Circular No 663 Extra Extra

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

Caracas, 24 of July 2014 No. 663 extra extra

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Dear Friends,

Here I include the rundown of the few remaining emails of the Reunion 2014 effort. The emails included are from the July 2 to July 10.

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Kazim Abasali

Jul 10

Father Harold, thank you for your planning foresight and now acquired experience.  I trust you will continue to serve the Boys with your 'expertise'.  As Tony shared, let us get some consensus.  However, our last attempt at hosting our Grand Reunion has to go down as our Grand attempt to reconnect.  And, we must be patient and tolerant as we continue to persevere to our shared goal again.

Blessings to all of you my Mount Brothers and family.......Kaz

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Father Harold Imamshah

 Jul 9

Congratulations to Argentina and thank you to the Netherlands as we remember our dear Dutch monks.

Look at the attached photo and see the Dutch player in the middle, having just kicked the ball; he is Ron Vlaar, nephew of our dear former Principal, Abbot Bernard Vlaar.

In reply to Tony's caution to do the research and see when are the big events in Trinidad and Tobago in 2015.  I have been helping to plan a Priests' Conference in Tobago at the end of this month.  The very week that we had chosen begins with the Tobago Heritage Festival and ends with a Public Holiday, Emancipation Day!  Thank God we had booked the Retreat House, we are using, a whole year ago and booked our Tobago flights ahead of time as well as seats on the Tobago Ferry, so that we could transport our vehicles!  Believe me, each event can swallow up precious Hotel rooms, much needed transportation, Banquet space etc;  not to mention the effect on Prices of Facilities etc.

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vcl28@aol.com

Jul 9

To keep it alive, you have to open the email list to include everyone, and ask the question:

1. If they want it? and

2. What would be the best time?

Clearly we can’t have it during the height of the tourist season, so we have to opt for a time when the season is off, and flight and hotel prices are at the lowest so that we can negotiate better deals, also we have to pick times when there are no big events in TT on the date we pick.

That we can research.  But ask them, let’s see their reaction.

Tony

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Kazim Abasali

Jul 9

We all are keeping the dream and the Reunion alive, Don.

Let us decide when next year and continue planning while the iron is hot......

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Don Mitchell

Jul 9

Thanks, Kazim. 

That’s wonderful.  Hopefully, it will keep the dream alive.

Don

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Kazim Abasali

 Jul 9

Fr Harold, I created a pdf file from Tony's PowerPoint presentation.  It is easier to share.  I have shared the link from my Dropbox account of the pdf file on our MSB Facebook Group. 

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On Wed, Jul 9, 2014 at 4:45 AM, Father Harold Imamshah <frharold12@gmail.com> wrote:

Hi Kazim, 

Perhaps you can put the attached powerpoint presentation by Tony Vieria on the Mount Facebook Page.

thanks, 

humbly,

Fr. Harold

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Don Mitchell

Jul 7

Hi, Joe,

No need to contact Tony.  He is clear where he is. 

There is no way that the type of Reunion we planned can take place this year.  I am not particularly interested in motivating the younger generation, for this reason:  They will come for the lime with little or no encouragement.  It is the 150 – 200 overseas alumni that I was really working to attract. 

The machinery that Gabe has now helped us put in place was needed back in April, but our Event Organiser took two months to tell us that she could not do it.  It is now July, and we have lost the opportunity.

We cannot expect people overseas to drop everything at the last moment and fly to Trinidad for a couple of weeks (few of them will, for obvious reasons, come for only the 4 days).  They need several months, perhaps a year, to plan such an expedition.  If we start now, we may just perhaps be able to squeeze it in after Carnival next year. 

But, if Winston should be able to get the younger ones interested in a more impromptu Reunion in October of this year, I shall be there.

Keep well.

Don

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Don Mitchell

Jul 7

Dear Joe,

In view of your last to me below, which suggests that there is still hope for a smaller more impromptu Reunion in October, I have revised my suggested communiqué (mainly targeted to the overseas alumni) as follows.  I’ll send it out later today, if there are no suggested improvements, when I am back from the Legal Aid Clinic, and once more in my wi-fi area:

“Dear All,

Things have not come together for the planned Grand Reunion in October.  We have been let down by two Event Organisers who have not helped us do the organising in time.  It is now too late to make the final arrangements and to give you enough time to plan for travel to Trinidad and to register for the event in October.  We will have to consider rearranging the Grand Reunion for another time. 

