Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Circular No 1058

 





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

Caracas, 15 June 2022. No. 1058

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Dear Friends,

Continuing with the emails on:  We thought they'd never end, we'd sing and dance our life away, ta ra ra ra

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Donald Goddard <liverpool.petroleum@gmail.com>

Thu, Jan 27 at 6:53 PM

Dear Jan and Don M.

I very much enjoyed reading Jan's mini booklet below and envy Don M's wonderful seduction experience. The descriptions of Jan's life experiences were worthwhile reading. From his delightful examples of life with his family and children, and what we've experienced with our own family and loving children, I'm sure most of you will agree there are three very important things we learned from our Mount experience:

1) We very much missed being home with Mom & Dad and eating good food 365 days a year, especially during those formative years growing up when we needed to be with them.

2) It's very difficult to expect a bunch of nutty, Dutch monks, who had never been married, to raise, educate and discipline a bunch of non-English speaking "juvenile delinquent boys" from Venezuela and other foreign countries, within the Latin speaking catholic church of the time and with dogmas most of us little kids didn't even comprehend. This was a rather high mountain for those monks to climb.

and

3) Now as grownups, most of us can be thankful we didn't end up in loony bins, we became successful professionals, and realized if you want your children to be happy you raise them with your wife, as a normal family.

Best to all,

Donald Goddrad. 

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On Thu, Jan 27, 2022 at 6:35 AM <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Hi, Jan,

I only spoke English, yet my experience of boarding school was very similar to yours. 

Perhaps the main difference was that it took me only a year to reject everything I had been taught at Mount.

At the age of 18 I was seduced by a kindly French woman of 24 years.

We were together for 3 or 4 years. 

Unfortunately, as she was a neurotic, I did not learn much about life until after we separated! 

What a thing life at Mount was for most of us! 

As they say in the island of St Croix, “What a pistarckle!”

Best,

Don

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GEORGE MICKIEWICZ <amickiew@att.net>

Sat, Jan 29 at 10:39 AM

Here is the song mentioned by Andres….for your reflections, memories, enjoyment and merriment.

Did we?

“We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose”

Once upon a time there was a tavern

Where we used to raise a glass or two

Remember how we laughed away the hours

And think of all the great things we would do

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

For we were young and sure to have our way

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la La la la la la la

Then the busy years went rushing by us

We lost our starry notions on the way

If by chance I'd see you in the tavern

We'd smile at one another and we'd say

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la La la la la la la

Just tonight I stood before the tavern

Nothing seemed the way it used to be

In the glass I saw a strange reflection

Was that lonely woman really me

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la La la la la la la

la la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la La la la la la la

Through the door there came familiar laughter

I saw your face and heard you call my name

Oh my friend we're older but no wiser

For in our hearts the dreams are still the same

Those were the days my friend

We thought they'd never end

We'd sing and dance forever and a day

We'd live the life we choose

We'd fight and never lose

Those were the days, oh yes those were the days

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la la la

La la la la La la la la la la

Please be extra careful and stay healthy, safe and sound,

George

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Attila GYURIS <gyuris@yahoo.com>

Sun, Jan 30 at 11:53 AM

Hello Jan, my good old friend:

Very interesting insights, you write about.

So many of those experiences are so real and with such a far-reaching influence in your life.  

I never thought about all those negative things you write about, but you are right.

They did exist and they were unacceptable then, as they would be now.  

Sad to hear how negatively they affected you into your developing adult life, especially considering in your family circumstances.

Glad to hear you eventually got over that.  

I think most of us had similar repercussions from the harsh discipline at the Mount, some more, some less, … especially regarding the delayed social interaction with the girls, which we had to learn from scratch at later stage in life than the rest of kids that age, and which put us at a disadvantage in any normal social setting.

On the other hand, with all that harsh and often unfair discipline at the Mount we also developed a great deal of RESILIENCE, and we were able to bounce back and resolve those issues. 

—————-

Do you remember when we used to steal the monk’s Lambretta motor scooters late at night from the monastery garage, and go for clandestine night-rides ride down to Tunapuna and back?  

You taught me that.  

