Australia and I have their e-mail address in Montreal which I will forward to you when I get there..
I do not know Driver nor Anthony Lucky. Do you know Arthur Knaggs? He is also one of my generation and he has a lot of contacts with the boys of our time. If you wish I can also get the information as to how you can contact him.
I do not know anyone on the circular that you sent Alain, but it is interesting.
What year did you graduate a MSB.? (ed. 1960)
Best,
Raymond
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Dear Ray,
Thank you for responding.
I hope you liked the Circular that I sent Alain!! If you know other Mount boys, please send them the Circular that I shall be sending you soon, it is weekly.
Could you tell me if you met the O´connors?? Driver?? or Anthony Lucky??
Can you tell me when did you graduate at Mount, that is Form V?? if you did not then when did you graduate, I need the year to place you with others of your time!!.
God Bless
Ladislao
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On Tue, 09 Dec 2003 20:25:41 -0500, Raymond Devaux wrote:

Dear Ladislao,
You sent a message to my brother, Alain Devaux, saying that you are looking for myself who attended Mt St Benedict in the nineteen forties and also for my other brother Patrick Devaux whose e-mail is: ( patrick.devaux@chubbsecurity.com) or (pdevauxchubb@hotmail.com).
Alain Devaux also attended Mt St Benedict in the nineteen fifties. Unfortunately I do not know any of the people that you mention in your e-mail but I would like to hear from you.
I live in Montreal, Canada during the summer months and in Ft Lauderdale, Florida during the winter months.
Best,
Raymond Devaux
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From: "Raymond Devaux" <rdevaux@attglobal.net>
Date: 1 Jan 12:30 (PST)
Subject: Happy New Year

Dear Ladislao,
Thank you very much for your card which I only received today because I did not open my e-mails since I left Florida for Montreal on December 18. I also wish you a very happy year 2004 and a lot of good health.
I looked for my Cambridge certificate but I am unable to find it, however, I believe that I graduated in 1950 or 1951. I do not remember too many of my class mates. Some of them are: Dr Hamelin, Desmond Rostant (Died a few years ago), Phillip Nassief from Dominica, Leary & Richard O'Cornnor, now living in Australia, Crompton DuBoulay from St Lucia. It was a small class of about 12.
Others who were also in form 5a or 5b were Arthur Knaggs, now living in Halifax, Phillip Scott (Also died), Trevor Evelyn (who was a very fast short-run runner), Ronney Lambkin (now living in Halifax), Peter Ferguson.
As you can see we were among the first students at Mt St Benedict.
I remember I loved mathematics and therefore was very close to Fr Paul who taught maths, I was the first and only student at the time to take higher mathematics at school.
I also became a King scout under the guidance of Fr Ildephonse.
I saw my brother, Patrick, who told me that he was very happy to have received your news, he told me that he left in 1960 so he knows many of the people that are mentioned.
I do not have pictures since at that time cameras were not too common. I do have one when we were in Tobago, sitting in the back of a open small jitney with Brother Anthony and a few students. I will try to find it and send it to you.
Well, Ladislao, thanks again for the news from The School and please keep in touch.
Best regards,
Raymond Devaux

Please note that my new e-mail address is: rdevaux@attglobal.net
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Hi Las,
Keep up the good work. While it is great to see the number of old boys coming under one roof, it is unfortunate that very few see it fit to write about all the crazy exploits that we as students under the watchful or not so watchful eyes of Fr(s). Bernard, Augustine, Gregory and others would get up to.
While I would admit that not every day was a happy one, the memories that I have of MSB today are lasting, and looking back were enjoyable. I remember the hikes to white stones and continuing on to the old Monastery on Mount Tabor, playing in the scout band and the long weekend camps in Mayaro. As Sparrow would say, school days were happy! happy! days.
Hey, Manuel, remember the scout band, may not remember me, but then again many should. I was the most miserable young student together with Gordon Mitchell (young boxhead), where did you get that name from? that loved to "terrorize" the "big boys". It was hit and run, run like you never ran before, because when you got caught, God help you. Cut ass for days.
I remember playing in the Mount band as a drummer, dressed in either white, or scout uniform. With the scout hat on my head, and drum at my side, I was invisible. Manuel was head drummer at the time, with others like Daniel de Verteuil, Roger Ames, Nigel Boos, and others whose names I can't remember at this time.
At that time, the Mount band was the best in the island, no other scout troop had a band. What do you expect! We where the best.
Something else always fascinated me. Where did all the nick names come from? how where they derived? But then that might be another story, maybe one for you Don? or Chris?, Wayne?
Robert.
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Continuing with Rafael Echeverria