Meanwhile, the Trinidad Organising Committee are still considering putting on a more impromptu, informal Reunion this year, and I shall attend it if at all possible.  I’ll keep you informed as news comes to hand, and hopefully, a few of you may be able to make it.

So sorry for the dashing of hopes and plans.

Don”

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Dear Don,

I was wondering if Tony was still committed to applying some of that zeal and energy to the process.  I suggest that you ask him where he is at. 

I would suggest that you and he both set a date to visit Trinidad and have Ladislao come across at the same time for a meeting (over two days) which must include Fr. Harold and Winston.

If we hype it up enough we should get sufficient commitments of help to make it possible and take along the generality of the alumni with us.

Amongst us there should be sufficient information to settle on the execution.

We have to find a way to get the younger generations interested and excited.

Publicity?

Joe

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Don Mitchell

Jul 6

Hello, Joe,

Any thoughts on what is the best way forward?  I want today or tomorrow to tell especially the offshore alumni that the Reunion is cancelled for now.  I was thinking of circulating something along the following lines:

Dear All,

Things have not come together.  We have been let down by two Event Organisers who have not helped us do much organising.  It is now too late to make the final arrangements and give you enough time to register for October.  We will have to consider rearranging this for 2015.

So sorry for the dashing of hopes.

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Joe

Jul 6

From: Father Harold Imamshah

Sent: Saturday, July 5, 2014 9:27 PM

Subject: Re: Ladislao's Circulars

Is someone going to inform Abbot John of the cancellation of Reunion 2014 and therefore we would not be attending the 8:30am Mass of Sun 19th Oct?

Thanks,

Fr. Harold

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Dear all,

Tony Vieira, Fr Harold and I have been waiting patiently for word on your intentions to continue the Reunion after Winston put us on hold over our inability to agree with what he was doing to reorganise the October Reunion without any involvement or consultation.  But, nothing is forthcoming.

We lost two months (April and May) with our first Event Organiser messing us about.  Our second attempt at an Event Organiser has not materialised.  Two more months are passing (June and July).  I am concerned that there is not sufficient time to allow the overseas alumni to register.  Winston has even hinted to me that he does not believe the Trinidadian alumni will want to register, they will want just to turn up to the Luncheon.

In the circumstances, might it not be better to call the whole thing off until we have a better plan?  Say, April or May of next year?

Sincerely,

Don

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On Wed, Jul 2, 2014 at 5:03 AM,

Father Harold Imamshah <frharold12@gmail.com> wrote:

Ever since I myself recommended the Seminary, I never could understand what the negativism against the seminary could be.  I recommended it based on the fact that I knew of its upgrade and after I spent a week there myself, I experienced the cuisine and saw for myself the dining room with the capacity of 64 and the other long room.

After Winston sent the pictures, I ran into the Manageress who is a Parishioner of mine and I asked of the total capacity of the 2 rooms which are next to each other, separated only by the serving area and together we were able to fit 200 people and she told me that they have done it before.  The rooms can be adapted and rearranged to suit the particular event/activity using the outdoor and indoor space next to each room to enlarge its capacity if needed.

I hope this helps.

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On Wed, Jul 2, 2014 at 1:58 AM, <vcl28@aol.com> wrote:

Don, Father Harold,

I was just going over the pictures Winston sent to us alleging that there are conference facilities for 150 people and eating accommodations for 150 people, something just did not seem right to me about it so I took another look. so let’s look at the three pictures [we are of course not interested in conference facilities] just the dining room

The picture labelled dining room seminary shows 8 tables with 8 persons per table, a tight fit but that is 64 chairs and therefore 64 people.

Does this dining area appear to you to be capable of accommodating 150 people?  It only has seating for 64.  Where do the other 86 people sit?

And just to make the point, does the conference room in "conference hall" photo look like it can hold 150 people?  I see around 24 seats.  Is this guy so perverse that he could lie to us like this?

Just to be accurate let’s look at this last picture I have named "blank space".  This is not a conference hall.  It looks like some sort of small auditorium.  I count around 40-50 chairs in stacks.  When set up as a theatre layout, with chars lined up parallel to each other, that again is only 40-50 people.

Where is this dining area [which is what we are most interested in] with 150 seats for the sit down lunch?  Are we going to have our lunch in three separate rooms?  That would be ludicrous.

Could we find out by tomorrow AM because if this chap is manufacturing information to support his point?  Whatever that may be, we should not let him get away with that.

Tony 

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Photos:

6003 East St. George Sports Event p19

13JC0001JCA, Jerry Campbell

08SA0230SAC, Stanley Achong

13AR0001ARO, Allan Romeo