Circular No 1010

 

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

Caracas, 7 of April 2021 No.1010 Apr A

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Dear Friends, here is your courtesy copy.

We are in April, and this is the second issue for the month.

Be sure to get it and read.

The article by Bruce should encourage your writer’s skills.

I feel that you have the time to spend in practice and make happy your classmates.

At the end of this issue, you will find the instructions to send funds, I know your limitations.

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Bruce Locke wishes to meet Abbey Classmates

idmitch@anguillanet.com

6 Feb 2021, 04:55

Hello, Bruce,

Good to hear from you.

Yes, I fancy I was the quintessential bushman at Mount of my time.  I did enjoy the climb up Whitestones to the ruins at Mt Tabor.  I spent many an afternoon after classes, usually with a gang of boys, exploring the hillsides below and between the school and the old ruins searching for fruit and breadfruit trees which, once located we would keep a closely guarded secret, for raiding in the appropriate months when they were covered in fruit.  It was a thrill occasionally to come across a ruined terrace where some longtime deceased Monk had carefully tended vegetables and salads, but which had been abandoned and reverted to the natural undergrowth.

Jeremy and Norman are both still alive and well, and I occasionally hear from them. 

As for Fr Eugene, the Dean of Discipline, you’re mentioning him, brings back long repressed cut-ass memories. I well remember his appointment as chief flogger and his eventual abrupt departure from the Monastery.  The rumour among the boys was that he left to get married, and I always wondered what sort of woman would take up with a person like that.  He must have had some serious demons in him, which he attempted to exorcise with his cane on the extended backsides of the frightened little boys offered up for his best and most vigorous treatments, may he rest in perpetual hellfire, as I assume, he is long gone from us.

Best,

Don

PS: I am copying this to the original gang of the earlier thread as there is nothing private in it.

PPS: I Googled you and wondered, are you the Bruce Locke 3^rd on LinkedIn?

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruceglocke/?originalSubdomain=ca

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From: B L <brucelocke@live.ca>

Sent: Friday, 5 February 2021 21:39

Hello Don,

At 71 my cells are greying as well.  I spent a short 6 months at The Abbey School in 1961 as our family was emigrating and I had finished at the oil company’s school in Forest Reserve.  I was due to stay longer but my father removed me from the school after a caning from Fr. Eugene drew blood. 

Memory can be confusing. Did you occasionally take boys for hikes up to Mt. Tabor on Saturdays? Maybe that’s where I remembered you.  I seem to remember the name Jinx as well.  Maybe he was the prefect in the boys’ dorm?  Terrence tells me there wasn’t a Jinx.  He mentioned that Jeremy du Barry’s nickname was Jiggs or something similar.  In any event I will check my letters home (which I still have) and see if there’s anything I can find.  I remember that hike, crossing the suspended bridge, the grotto, Farcheg’s Den and the ruins of the original monastery.

I would assume you’re familiar with the dormitory next to the chapel?  I slept second bed closest to the entrance opposite the school, next to Norman Smith.  I think I was in Prep A but can’t remember exactly.

I was friendly with Norman Smith, Ricardo Zschaeck, Prats and occasionally Jeremy du Barry.

I’m afraid I have no pictures of myself at the Mount.  I had taken a roll but gave it to one of the older boys in the photo club who managed to spoil them.  I have some taken in 1960 and then 1962 which I’ll send you under separate cover.

Thanks for your reply.

Warm regards,

Bruce

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From: idmitch@anguillanet.com

Sent: Friday, February 5, 2021 6:56:13 PM

Hello, Bruce,

Just to confirm that I got this email from you.  I have to admit that with the greying of the already grey cells, I cannot remember the name.  Nor do I remember ever in my time at Mount having been a dormitory prefect. 

Do you have a school photograph from the period you were at Mount?  That would help to jog memories.

Best,

Don

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From: B L <brucelocke@live.ca>

Sent: Friday, 5 February 2021 17:23

Thanks very much George.  I’ll install a reader for the spreadsheet and add my info.  

Best regards, Bruce.

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From: GEORGE MICKIEWICZ <amickiew@att.net>

Sent: Friday, February 5, 2021 1:40:15 PM

Welcome Bruce,

Attached is the most recent version of our MSB Database….you might be able to find your friends and related info in it.