I was SO inspired by your latest Circular No. 46 and reading the story by Robert Huggins ... you know .... he described IN A VERY PRECISE MANNER how we all feel about the long lasting marks The Abbey School of Mt. St. Benedict left in
all of us ... deep in our hearts ... .
I remember how we use to complain all the time ... "Gosh ... this is jail man ... " ... The food stinks ... it's terrible" .... "All the"Fathers are dictators" ... and so forth ... but the truth is that we ALL miss those days ...any of us would give anything just to go back to one normal mount day .... just for one day .... wouldn't we ???? .. I know I would ... any time ...

Yes !!! ... Yes !!! ... That's Mount St. Benedict ... AND WE ARE ALL BLESSED for ever being a part of that "jail" .... it was heaven !!!! .... but it's only now that we realize it ... so please extend my best regards to Robert and convey to him my best feelings .... he has made me "revive" my best times .... and I still have sooooo many more memories ... it's incredible .... how important can a life experience be .... God Bless Mount !!!! ... for ever !!!! ... and The Mount Boys of whom I feel so
proud to be a part of .... and I feel so proud of Trinidad ... their people ... I still have so many friends from there ... I have to go back one day !!!! .... HOPEFULLY NEXT YEAR .. FOR THE MOUNT BOYS GATHERING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ...
Please Ladislao ... tell all how much I love them and miss them .... The be a Mount Boy ... is an old experience transformed into a culture ... almost a philosophy about life ...
Rafael
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Friends now to the Questions period !!! read up on Circular No. 114
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Who was Jeremy?? His last name, please.
Where is John Abraham??
What was the name of Ferreira, the singer??
Unfortunately I have not been able to find Norman Smith, ????
I am still looking for Enrique Gomez, but there are too many Gomez here in Caracas.
Unfortunately Raul Leoni is out of the Country so no luck, can any one help with the email?
I hope Harry Laughlin can give us his opinion on the Basketball team and Rafael´s
performance. Harry can you send me a photo of the team or the names and
positions. The team record?. Whom did we beat!!
In Circular No. 115 I did not post any questions
Friends now to the Questions period !!! Read up on Circular No. 116
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Cecil, please send me the names and the photo.
Where is Dr Hamelin?
Anyone has Phillip Nassief address from Dominica?
Or Crompton DuBoulay from St Lucia?
God Bless
Ladislao

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Listado: C116.xls
Photos: by Patrick Devaux, 2nd and 3rd of 4 photos: Abbey champs, St. Francis, Abbey tennis champs
Column: David Bratt Culture of Nurses
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ATTACHMENTS

Listado C116.xls

Names	Form V	Contact	Nickname	business address	Phone	e-mail
Penasa, Dario		glen		YV
Penasa, Roberto		kenrick
Pereira, Francis		coscart	khaki	TT
Persad		glen
Peter, Fr.	OSB, Religion teacher	lk
Peters, Allan		M.donellas		TT San Fernando		peters@carb-link.net
Peters, Bruce		roge
Peters, Kirby		M.donellas		TT San Fernando
Petersen, Svend		glen		YV
Phillip, Colin				ca
Picardi, Ernesto		glen		YV
Picolli,		coscarart
Pierre, Jean		coscarart
Pierre, Richard	1958	PB
Pires, BC		lk		uk	London	bcpires@skettel.com, BC@wow.net

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