Circular 660 Extra

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

Caracas, 30 of June 2014 No. 660 Extra

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Dear Friends,

Some more exchanges from June 9 to June 14,

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From: Justine Low

Sent: Monday, June 9, 2014 2:11 PM

Hi Don,

Please find attached all costs (transport, accommodation, tours, etc) which have been previously submitted in a budget format for easy reference.  I have also begun collecting costs for caterers in Trinidad should you like to see those as well.  Please note that all prices are in USD.

With regards to the payments, the new anti-bribery laws of Trinidad & Tobago, enforced by Central Bank, prohibit us to legally facilitate these transactions.  We have met with Republic Bank and RBC bank and they both advised that the best way to collect registration moneys would be for a private person to set up a separate PERSONAL account for which you can require TWO signatures to conduct any transaction.  Otherwise, a retail business would have to be set up to be able to facilitate this.  Registering a business for sole purpose of being able to collect moneys upfront from participants would require a lot of time, effort and cost a good penny.

Sincerely,

Justine Low

-------- Original message --------
From: Don Mitchell 

Date:09/06/2014 7:56 PM (GMT+00:00) 

Hello, Gabe, 

If I fill out my Registration Form for the Reunion, I am required by our present planning to send my registration fee of US100 with it. If you offer is still open, given the anti-money laundering rules in place throughout the West Indies, are you sure your offer to receive the fees still stands? You will have seen Shira’s and Justine’s cautions earlier today over this issue.

If your offer is still good, I am going to need your bank’s SWIFT wiring instructions to proceed. Could you please obtain the instructions and send them so we can do a dry run?

Many thanks.

Don

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On Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 9:50 AM, <vcl28@aol.com> wrote:

Cheers Father,

1. I support the decision that we are settled on the Trincitiy Holiday Inn.

2. I will support [without seeing it] the decision to use the Center Of Excellence [COE] since my investigations disclose that not doing so can expose us to many logistical problems, since other proposed accommodations do not seem to have the capacity to take off the size of banquet we have in mind more than 300, or are very expensive.  Also their cost is very reasonable.  I am hoping that with Justine's help we can come up with a cost for the entire Banquet soon.  I am thinking of asking the KAPOK to cater the event.  If Father Harold considers that the location of the COE is convenient being close to the mount where we will have the mass, then it makes our decision even more simple.

3. I support Fr. Harold's concept that the registration fee should cover everything, jerseys, financial commitment to Shira, Banner, advance Banquet fees.  It is turning out to be a complicated exercise logistically to get the commitment fee to TT.  What we don't want is to have to do it two, three times before the event actually starts.  So if we agree that it should include everything, shouldn't we do our math an see how much we will need in cash from each participant to cover all of the bases.  We should certainly continue to work on the mechanism of collection at this time; and URGENTLY come up with a legitimate amount of commitment?

4. I support the decision of a Luncheon and had in fact suggested that we vote to write this in stone before proceeding further.

5. I really can’t support the TT OBs paying 600 and the Overseas OBs paying 650.  How exactly will we be able to defend this clearly discriminatory practice to them when they find out.  After all, it just as easy to write a check for TT$650 as it is to write TT$600.  The overseas boys are staying at hotels, will have to pay to get to TT, etc.  Anyone get my meaning?  TT$50 dollars can buy them dinner on one of the nights they will be in TT. 

6. With respect Farther, I prefer Joe's plan to ask Shira Mohamed to collect the checks all in TT, make a record of the amount and from who, and either put it in her account or give them to Peter Sammy to put in the ASAA account, any disbursements will be done by check from this ASAA account, and those who must pay in US should sent their money to Gabe who has offered to help.  Father Harold can tell the ASAA what checks he needs.

7. I will like to have a decision on the location of the luncheon.  If we are agreed on the COE then the committee will have to OK it. 

I am asking Mrs. Mohamed to let us get the data we need to make the decisions we have to make more expeditiously.  I can communicate with her directly if that is OK and get the costs in.  It can be a one man show now, since we have decided on what we are doing, those are executive decisions.  We now just have to cost it out.  That's routine work.  If the necessity arises I will consult Father Harold, Joe and Don.  But frankly the data is coming in too slowly, e.g. how much will it cost to hire the chairs, the tables and the tents for the picnic on the first day at the college?  How and who will cater the food and drinks?  The final all up cost, location cost, chairs, tables, food, etc. of the luncheon?  What we have now is only the cost of renting the various locations, etc, not the entire event.

