Circular No 649

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

Caracas, 12 of April 2014 No. 649

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Dear Friends,

The third part of REUNION AGENDA AND EXCHANGES - 23 March

Additionally, sad news from Peter Darwent.

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Nigel Boos

To peter darwent

Mar 22

Peter,

Thanks again for the info.

I forget to mention, that I'd be very grateful for any of the old MSB photographs which your brother might have taken.

BTW, what is / was your brother's name, please?

Nigel

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On 2014-03-22, at 6:01 AM, peter darwent wrote:

Hi Nigel,

Just returned from Trinidad where I got the following information for the database.

Ian McLean died in Miami USA on the 10th June 2012

Hugh McLean died in San Fernando Trinidad on the 28th June 1983.

In going through some pictures that my brother had taken in the 1940s I made copies and will e-mail to you when I get the chance.

Regards,

Peter Darwent.

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The third part of REUNION AGENDA AND EXCHANGES - 23 March

From: Nigel Boos

Sent: Sunday, March 23, 2014 2:32 PM

Subject: Reunion 2014 - Fr. Abbot's Attitude

Glen,

I'm very surprised at Fr. Abbot's state of mind.

Perhaps he has something bothering him that he has not felt comfortable to admit / say. Perhaps he just doesn't approve of our Association.

Why? I don't know.

Has someone offended him / the MSB community in some way?

Why doesn't he tell us about his reservations?

Then maybe we'll have an opportunity to understand why he seems to resent every single thing we do.

In fact, maybe it's because of me.

If so, I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about it today.

You see, I was a seminarian of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit and of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, between 1963 - 1970.

During my last year in seminary, I returned from Ireland to Trinidad, to teach, as a Prefect, at CIC, where John Pereira was a student.

He was a very thoughtful, serious, and somewhat introverted young man, deeply religious, and interested, it seems to me, in my additional duties as the Choir Director of the CIC College Choir. (see below).

Note: I do not recall whether he was ever a member of the Choir, but I cannot find his face among the boys seen in the photograph.

At the same time, I had a major problem with the Holy Ghost Fathers, which led to my decision to quit my studies for the priesthood - and so, here I am today.

Could it be that Abbot Pereira was disgusted, disappointed, resentful of me to the point that my involvement with the ASAA causes him to have these negative feelings towards us?

I don't know. But he at least could let me know, I think, if that is so, and then I'd have a chance to discuss the matter with him.

In all of my correspondence with him, I have shown civil and charitable respect.

I have no bitterness toward him, and wish him well in his responsibilities as Abbot, but I believe that his attitude towards the ASAA is downright disrespectful and most uncharitable.

I believe that a small delegation from the ASAA should request a meeting with him to find out what really is the cause of his negative feelings towards us.

Good luck, guys.

Nigel

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On 2014-03-23, at 12:54 PM, Glen Mckoy wrote:

My Dear Sir Neil,   

As Sir Shaun said, we can get forgiveness before we get permission, with regards to the crest.

I just don't understand his logic. 

He is just out to give us a hard time, what did we do to get this cold reaction.  

Did ah mount boy do something to this guy a long time ago?  Ah feel like ah missing part of a story here, he have ah real hate on us, or someone in the mix?? 

I also note your comment about going to the zoo, we may encounter animals outside the zoo, is this what yuh telling meh? ha! ha!

I know it is not nice to be rejected, by the Abbot so many times now, however I must laugh as this is really funny, it’s downright silly, stupid little things, I just can't believe it, then he would attend our functions, eat, drink and be merry without thanks. Well, all I can say is Cheers to him,

Adios glen.

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From: nchacha57@aol.com

Date: Sun, 23 Mar 2014 11:35:32 -0400

Glen,

The Abbot was most present for the donations in October for the 100th anniversary.

This Abbot has a problem with the Old Doys? Jimmy and Winston provided the food and drinks for the public who attended the mass for the anniversary and not one thanks were given to them.

We don't need his permission to use the Crest.  Who will he sue?

