Circular No 651

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

Caracas, 26 of April 2014 No. 651

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Dear Friends,

I have taken the liberty to send out a conversation between Don Mitchell and Tony Vieira, because most of us do not realize the details that it takes assure a successful gathering.

The Circular has had no meaningful news from the ASAA in relation as to pre preparation for this event which I am sure you would like to participate and collaborate.

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The fifth part of REUNION AGENDA AND EXCHANGES -  26 March

An interesting list of organizational questions and suggestions by Tony Vieira.

From: vcl28@aol.com

Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 9:24 AM

Don,

A few observations on the operating of the organizing committee; first of all we need to identify again who is on the this committee; then we should let the committee make some of the decisions you give them the facts at your disposal and let them guide you, I advise this since it is for your own protection, because this will be several people advising you what to do, that way if anything fails the entire committee will be blamed and not just you.

1. I think that you should give more details about Michael Howard's boat trip. I don't know what it is all about, and neither may the other old boys. Personally I would much prefer the boat trip to walking all over POS since I have seen it recently and I don't like walking that much, for that long, any more. In fact, I am hoping that at some point we should have a more complete description of each event even with pictures etc. So that the OBs will have a comprehensive understanding of what we are planning each event to be, did you discuss this with Ms. Mohamed?

2. The other comment I have is that given the accommodation you are recommending, the OBs will be scattered too widely to be organized properly, you should concentrate them in a more central location since this will be a nightmare to organize and to mobilize them to the different activities. If you are planning to have an attendance of 250 overseas old boys [a very optimistic assessment] lets first find out what is the capacity to accommodate them at the various locations, so the first question is this "what is the capacity of the 3 accommodations on the mount? the Abbey, the Guest House and the seminary?" as I have explained several times before if we are all together in one location it would be easier to organize and control the mobilization to each event. Are you still pursuing the line that it is the responsibility of the OBs to get to each function on their own? Rather than us contracting some buses to do it, making it much less expensive and very much more manageable?

3. You did not say if the accommodations at the Mount could accept credit card payments, this is important since the overseas old boys should know if they have to walk with cash. Did you find out? Also a lot of the necessities for a successful reunion is missing at the mount accommodations, all of them, the pool side where the OBs can lime, the bar in the hotel where the OBs could assemble to have a few, in the evenings etc. how do we fill this need if we opt to stay at the mount [even if it is their preference] or do we simple ask a hotel what their deal would be for 250 boys sometime in early October. I was hoping that this was what you are going to TT to do.

4. Will the organizer, Ms. Mohamed, as I have recommended before, give us a costing of attending each event planned. and if she is, have you considered some sort of chit system for attending the various events? i.e. that on signing in the OBs will be required to pay through a chit system for each event they intend to attend from the various events planned including the Luncheon?  I am taking the lead here from what I see when I visit Disney and Boat Cruises with my kids and it works quite well, so that having bought these chits when checking into the accommodation, each person participating can decide which event he/she wants to participate in an buy a chit for transporting them to and from of the event plus and any other costs that may be involved? that way, no one leaves owing for events participated in but not paid for.

5. Will Ms. Mohamed prepare some sort of budget for this entire reunion, sorted by event so that each OB will know before he leaves his home overseas for TT what this could cost?

6. From your email I see that minutes of meetings you held in Trinidad will be circulated, when will that be? since I have the impression that its overdue now, but what sort of minutes will it be? I am not so much in favor of circulating these minutes far and wide, I thought that you would circulate the minutes on fact finding trip to TT among the organizing committee, which will lead to the decisions about what we are going to be doing at this reunion, where the OBs will stay costs etc and then circulate the decisions made regarding this event to the wider membership, this does not mean for example we are precluded from asking the wider membership their preferences about specific matters on which we as a committee need clarification, and it has already begun to happen this involvement of the wider membership in matters which should not be of concern to them Fr. Harold's email for example, it was circulated far and wide and turned everyone off, if you have an organizing committee, shouldn't father Harold's email have been sent to you and then you in turn ask your committee members what they thought? In the end the matter was resolved without all of the rancour which I saw the OBs levelling against the Abbot, whatever the justification; but was it necessary that a matter which was so inconsequential was allowed to explode into such a huge furore?

7. If the Mount cannot accommodate 250 OBs then we have to have identify the next best accommodation close by where the rest of the group will be, and they will all stay there, I firmly believe that staying together the old boys will mingle more and have a much better reunion is there any sort of arrangement in place to have a bar at the mount accommodation if we decide to stay there? or someplace where we can assemble to have a few? Did you get the per diem cost for the various accommodations [Mount, hotels etc.] including meals? I don't get the impression that you decided to ask the Hilton for example if they got 200 OBs in October this year what they would offer as a deal? Early registration and payment of the US$100.00 participating fee. this US$100 fee is non-refundable, correct? and it will be used to pay the organizers, videographer [?] etc. none of it will be used to attend the functions. I think that you should say so.

