Circular No 1046

 

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

Caracas, 22 February of 2022. No. 1046

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Dear Friends,

Continuing our story:

OUR PLAYS AT AS-MSB: "A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS" IN 1963? ===> THE CAST

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GEORGE MICKIEWICZ <amickiew@att.net>

Mon, Jan 24

Thanks, Gwen, for sharing your recollection of the “girls” in the convent. 

Gwen is a sister of Howard Ho who was a dayboy classmate of Michael de Verteuil.

How about coincidences, probabilities and possibilities:

From a group of 11 “girls and boys” in a play:

1 became a priest: Michael de Verteuil then is today Monsignor de Verteuil…….to my knowledge, the only non-seminarian who attended our school and then followed the calling to actually become a priest after his graduation.

Another became a nun: Phyllis Warfe then became Sister Phyllis Warfe (RIP 2019)  Sr. Phyllis Wharfe – Clark & Battoo Ltd (clarkandbattoo.com)

Gwen is also correct in that Meiling Achong went on to become a famous dress designer in Trinidad. Meiling, The Designer Icon for Bridal 2017 | (wordpress.com)

The other stars in the cast (info extracted from the AS-MSB database):

Richard Clerk – doctor in Trinidad

Rafael Echeverria – lawyer in Miami

J. Fernandez – lives in USA

Peter Tang – lives in Trinidad

Don Mitchell - retired judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme court living in St. Lucia.  Don posts the Circulars published by Ladislao via his blog…thank you so much, Don.  [Note for correction, Don lived very briefly, for about 3 months, in St Lucia when he served there as an acting Judge.  Other than for 4 years when he lived in St Vincent and Antigua, when he was serving as a full-time Judge, he has always, since 1976, lived in Anguilla. Ed]

Allan Apo – living in USA

Michael Azar – Lives and owns an ice cream parlor in Portland, Oregon, USA.

Robert Azar – RIP December 2020

Looking forward to reading about your related memories and reflections.

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Sun, Jan 23

Hello all,

Re the St. Joseph Convent participants - 

I heard that Phyllis Warfe began a nun, not sure if she is deceased or not. 

Meiling Achong had her own dress making shop ?? and not sure where Annette Rostant is. 

Left convent in 1961 and been out of Trinidad since 1968.  - 

St. Joseph Convent has again provided for the female character.

Alice, More´s wife, is played by A. Rostant; the woman, by P. Warfe; and Meg, More´s daughter by M. Achong.

George it's good that you are reminiscing about your time in Trinidad.

Happy and peaceful Sunday all, 

Gwen

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Priscilla Cunningham <trinipila@gmail.com>

Tue, Jan 25

It appears that Priscilla Farfan did not take part PeeeCeee confirms that in this production per your note below.

Not sure where Annette Rostant is. 

I want to say, but not sure, that Annette Rostant married an Aviation Captain, something Thomson.

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De: Annabella Johnson amjohnson@caribsurf.com

Enviado el: Monday, January 24, 2022

Hello all,

Re the St. Joseph Convent participants - 

I heard that Phyllis Warfe began a nun, not sure if she is deceased or not. 

Meiling Achong had her own dress making shop ??

and not sure where Annette Rostant is. 

Left convent in 1961 and been out of Trinidad since 1968.  - 

St. Joseph Convent has again provided for the female character.

Alice, Moore´s wife, is played by A. Rostant; the woman, by P. Warfe; and Meg, More´s daughter by M. Achong.

Priscilla and I were not in a play at MSB. 

I do remember Meiling Achong who is a well known clothing designer and has a boutique and Annette Rostant at St. Joseph’s Convent, St. Joseph. 

If I remember correctly, Annette was in the choir and lived in Maracas Valley. 

I did not know that they were in the play at MSB.

Our nuns were strict. 

One time Priscilla climbed over the Convent school gate and she got into trouble.

George it's good that you are reminiscing about your time in Trinidad.

Happy and peaceful Sunday all, 

Gwen

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Anthony Amos Lucky, taken from the TRINIDAD EXPRESS  [No author appeared in the heading.]

For retired Court of Appeal judge Anthony Amos Lucky, the 50th anniversary of Trinidad and Tobago's Independence this year held greater significance.

He was awarded a Chaconia Medal (Gold) for long and meritorious service to this country.

However, he was also celebrating his 50th anniversary of being called to the Bar as an attorney in T&T.

Lucky served as a magistrate for ten years before being appointed a judge of the High Court, where he served for 16 years, with the last three being at the Court of Appeal.

He resigned in 2003 to take up an appointment as a judge of the United Nations International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, based in Hamburg, Germany.

"In that court I have served as the president of the Environmental Chamber Court for three years and then last year I was elected for another three years," Lucky said.

"In June 2011, I was elected for another nine years at the meeting of 162 member states.

Of the 147 states qualified to vote, I received 142 votes, which was the second highest amount, with the other person receiving 143."

Asked if this signalled a vote of confidence in his work, Lucky told the Express in a telephone interview yesterday that he believes so.

"It says that the international community accepted what I had to say when I wrote my judgments, especially in the judgments where I proffered separate opinions and ones of dissent.

"I was interviewed by over 100 countries before the elections.

They would look into your work to see what you have done and further, they would look to see what contribution you made."

Lucky has presented papers at major international gatherings in several parts of the world, including Beijing in China, the United States of America, and Argentina, on the contribution of Trinidad and Tobago in the development of the Law of the Sea and in the areas of exploration and exploitation.

"Trinidad and Tobago's flag is flying in all these countries."

