Newsletter for past alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and Tobago, W.I.
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Dear Friends,
Welcome to Brian Gonsalves from British Guiana , and Dennis Du Boulay
At the photo session you will find photos with only a few names?? Give it a try.
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Dennis DuBoulay
...16 feb 2010
From: Nigel P. Boos
Laz,
We've just found another OB - Denis Du Boulay, who lives in Louisiana
Data herein.
I have no idea when he went to MSB.
Nigel
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Date: February 16, 2010 7:13:26 PM EST
Subject: Dennis DuBoulay
Thanks, Janice.
Arthur had been looking for Denis, and I felt that one of you Stodart girls would have the answer he was looking for.
Thanks for your kind help.
So, Carnival is over, or will be soon, and we're into Lent.
God bless you and yours.
Nigel
P.S. Where is Pat living now? I don't recognize her "Deacon" name.
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On 2010-02-16, at 5:45 PM, Janice Potter wrote:
Arthur/Nigel –
How are you both?
Denis DuBoulay is alive and well!
He is Arthur’s younger brother and also went to Mt. St. Benedict with Arthur.
This is his address:
Denis & Edna DuBoulay
LA 70560.
Tel: 1-337-367-0882
Denis does not have email.
Best wishes to all,
Janice Potter (nee Stodart and was married to Arthur DuBoulay)
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Nigel P. Boos
Saturday, April 19, 2008 2:30:45 PM
Hello, Brian,
Well.... It's been a long time since we started the search for all you Old Boys, and slowly, one by one, you're coming out of the dark.
I' so glad that you did - and thank you ever so much for the wonderful photographs.
You have brought back lovely memories of those days of long ago.
One of the efforts we're making is to develop a spreadsheet "database" of all the Past Students of MSB, and there seems to be a lot of enthusiasm behind the project.
So many of the guys have come forward with memories, photographs, stories, tall tales, jokes, and lies too (possibly), and we're having a lot of fun with this and other projects.
As you may know, Arthur Knaggs had started a newsletter many years ago, called OASIS, ("Overseas Abbey Students in Suspense" or something like that).
Well, the years have gone by, and OASIS gradually drew to a close.
But Ladislao Kertesz (Class of 1960) in Venezuela
So, you're in good company, and on behalf of us all, I welcome you to the group.
Another effort we're making is to develop a scrapbook of combined memories of all of us old guys, and I'll attach the current version for your enjoyment.
It's a work in progress, and we're looking out for great stories, etc. to embellish the final product.
Nigel P. Boos
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On 19-Apr-08, at 11:43 AM, Brian Gonsalves wrote:
Nigel Boos
I came across the Mount St Benedict website (by chance whilst I was looking up another matter concerning Trinidad) and I was intrigued to note all the information from 'old boys', including comments from Trevor Evelyn, a fellow 'mud head' like myself from British Guiana (now Guyana).
I was even more surprised when a copy of your email of 17/04/08 to Goddard Christian appeared in my inbox two days ago (how it found my email is a mystery but I was most interested to read it) and I am taking the liberty of emailing you direct with news of some really 'old old boys' at MSB, including a select number of "Boys from BG" who arrived at Mount St Benedict 1945.
For information purposes, I am copying this email to Clive Bettencourt-Gomes who was also a pupil at MSB.
The 'Boys from BG' of my generation were:
Clive Bettencourt-Gomes, Tony Gomes, my cousin Terrence Gonsalves, my brother and I (Bunny & Brian Gonsalves), Kit Nascimento (I didn't have his name recorded before this) and the Willems brothers (Anthony & Johnny) - there may well have been a few others but, after 63 years, my memory has failed to remember them.
I am attaching 3 old photographs from our time at MSB which shows several of the BG Boys together with the two Farfan brothers (John & David) from Trinidad whose lovely parents practically 'adopted' us whilst we were at MSB. (Lovely pictures - thanks.)
Even after over six decades, I still have many vivid and happy memories of my one brief year at MSB - three unforgetable yet different images come to mind ... the first was in May 1945 VE Day, when virtually all the pupils (plus a few monks) led by Fr. Ildefons trooped up to the top of Mount Tabor (behind the School) with equipment to 'Dig out & Whitewash' a very large Cross of Peace (PAX) to celebrate the end of the War in Europe.
The Cross was clearly visible for miles and it became something of a landmark for the area. (This must have really been something, because Arthus Knaggs, David Da Costa, Terry Evelyn and now you too, have given me this great story.)
The second was of a sublime holiday in Tobago when the BG boys (who didn’t return to Guiana) were takem by the Monks (Fr Bernard & Brother Anthony) to spend Easter at the Murrays ' Coco Plantation at Roxborough (I believe Brother Anthony was related to the Murray
Besides riding horses and exploring the plantation, there was a major incident one day at Roxborough Bay
However, by the time we returned to school after the holiday to tell the tale, the size of the shark became considerably larger ("enormous man-eater") and the distance to the swimmers became considerably nearer ("a few feet away")!
The third (more mundane recollection) was when one of the Knaggs brothers (Arthur I think?) captured a seriously large snake which he brought back to the school.
The snake was allowed to 'slither' around the courtyard for all the boys to see before officialdom intervened and it was eventually despatched as humanely as possible.