Neil

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In a message dated 3/23/2014 6:47:56 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, mckoy43glen@hotmail.com writes:

My Dear Brother, Sir Don,

I am so sorry that not one brother in Trinidad, has the faith of our Father Abbot.  

Please would someone else go and speak to the Abbot, hopefully a business man? ha! ha!

#1) The Abbey Crest T-shirts, we don't need permission.  The Abbot should be the one selling us these, hopefully a design we can live with, no problem, but we must do this officially thru the Mount. 

Now, about the Morning Mass, we are not special Christians, I agree with him.  There are three Masses, the only thing I would request, is for a couple of rows of seats, to be reserved for some visitors coming from far off lands, to visit a few ageing Monks, and would like to be able to see these Great Men Of Light, in this Great Reunion.   

Now, if we want to use any other facilities, please find out from the Abbot, how much it will cost etc. for staffing, security, for an event or so.

I feel like we are begging.  

The Abbot has a business to run, so please respect his point of view.

May God Bless Us All. 

In this Club, we were here for the First Abbot and we will be here for the Last.

I am hoping in my trust in Christ, the Abbot would reconsider our request, Long Live The Mount.  

Yours Faithfully, Glen McKoy.     (The Ox is slow but the Earth is patient). 

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Glen Mckoy

Mar 24

Dear Sirs,

Welcome to the Club, Sir Nigel. I said things about the Abbot, Jon said things, but it was after the fact of no connection or acknowledgement of who we are, Mt, St. Benedict Boys.  We grew up there for a part of our life, and it was wonderful, and we shared togetherness in the brotherhood of St. Benedict.

I can only show the highest respect for the Abbot.  

I know what is going on here, it’s a deep colonial attitude, where the Germans & Japanese learned to overcome and are now best of friends with their conquerors with forgiveness, and they also became the financial leaders of the modern world. 

Until the Russians made a move in Oct/2014.   

However in the Caribbean, they carry the baggage of the Oh Poor Me, but who's in charge now??

I guess he was not part of Fr. Cutty's Troop of Scouts, the best in the Caribbean at all times, where it was about the Troop, not about you.  

We have nothing to prove , it’s all history now, and you can check any official records, you can pretend we did not exist, bury our records, however our impact on this little island, and the entire Caribbean and other parts of the world, is unbelievable, check out this same Troop is Now, and if you were not part of this Club, you would not imagine, that such a troop still exist, Today, from so long ago, a well organize and disciplined group of gentlemen that emerged out off this Castle in the Sky, on this Island of La Trinidad.

Starting with the Spanish Governor signing over of Trinidad to the British, well in this Club, we have the Great, great, great grandsons of most of the people in that photo who were there.  

Any how we don't boost, boost to whom ha! ha! ourselves yes, we are a Secret, Scared, Circle of Knights. Only know as "The Club". 

If you know of any other West-Indian Group that is better than this, tell me, I will leave this group and join them. ha! ha! 

Life is Beautiful happy and wonderful, living is loving, number one rule in this Club- You Must Laugh, Yes we Think Big- We Don't Sweat Small Things - Forever- One-Love, Long Live The Mount, Long Live The Realm.

Long Live The Club / 1st. meeting 1944, last membership 1984, Over 300 plus active members. The Club-2014.  

Cheers Mis Amigos –

Adios Glen McKoy.    

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From: amickiew@att.net

Subject: Re: Reunion 2014 - Fr. Abbot's Attitude

Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 06:46:13 -0500

Let’s all RELAX, ACCEPT AND MOVE ON. 

Let us not allow one person to take away from what a great group of people are doing for the rest of us. 

Thanks Don and Team for your work, time and efforts.

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vcl28@aol.com

Mar 24

I am going to give you guys my position in this matter.

I am not a lawyer, but my lawyer always tells me that whatever seems unjust, or unreasonable in life probably is not lawful; It’s called natural Justice. There is also what is called precedent and common practice.

As an old boy of the Abbey school, Mount Saint Benedict, Tunapuna, Trinidad; to which end my father spent several thousand US dollars between 1958 to 1964, at that time this money could have bought a small house anywhere in the Caribbean. I have earned the right to wear the crest of that school. It was from there that I graduated and even in the most copyright regulated country in the world, no one can tell a former student of any school in the USA including Harvard not to wear the school colours or crest from which he matriculated.