Tony

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Fr Harold:

Here are my thoughts and definitive reflections today on our reunion, which I hope will help to move things along:

I suggest that Gabe Faria collect all funds for Overseas OB's and Joe or Peter Sammy collect funds from local OB's. I also suggest that we keep the round figures of $100 US and $600 TT

I will put the brakes on the donation of the Abbey School Banners until I am sure that we are having a minimum of 100 Local and Overseas OB's.

I am sure that Ron Hadeed awaits some firm and clear commitment from both local and overseas OB's before moving ahead with the printing of Polos, which he would never want to remain on his hands, therefore his final Retail price will be Cost plus a small mark up to be donated to this Reunion Event's expenses.  This Polo Fee will be extra to the registration fee.  (Local to be paid to Joe or Peter and the overseas to Gabe)

I would like the assurance that the US and Local Registration Fees are inclusive of Shira's and Justine's fees (which I asked for on May 25th).

It does seem as if the Holiday Inn Express is the preferred accommodation, because of its nearness to the Mount, the Airport and the Trinicity Mall and that Group Rates are being asked for?

My suggestion of a Luncheon at the Centre of Excellence was for 2 main reasons:

1) because I cannot see any Abbey School Reunion without the presence of the Abbot and the remaining known monk Staff members like Fr. Cuthbert, Fr. Augustine and Bro. Rupert (please fill in any others I may have omitted) for

2) Since the Monks have Sunday Vespers at 3pm and Night Prayer at 6pm, I see it as impractical to invite them to a Dinner Banquet at a Hotel in Port of Spain.  Hence the nearby Centre for Excellence for a Lunch or even a Brunch after the 8:30am Abbey Mass in the Abbey Church.  If we have no more than 150 participants, the Seminary Dining Room might be a possibility, although I notice from the Seminary Calendar that October is fast filling up on its weekends and may well have already been filled up at this stage.  Unless there's another Banquet/Dining Room faciltiy that's near to the Monastery?  Then, we may have to choose the Centre for Excellence.

Unless I hear otherwise by Wednesday 18th June, 2014, I will cancel the printing of the banners, and cover myself whatever cost they may incur, since I had already sent the photographs of the Abbey School and Crest to them.

Thanks,

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On Thu, Jun 12, 2014 at 7:12 AM, Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Dear all,

I do not believe that the Organising Committee has any real Chairman or even any real existence. If anything, it is a sort of self-organising sub-committee of the ASAA Board.  Whatever procedure the Board of ASAA considers is appropriate will, I am confident, be fine with me and the other members of the Organising Committee. Joe should therefore consult with the Board and with Peter and agree the procedures.

Don

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From: Peter Sammy

Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2014 6:13 AM

I need for there to be agreements, who are the members of the organizing committee for this event?  Have they agreed to the procedure and who is the chairperson of that committee?  I do not think that it is wise for me to be taking instruction from more than one person on disbursements.  I also need clear instruction from the Board of ASAA on the procedures to be followed for collection and authorization of disbursements since we will be mixing funds from a "private" event organized by Old Boys with the funds of ASAA.  I would remind all that based on the email trail, the Board Members of ASAA do not seem to be part of the Core Organizing Committee for this event.  Your email states that we simply send all of the collected money to Ms. Mohammed and she pays bills as needed.  I suppose that she will also be responsible for the accounts for it.  If that is the case, then she should collect the money directly.  Since it is in TT$, the previous issue of restrictions may not occur.

Peter Sammy

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Don Mitchell

Jun 14

Hi, Joe,

So far as I know the Association is not involved in making any arrangement with Mrs Mohammed.  I do not believe that it would be beneficial for you to be encouraging anyone to consider Mrs Mohammed ‘s company to be contracting with the Association.  It was a small committee consisting of myself, Fr Harold, and Jimmy who met with the two representatives.  We had no authority to bind the Association.  We engaged them to begin working on the Reunion on the basis that they would after a few weeks to familiarise themselves with the scope of work inform us how they would charge.  It was then for us to decide whether we considered their proposal one that we could recommend to the Association’s Board.  To this date, despite many promptings, they have not come back to us with any formula.  As I indicated to you yesterday, I had, before receiving your caution not to discuss fees with them, encouraged them to submit a proposal that they would charge 30% of all Registration Fees.  I thought that if we had 200 registrations, that would produce a reasonable fee.  I still have not had a response.