Lucky has also had stints as corporate secretary at Royal Bank (now RBC Royal Bank) and lecturing at the Hugh Wooding Law School in Company Law and Legislative Law and Drafting.

He has also served on several committees, including as president of the Scout Association of Trinidad and Tobago.

He said the major challenge he has faced in the recent past arose while working at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

"There are 21 of us and each one from a different country with each one speaking a different language.

The two languages in the court are English and French.

But being able to fit in and work together with all these brilliant minds was a challenge, sitting and talking to them and having legal discussions and discussions in general.

"The challenge is, and I say it to all young lawyers or anyone in whatever field, to aim for excellence.

It doesn't come overnight.

You have to work at it."

Asked about what can be done to improve the administration of justice in Trinidad and Tobago, Lucky said he is now seeing moves to implement suggestions made while he was a member of the local Bench.

"I remember making a statement which was initially criticised.

It (the administration of justice) can be improved and it is improving.

But we all have to remember that in Trinidad and Tobago, people are litigious by nature and it's like the Pitch Lake.

The more you take out...you finish about ten cases and then 20 are filed.

"I have noticed moves, and there has been talk, to abolish jury trials.

It has been abolished in Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia, Nigeria in all the African states and most of the Asian states (and) Australia.

It does put a strain on the judge.

Sometimes you see how long it takes to even select a jury.

That is one move.

"The second is the abolishing of preliminary enquiries and getting matters faster into the High Court, where there are lots of criminal cases.

Then you have the new rules and the application of these rules are addressing the civil matters.

"So the judiciary is playing its part and, in doing so, it is adhering to the separation of powers and its independence as one of the three major bodies."

Lucky, a sitting High Court judge in 1997, was nominated by the People's National Movement (PNM) as that party's choice for the Presidency.

It was the first time the Presidency was contested, with the then ruling United National Congress (UNC) nominating Arthur NR Robinson.

Reflecting on what transpired at that time, Lucky said he is always willing to serve the country in any capacity.

"At that particular time, I was willing to serve.

When I was approached, I said (to myself) it's an independent post and they would have selected a judge who was independent and I said okay I am willing to serve my country.

"Of course, those in the Electoral College felt differently and I accepted it.

When I heard about the person who might be opposing, I felt that a politician should not be the President.

The President must be an independent person.

"I felt that if a politician went there, there would be a certain amount of difficulty.

For someone who was independent, it would be a simple task.

That is why I held out and I faced the music."

Lucky said his decision was supported by his wife Cintra and daughters Gillian (an attorney and head of the Police Complaints Authority), Cindy-Ann, Elizabeth and Antonia

On being awarded the Chaconia Medal (Gold), Lucky, a devout Roman Catholic, thanked God for giving him the talent to do what he was expected to do.

"I am just simply a recipient because there are so many who have played their part along the way and who would have contributed to where I have reached.

It is through them that I have done what was considered sufficient, in the view of the National Awards Committee, to be awarded this medal.

My family has always been and continue to be the wind beneath my wings.

"There are so many people teachers, friends who along the way have encouraged me.

So, I received it yes, but the medal belongs to all of them."

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Fr Odo van der Heijdt by Kalifa Clyne

Fri Feb 07 2014

Fr Odo van der Heijdt,

Despite being born in Holland and receiving a pension from that country, yesterday was described as "Trini to the bone" by Abbot Fr John Pereira.

In delivering the homily at his funeral, Fr Pereira said Van der Heijdt, the former prior at Our Lady of Exile, Mt St Benedict, was Dutch by birth but West Indian by choice.

"He may have been born in the Netherlands, he may have had a Dutch passport and he may have been getting a pension from the Dutch Government, however, if you really wanted to know where he came from, where his heart truly lay, you simply had to tell him that the West Indies cricket team lost again and then you would have understood,"

Pereira said: "I think that he suffered more pain towards the end of his life from the miserable state of West Indies cricket than from any physical or medical complaint," he added.

He said Van der Heijdt was always there for the people.

He added: "We are talking about a man who gave 60 years of his life to the Mount and to the pilgrims who visited this place day after day.

We are talking about a man who truly lived the Benedictine vow of stability.

"His love for Caribbean culture was epitomised in his love for the discourses of Paul Keens-Douglas and especially Tantie Merle at the Oval."

Van der Heijdt was said to have had a passion for cricket and represented the monastery as their wicketkeeper on several occasions against the seminary.

Pereira said that was indeed a cultural transition as Holland was only now emerging on the world cricketing map.

He said Van der Heijdt also often looked forward to a juicy game of all-fours.

"God provided Fr Odo with a community of brethren whom he was able to serve in diverse ways and for the past ten years as their prior."

God provided Fr Odo with persons who sought to find peace in their hearts and who taught Fr Odo what true faith is.

He encountered these persons in the parlour ministry and their stories helped to increase his own faith.

"He has always been grateful to the pilgrims who come to the Mount day after day.

He once said that in the monastery he was introduced to the psalms but it was the pilgrims who taught him how to pray,"

Pereira added. Van der Heijdt died on Sunday at the age of 83

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz,  kertesz11@yahoo.com,  if you would like to subscribe for a whole year and be in the circular’s mailing list or if you would like to mention any old boy that you would like to include, write to me.

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Photo:

15LK6088FBBCPGRP, B.C. Pires

04LK0001EMOMAT, Edgar Moffie

05LK0001WDILK, Wbladimiro Diaz, and Ladislao Kertesz

16LK1841FBPGAGRP, Peter Gantaume and wife with friends