I don't even know why we have to ask the Abbot's permission to wear the crest or colours of our alma mater. In view of this I am sending a special message to this Abbot, that Anthony Vieira BSC, MS MP from Guyana will be wearing his crest and the colours of his college from which he paid to attend, and from which he graduated. He is welcome to try to sue me.

I was always prompting Don Mitchell that I prefer to attend the reunion close to the college, and therefore if they have converted the seminary, the guest house and the abbey itself into a place of public accommodation, that we should stay there and in the process bring some badly needed money to the abbey, especially since it put less of an economic pressure on the old boys attending from afar.

I don't know about you guys but I will be staying with my friend Dr. Omar Khan in Valsyn North.

This ludicrous position the Abbot takes, enters the realm of the ridiculous in view of the fact that this college no longer even exists and therefore no one can place blame on the college if I did something wrong [as in peeing in public wearing those colours] since I cannot possibly embarrass or defame an entity which no longer exists.

The Abbot must be made to understand that he has no legal right to deny this small request which can have no other effect than to honour the college, and that we asked his permission only out of courtesy and we reject his position since he has no legal authority to do so. You all can of course do what you want! Me? I will do what I want! 

As far as the mass is concerned I have no problem going at 8.30 AM, if I go at all. It is with total shame that I have to report that I have not entered a church since 2007 when my mother died and before that 2005 when my father died. Because I have [COPD] congestive obstructive pulmonary disorder and it is very stressful for me to be stay for long periods, in a closed atmosphere with high levels of CO2.

On one related matter I notice that Mitchell came back from Trinidad and informed us that he will have a lunch and not a dinner but the circulated list of activities he sent out after returning from Trinidad says this "Grand Reunion Dinner (at Queen’s Park Oval) in the evening (Event Organiser, assisted by the Organising Committee). Which is it?

Tony Vieira

-----Original Message------------------------------------------------
From: Joe bermentmcdowald@yahoo.com

Sent: Mon, Mar 24, 2014 6:43 am

Subject: "It is the way of ordinary men to be violent when young, arrogant and vain when mature and greedy and deceitful when old" - - The Chinese Masters

Gentlemen,

If I really despise someone's ethics or conduct or have concerns about the means by which he would have obtained the means to become my benefactor I wouldn't accept a glass of water from him. In this context, I find the abbot's conduct strange. If he doesn't have contempt for our association he possibly has that feeling for one of some of us - - how unjust and un Christian, if there is any possibility of my being right. God knows what informs the abbot's actions. I don't know why he acts the way that he does and I am afraid to guess. I can't condemn his choice, although I have been repeatedly hurt by it. 

One of the alumni opined that he found the Abbot's acceptance of a cheque from the government on the monastery's 100 anniversary offensive - - reminiscent of the present pope's recent forceful denunciation of the Italian church's seeming ambivalence towards the mafia. I could understand why he [the old boy] found it so, however. I know from long bitter, repeated, experience that Trinbagonians seldom sufficiently, support causes that we claim ownership over. We are not a people to invest much energy and resources into organisations and organising, unless the purpose is larceny usually on a grand scale or to marginalise some other group and then only for those purposes. Seldom does anything noble move us, unless it offends our hubris. We are (by and large) a vain, arrogant, empty, greedy, feckless, people, full of talk and empty of almost everything else, unless it is to serve our narrow (especially economic and too frequently tribal) self-interest: this is why we have the under development, governance and politics that we do. Our legacy is the bankruptcy of the plantation - - all of us.

I still hope that the ASAA could serve to inspire a better way.

Sincerely,

Joe

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Ladislao Kertesz at kertesz11@yahoo.com,

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Photos:

58RB0003b3. UNKNOWN

59WV0002WVBGRP, Wayne Vincent Brown and group

60LK0014BOOK, Another book used in the 50´s

03SC2018JGOKDM, Jon Golding and Kristof de Marothy