As you will see, there is no information for you in the database.  Please provide the requested inputs…include your nickname if you had one…..and return to me.  Thank you very much.

I have added Humberto Luongo in this email so you can contact him directly.

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

George Mickiewicz (AS-MSB 1956-1962)

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From: Empower With Art

Sent: Friday, February 5, 2021 10:57 AM

Hi Abbey Brothers,

Bruce Locke, an Abbey schoolmate would like to meet his classmates and us all.  Terrence Ferreira had a wonderful chat with him.  He is on this email.  This is his message.

"Hi Kazim. My email is brucelocke@live.ca.  These are the boys that I remember.  Humberto Luongo.  Norman Smith.  Ricardo Zschaeck.  Pratt (I don’t recall his first name).  Jeremy duBarry. and “Boxhead” our dormitory prefect.  I have lots and lots of memories of my short time there.  I’m compiling my memoirs and would love to find photographs of the above-named boys."

So, Don "Boxhead", can you kindly circulate this email to all the 'Boys' for me, please.  I appreciate you as always.

Thank you.

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

28 Feb 2021, 18:42 (4 days ago)

Hi, Bruce,

The face is familiar.  You should be able to work out what class you were in from your age. You would have entered Form 1 at 11 or 12.  You would normally leave Form 5 at about 16 or 17.  Hope that helps.

I hope George puts your information in the Old Boys database.  I am afraid that I can’t find you in the version I have.

Best,

Don

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From: B L brucelocke@live.ca

Sent: Sunday, 28 February 2021 17:22

Hello Don,

Just a brief note.  I found a picture of myself taken in 1961 just before we left Trinidad.  Perhaps you might remember me.  I was pretty ordinary looking.

I’m having trouble remembering what class I was in as I was only there a short time.  But I do remember you taking us up to Mt. Tabor.

Mount is such a faint memory and I’m trying to put it all together.

Best regards,

Bruce

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

28 Feb 2021, 19:29

So, you would either have been in Prep A or in Form 1. In those days throughout the Caribbean, you had to pass your “11-Plus exams” to enter Form 1 in every secondary school. If you had not yet done so, you would have been probably placed in Prep A.

At that time, I believe Prep A was the classroom on the ground floor nearest to the Small Boys’ Dorm/Chapel. Form 1 used the big classroom above Prep A, as I recall. So, depending on where your classroom was, it was one or the other.

Best,

Don

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From: B L <brucelocke@live.ca>

Sent: Sunday, 28 February 2021 19:06

Hi Don,

Yes, that does help. I turned 11 in Nov. of 1960 and came to MSB in January of 1961.

I haven’t sent George any information as yet.  I’m still working at 71 and it’s hard to find time sometimes.

I did email him today in regards to helping out Team George with support for the boys in Venezuela.

Humberto Luongo and I had a “strained” relationship but we eventually made our peace.

Sometimes leaving kids to work out their own business actually works well.

I feel bad for those Venezuelan boys and would like to contribute in some small way.

I’m related to Guzman-Blanco, a former bandito who was president back in the 1880s.

I’ll send George my information as I have this week off.

I should mention, I was a bit of a ninny when I was 11.  That might jog your memory.  I actually used to think the ape-man was real!

I’ll send you a quick email when I’ve sent my info in.

Regards,

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

28 Feb 2021, 19:48

Not at all.  Anytime.

Don

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From: B L <brucelocke@live.ca>

Sent: Sunday, 28 February 2021 19:41

I remember my class was on the ground floor and Prep A sounds familiar. The only time I was on the second floor was to get a cut-ass from Fr. Eugene lol.

I was in the same class as Arnaud in 1961. I do remember sitting some exams in Tunapuna though. Perhaps those were the 11-Plus you mentioned?

We lived in Apex Oilfields and I don’t remember sitting any exams there before going to the Mount.

This helps a lot, Don, thanks very much!

I hope you don’t mind if I pick your brain again at some point.

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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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Photos:

16LK7554FBDHOWFE, Douglas Houk and wife

20LK7707FBRMOGIRLS, Raymond Morris and girls

16LK2232FBDPIGRP, Dominique Piton and group

67LK3262FBADEWFE, Alain Devaux and wife