    As if to reinforce what I am saying [since I wrote this some days ago buy was deciding if I should send it] I see an email from you asking the general membership if they would prefer a dinner or a luncheon, Don you have a committee you should use it, and if we cannot come to some consensus then we put it to the general OBs. I know the answer already some of these guys are bringing their wives to attend what they think will be a grand BALL they agreed on that before, introducing this now will add more confusion to an already confused situation.

   I know that you have given up a lot to spearhead this reunion and frankly I commend you for it since I would never be able to do something like this at this time, so the last thing I want to do is to piss you off, but you have a committee so let us help you to assemble the data and make recommendations as to the best options.

I may have more thoughts when I see the minute of your meet in TT.

Tony Vieira

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From: Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>
Sent: Wed, Mar 26, 2014 1:38 pm

Hi, Tony,

I’m not replying to all copyees, as it is too much confusion and no good will come of it.

I am happy to send the minutes, and they are attached, though you will see why as I explained they are not of much use to someone who was not present.

But, I did send you the last update. That is the document you are commenting on. I assure you that you are sent every update. This one is attached again.

For the rest of the detail, let us wait on the work product that Justine is working on. No point us stabbing blindly in the dark.

All the best,

Don

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From: Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

To: vcl28 <vcl28@aol.com>

Sent: Wed, Mar 26, 2014 6:43 pm

The problem with accommodation is a continuing worry to me. Everything depends on whether the Abbot will permit it. Shira will, with Fr Harold’s help, do her best. If that does not work out, she will advise on other, suitable accommodation nearby that we don’t even know about yet. I stayed in an inexpensive guest house in St Augustine once for a conference at the University, and the only problem I had with it was the proprietors did not permit alcohol on the premises!!

Don

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From: vcl28@aol.com

Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2014 5:35 PM

Thanks, Don

   Frankly I understand it completely. It’s a good plan very much what we agreed. I see that transport to and from events and a chit system to pay for each event is going to be put in place.

  I especially like the doubles for lunch on the first day. Do you see the boat trip and the walk around POS as being together or separate events? some off to the boat trip, and some off to the walk around POS? I believe that they are separate operations. And from what Golding says I am opting for that boat trip, apparently it’s incredible. You chaps can sweat it out walking all around Fredrick Street.

   I see that we will probably be staying at the Mount, and that father Harold will tell us how many of us the facilities will accommodate and the probable cost, but what is this special permission needed to occupy the accommodation from Wednesday? This is a new element which I had not factored in, have you? Suppose this uncooperative Abbot says no! Then what? And this time he may have a legitimate explanation since if their operations are set up to function from Friday to Monday, his staff would be tied to these days and probably be working somewhere else during the rest of the week and he may not have people to man the operation Wednesday and Thursday. Father Harold must work quickly since this is the cornerstone of all of our plans.

   When we see the answers to the costs of the luncheon v the dinner/ball and the mass at 10.30 am, we will know if we should opt for a lunch or a dinner. But we should get the quotation for both. I see Nigel suggesting some very ambitious plans for the mass and he's not even attending.

   Kapok is in POS and has excellent food, best Taiwanese restaurant in Trinidad, it’s close to the Queens Park oval I stayed there once with my dad when he was sick and I took him to see a haematologist, I also ate there on numerous occasions one time Ken Gordon took me to lunch there, it has around 30-50 rooms totally inappropriate for us as accommodation though, I see Glen mc Koy already dribbling all over it.

Tony

-----Original Message----- 

From: vcl28@aol.com

Sent:  Wednesday, March 26, 2014 11:52 AM

I did not receive the minutes. Could you send it to me please, or could Ms. Justine Low do it as soon as possible. I have tried to address my thoughts to your email below in red to each point.

   Don, Remember that at all times I am trying to help, I am not trying to disrupt, but like you I am mostly retired and so I am in a position to give this more thought that the normal guy struggling with a job. It is not helpful if you don't send me your updates. so that I can advise you.

Tony Vieira

-----Original Message-------------------------------------------------------
From: Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

Sent: Wed, Mar 26, 2014 9:36 am

Hi, Tony,

All very sensible points, but let me try to explain. 

The committee is a virtual one rather than a real one.  As with everything we do, its membership varies from day to day and week to week, depending on who is available.  You and I were the committee at one time.  Then, it expanded to include all the Trinidadian alumni who were able to attend the organisational meeting on my second day in Port of Spain.  Now that we have handed over the management of this project to Mrs Mohammed and Justine, I consider that she is the real management committee.  The rest of us are advising her and waiting for her advice to decide what to do about the various ideas we have thrown at her and Justine. I see this as a monstrous problem rather than a solution. I am aware that the TT boys got involved when you visited TT, but our committee has to ensure that the overseas OBs have a good reunion and not one riddled with problems and expenses. Since I have not yet seen your minute of the meeting in TT, I do not know if you handled the problems I outlined in my previous email as to the difficulties which I see looming here, with transportation, budgeting etc being at the head of the list. That is why you have a committee in which there are overseas OBs, it is to make certain decisions which will accommodate them! Since they will have special problems and needs over and above the TT OBs. so I see this as two completely different matters. 1. the reunion for all attending, and 2. the reunion bringing the OBs from overseas, in addition the organizer is executing our wishes and this plan you have seems to me to be excluding us from giving our concepts and letting them tell us which are workable and which are not, and most importantly costing it out for us, we may end up with a reunion which may not work for the OBs from overseas, because it’s too expensive.. So I have a few questions for Ms Mohamed, for now I will assume that the persons to which this is copied are the rest of your committee subject to what the others say.