Several of the BG Boys left Trinidad and MSB in 1946 to continue their education in England with the Jesuits - Clive Bettencourt-Gomes, Kit Nascimento and the Willems brothers to Stonyhurst College
A final note about the 10 individuals in the 1945 photographs - sadly four have died (my brother Bunny, the two Farfans John (I'm glad you confirmed his death, because, to this point, I had his passing as 'Unconfirmed') & David and Anthony Willems) and, of the remaining six, Clive B-G resides in Spain, Terrence Gonsalves and Trevor Evelyn lives in Canada, John Willems and (I think Kit Nascimento?) are in Guyana (new info for us) and I live near the River Thames in Oxfordshire.
Cordial saluto,
Brian
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Nigel P. Boos
Thursday, May 14, 2009 9:10:05 AM
Interesting. Here's the photograph again (I hope this is the one to which you were referring), for your further review. Now, Ken Austin has already identified the boys here as follows:
Brian, I am trying to get an email address for your cousin Terence, who, I understand, is married to Tommy Jardim's sister, Joan.
I know, from previous correspondence, that Terence lives somewhere in Ontario
We are, in fact, holding a "Roti Night" on June 6th, and I'd like to invite him to join us, so if either you or Tommy can help me to find his email address of even a telephone number, I'd appreciate it.
Nigel P. Boos
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On 14-May-09, at 4:09 AM, Brian Gonsalves wrote:
Nigel,
As regards the first Scouts photo, I'm relieved that someone else has spotted John Farfan - and, although I do not recall being in the Scouts at MSB, I did 'think' that I might be boy in the Front Row Right of the photograph?
Unfotunately, I have already cleared yesterday's emails, so am unable to have another close scrutiny.
Thank you for your follow-up email with the 1948 School photograph; I agree that John Farfan is number '62' but I am unable to locate his brother David ... the only other face that I think I recognise is No.'11' who might be Trevor Evelyn?
I shall keep 'looking' but I'm afraid that 60 years of living around the World has dulled my memories of those halcyon days at MSB.
My brother (Bernard) cousin (Terence) and I departed from MSB to England
Regards
Brian
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Sent: Wednesday, May 13, 2009 11:54 PM
Brian Gonsalves
Thanks for your input, Brian.
By the way, are you in this picture as well?
Ken Austin had earlier today suggested that #62 was John Farfan. So, what do you guys think?
Trevor, any input? I know you're working on an additional list, but perhaps this might help.
Ken's and Trevor's other identifications are set out below, and I'm going with these unless and until someone challenges.
Nigel
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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 7:14:42 AM
From: Nigel P. Boos
Dear Brian,
Thank you for your impressive summary of your "Life After Mount". Well . . . . you've certainly done your bit, as they say, and seen the world.
And it all adds up, I guess, in ways large and small, to eventually make this place a little better than it had been before we arrived. Well done.
Thank you, too, for Terrence's email address.
I shall send him an introduction note today.
By the way, I notice that you have spelt SYMPATICO with an "I" rather than a "Y" and I'm not sure of either.
I say this because many people in Ontario
I appreciate the help.
Re. your pictorial effort. I'd really like to see these pictures, but unfortunately, they didn't arrive with your note.
The script did come through, but not the pictures.
Would you mind sending them again, please?
In case you're having any difficulty with them, I can try talking you through the process - if you'd like.
Best wishes.
Nigel P. Boos
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On 12-Aug-09, at 6:13 AM, Brian Gonsalves wrote:
Dear Nigel
Further to our recent exchange of emails, I am enclosing a short pictorial summary covering the past 64 years from Trinidad in 1946 (when I left MSB) to my business career overseas from 1956-86 and eventually to England from 1986-2009.
After leaving College in 1954, I was employed by the British-American Tobacco Group and following an initial 9-months induction course as a Management Trainee, I was transferred to work in overseas territories, starting in Nigeria (1956-62), Jamaica (1963-66), Kenya/Tanzania (1966-68), UK/Europe (1968-70) and then Zambia (1970-71).
I changed career in 1971 when I joined the Beecham International Group in the UK (1971-73) before being transferred to senor management appointments in Beecham in South Africa (1973-80) and then as a Director of Beecham of Kenya Ltd (1980-86).
I returned to the UK
I now relax at home in Oxfordshire with my wife, spoil our three grandchildren, play some golf and take at least one holiday break per year in the sun (mainly in the Caribbean or in South Africa).
Kind regards and keep up the good work on behalf of the old MSB students ...
I remember you did ask me to let you have the email address of my cousin, Terence Gonsalves, and (better late than never) it is : terrybarbs@simpatico.ca
Best wishes,
Brian
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Thank you Brian for the short Curriculum, very interesting.
Now to the photos
Regards
Ladislao Kertesz, kertesz11@yahoo.com
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So now you have all the exchanges and photos.
10SD0001SDAWFE, Simon Da Costa and wife (would like to get a 500kb resend.
09GI005KSCOUTBADGE, Thank you George for supporting the Circular.
70SC0001VENEZ, Venezuelans in 1970 UNKNOWNS
68AG0004SPORTS, Tug a war with UNKNOWNS