Late at night climbing down the rain gutter pipes on the side of the dormitory sneaking down to the vehicle shed, then taking one of the scooters (all with the start keys still in) then pushing it out silently rolling downhill then bump starting it when sufficiently away… and just taking the risk of a joyride for no other reason than to prove to ourselves that we could have the thrill of a tiny bit of freedom without being caught.  

I always wondered what would have happened if we had ever been caught? Ha ha. 

After you left the Mount, I continued on some more clandestine night-rides on the same motorcycles on my own a few more times, riding down after midnight to the St Joseph’s girl’s academy where my “girlfriend” Annette was.

Of course, at that time of the night they were all quiet and sleeping, but nevertheless it was a thrill to do it and get away with it. 

The very last time I did that was when I went riding with my Venezuelan school buddy Frank Malaver as my back seater, down the hill past the monastery, passing by a few private houses, when suddenly I saw the headlights of one of the Mount’s VW Combi buses coming up the hill on the curvy road!.  

In a panic I quickly pulled over and parked and turned off the scooter in front on the garage of one of the private houses and we both hid in the bushes not even breathing.

We heard the bus drive by, then stop in front of the parked motorcycle for a little while, then continue up the hill.

We stayed hidden for quite a while after, waiting for something to happen.

Some time passed and nothing happened … what to do now?  

So, I decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to return up the hill to the garage right away because whoever was driving the bus might be waiting to see who it was or something.  

So, we simply continued our planned ride down the hill to the village town and back up.

By then I figured whoever was driving the bus had already parked it and went to sleep.

And so, it was … I rode up and parked the scooter in its designated parking spot in the vehicle shed and there was no further mention of the incident, and I swore Frank Malaver to secrecy.

Although I expected some kind of investigation and further repercussions during the days that followed, but nothing came of it.

Later on, I found out that the driver of the bus had been Fr. Cuthbert because he had gone to the Piarco airport to drop off somebody for a late flight.  

That was my last clandestine Mount motorcycle ride.

After that scare, I never did it again. 

Interestingly, in my adult life, daily riding and long distance traveling on motorcycles has been a big part of my life, ever since then to the present day 

To this day I wonder what went through Fr. Cuthbert’s mind when he saw the one of the mount monk’s motor scooter parked late at night in front of that private house? 

Regards,

Attila Gyuris

AS-MSB 1964-1969

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Veejay Sharma <veejay@equityjustice.co.uk>

Jue 14/04/2022 14:50

Dear Nigel and Ladislao,

Wishing you a Happy Easter. 

You may not know me but I was a student at Abbey MSB from 1978 to 1980.

I attach for your attention a recommendation from Fr Vincent Merrique. 

I wanted to become a Monk but in my meeting with Fr Vincent in 1980, he told me to go into the world before making a decision.

I was very attached to the Monastery during that time and I was allowed to spend my weekends in retreat without any cost.

Father Paul was my Additional Mathematics teacher and Father Vincent was my English teacher.

Father Hilderbran Green was our religious instructions teacher.

I feel tears in my eyes thinking of their contribution to bringing spiritual support and heartfelt comfort to my life. 

I came across your Circulars (Dec 2021 - No.1040) and wonder if you are continuing the same in 2022.

I also noticed a letter from the company house informing that the company will be closed. Indeed, I would like it to be kept alive to connect with our friends. 

I look forward to your reply and would like to reconnect with my friends at that time and share the wonderful teachings we enjoyed. 

A long time has passed and we do have wonderful memories to share. 

Yours sincerely

Veejay Sharma

Managing Director/Solicitor

Equity Justice Solicitors

30 Cauldon Avenue

Bradwell

Newcastle

United Kingdom

ST5 8PZ

DDI: 07846410328

FAX: 01782323571

Email: veejay@equityjustice.co.uk

Email: veejay.sharma@equityjustice.cjsm.net

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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:

55HH0014ENGLISH

57CM0161HIGHJUMP, Urbano Fedak?

58CM0057GRP, Urbano Fedak, Vieira and Unknown

15LK7950FBDMIWFE, Daniel Michieli and wife

80VS0010LETTER, Veejay Sharma recommendation letter

 

 

 

 

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