I am now back in my computer room, and I am turning on my Skype for a few minutes in case anyone wants to talk.

Don

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Joe

Jun 14

Dear Anthony,

My present circumstances do not afford me the time to do such detailed planning. I am hoping that Don, you, the planners (event managers) and others among the alumni (whose present circumstances will allow) will come together to do just that.

Just keeping on top of the correspondence is taxing. 

Sincerely,

Joe

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From: vcl28@aol.com

Date: Sat, 14 Jun 2014 10:14:30 -0400 (EDT)

Cheers all,

I think that what you have written below is crucial to the meeting Joe, and I have tried to push Justine to deliver [without success] so far in order that I can come to this meeting with a legitimate first draft of the total budget for the entire event.  Whatever you guys can do to help push this along will be most welcome.  She does not have to compile anything, I will.  All she has to do is to send me the costs as she receives them, and I will compile it and produce a total cost for the events, which we can consider at the meeting.  

Here is what I need to get a legitimate idea of the final costs for all the events of this reunion.

1. How much will it cost to acquire tents, chairs, tables, small address system [to make welcome speeches etc.] for the Picnic at the Mount?  People who provide light lunches charge X or Y dollars per box.  If you tell them that they will have exclusive rights to sell their food to 300-400 people for cash they will come without a commitment fee.  People who manufacture drinks also do this for free if you tell them that we will give them exclusive rights to sell their drinks at the picnic.  Eg, ask the people in TT who manufacture Coke or Pepsi, to set up your drinks bar to sell exclusively beer, rum, wine, vodka at the Picnic?  Let’s just be sure that if we tell them 300-400 people, they show up.

2. The Center of Excellence [COE] and the luncheon:- We know next to nothing about the costs of this.  We have a price of around $2100 US for the rental of the hall.  Now we have to add 300-400 chairs to that cost, tables, cutlery, dinnerware and the food [Buffet] to get a proper total estimate.  The COE supplies drinks, but you have to pay cash for it.  That is in keeping with our philosophy for this event which is to pay as you go.  It’s the philosophy I am pursuing at all times.  But expect US$6-10,000 all up cost for this event.  It’s not a bad price, but 350 OBs and spouses must turn up to this luncheon.  If they do that it will only be $17.00-$28.00 US each x 6.43TT to US = $184 TT each.  As far as possible I am quoting everything in TT dollars.  Converted at $6.43-1 if that is OK.

Then we have to know what the policy of each provider is 30% 40% etc. of the final estimated cost.  Which you will have to pay from the commitment fee you will collect.  So it’s of very significant interest to you.  This is certainly going to be the major expenditure of the entire event.

3. The hotel accommodation costs are just for the overseas OBs, and need not form part of ASAA's budget.  But we do however have to acquire the best deal for them.  I can stay at Dr. Omar Khan but I want to be with the OBs.  When I get there I am hoping to get you and or Father Harold to go with me to the hotels both Regency [just in case we can’t get a proper deal from Holiday inn] and the Holiday Inn, perhaps even on the same day after the lunch and check it out first hand.  [I like the food at KAPOK by the way, in case I have a say, as the guest]  Or I can go the next day with Mrs. Khan.

4. Cost of the Event Organizers, assuming that they can perform.  I have serious reservations, Joe, and if they don't substantially fill my list of costs above before next Wednesday, I am going to be forced to recommend that we find someone else.

Everything else is pretty cut and dried, transportation costs to and from events, the various tours etc.  

Tony

-----Original Message-----

From: Joe bermentmcdowald@yahoo.com

Sent: Sat, Jun 14, 2014 9:18 am

Don,

As I have opined previously, what we need is a proper budget before you agree to anything.  Shouldn't the preparation of such amongst the responsibilities of the event planner?  Seems to me that there needs to be a written agreement on duties and responsibilities, before they are engaged.

If the ASAA is to be financially involved in any way, it would be important to our discussion that we be presented with a budget that is highly developed and detailed based on a conservative estimate of income and expenditure before next Thursday's meeting.  Can you, Justine and Tony arrange this?

Sincerely,

Joe

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Now for the photos, remember that you can send them to me to be published.

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Photos:

08MP0032NSA. Norman Sabga and unknown

07LK3739GRP, dinner in Caracas

60UN0001STANTHONY, parade

57RB0002a1, Manuel Prada and unknown