1. Will we be organizing transportation to each event for the OBs, or will they be responsible for their own transport in TT, which is not notorious for the ease of getting a taxi.

2. Where will we seek to accommodate the Obs at the mount [cheap but not conducive to having the type of togetherness required in this sort of reunion] poolside liming, bar in the hotel etc.

3. Since the Abbott has decided to be non cooperative, my original suggestion that we use the rest houses located at the mount to give them badly needed revenue, is no longer a primary consideration, so now we have to decide on the best place including the economics of doing it, to this end we have we asked two or three hotels to give us a package deal on accommodating 250 OBs in the first week of October 2014?  

The emails I send out are meant to be nothing more than stimuli. They are meant to keep the alumni on the topic of thinking about the Reunion, and planning to attend. They are not meant to be definitive about anything. Don, how can this be helpful? This is the sure path to confusion. A concept of not being definite about anything is by itself a tip to the sort of confusion this can cause us. We must make decisions based on the economics of the situation and the convenience it will bring to the OBs attending, and send out those decisions to the general membership, not more questions.

I have the minutes, but I incorporated the most important parts in the last update I sent out. I did not mean to circulate the actual minutes, since, as they are bullet-points rather than text, they may not mean much to those who did not attend the meeting. I did not get the last update you sent out! perhaps that why I have more questions than answers. I would like to see the minutes though can someone send it to me?

I have now learned from Fr Harold that the last Mass at the Abbey is at 8:30am. Heaven knows why it is so early. I would imagine that most hard-working Catholics would just be waking up at that time on their Sunday off from work. However, that time puts paid to my suggestion that we have a Lunch after Mass. Mass will end about 9:30. Fr Harold has come up with the suggestion that we go on to a Brunch after Mass. That is certainly a possibility. On the other hand, we may go back to a Dinner. We only changed from a Dinner to Lunch because if we could have had a Mass at 10:30 that would give us time to assemble at the venue. Since there will be no Mass at 10:30, there seems no point in having a Lunch. This may not necessarily be so. [see below] Normally this would be a small issue not even worth considering but it creates a big problem, what do we do between say 9.30 am to 7 PM when the dinner begins. if we were lodged at a hotel we could lounge around the pool etc. but we had decided on this mass as an item on the agenda when we decided that we would use the Facilities on the mountain to accommodate us, if we stay at a hotel in the city, how will be get to this mass? it’s something we will have to consider. So first of all we would like to know from Mss Mohamed and Low what facilities exist at the three locations at the mount bar etc. or what we can ask to be installed there and how much it will cost, accommodation and meals etc, and especially how many OBs it can accommodate in total? then we have to have quotes from some hotels telling us that during the first week in October 2014 the cost of a package deal for 100 OBs will be W; for 150 boys it will be X: for 200 boys be will be Y and for 250 OBs it will be Z!

Mrs Mohammed and Justine are working on costs. We will decide at some point which events the attendees will bring cash, and which will be pre-paid. Her recommendation is that for the assistance of the caterers it would be preferable to have as much as possible registered for and pre-paid. This is consistent with what we agreed. But other decisions are being made before we get to the costs to decide on what we will do. That can’t be a reasonable or logical way to proceed, our decisions have to be made in a sequence, we offer a suggestion we get a cost and we decide if we will go ahead with that plan or go on to something else, for example the dinner/ball v the Luncheon. Before we decide which we must have the cost of these two options. secondly If we are staying at the accommodations on the hill, the luncheon now seems to me to be a better option, i.e. we go to the mass at 8.30 AM after which we leave the hill around 11 am and go to the luncheon in POS, we eat, drink, talk, lime, then wander around the hotel where the luncheon is being held until evening 6-7 PM when we jump into the buses and go back to the hill. It’s neater and uses the time better. so you see we need more answers before we make our decisions and the organizer won´t be able to decide on these alternatives for us and so before we ask the OBs what they think, we should present them with more data and the full impact of the difference of utilization of time between the two times, before they can make an informed decision as to which [we] they want. So after arguing with myself here I see that we have to resolve the problem of accommodation first! Then we can make intelligent decisions about the other things. And to repeat as far as is humanly possible, not to end up with a disaster, the Overseas OBs must stay at one primary place. If we accept that then we have to decide where! Once we have made those decisions we can then decide other things and fine tune the list of activities.

Hope that helps to clarify. 

Hope that helps to clarify.

Off to school now.

Don

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Photos:

6003 East St. George Sports Event p01

03SC0013EDIMSB, Vehicle repair and bakery

07RE0146GRP,  Reunion 2007

08DM5200REUNION2008,  Reunion 2008