Circular No 1023

 

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

Caracas, 1 of July 2021 No.1023

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Dear Friends,

The first issue of July.

Meet Peter Da Costa, who spent most of his life in the Aeronautical business.

If you would like to collaborate, at the end of this issue, you will find the instructions to where to send your writings and also, important to send funds, I know your limitations.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vAiCQ0uUiQ,

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Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>

Sun, Jul 4

Some memories come back but then I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast this morning?

I was thinking if the COVID mess continues to decline I might go back to Trinidad in January or February 2022. Maybe for the last time.

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

Sun, Jul 4

It has been nearly sixty years, but, yes, I do remember the potassium permanganate and the carbide explosives, particularly the bamboo cannons.

We used stale rolls saved from dinner for the cannonballs.

I don’t remember what was the recipe for the mixture that when you sprinkled on the concrete floor would explode when someone stepped on it.

There was a variation that, when you threw the crystals with force at the concrete floor, exploded on contact. 

Ladislao may remember these recipes.

Best,

Don

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Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>

Sun, Jul 4 at 6:14 AM

Then there was the potassium permanganate (condeese crystals) which when you added concentrated glycerine, it would sit there and start to bubble and then burst into flames. Made a good delayed fuse.

Don’t know if you ever did this at Christmas time, we use to take a piece of carbide and put in a can that had a hole in it. Spit on it close the cover and put a light by the hole to ignite the gases it produced and the thing would explode and blow the cover off with a Big Bang.

How about busting bamboo. Making a bamboo canon?

We could get into some serious trouble today doing stuff like that.

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

Sat, Jul 3 at 5:33 PM

I think it was Ladislao who taught me to make gunpowder, or it may have been Fr Voosh.  

Ladislao was making solid rocket fuel for his home-made rockets back in about 1957.

On one occasion I can recall, Voosh made gunpowder and used it to fire off his small brass canon. 

I believe I was in Form 1, as we used the Study Room for Form 1 classes, and that is where he set it off. 

The ingredients for black powder were charcoal dust, potassium nitrate, and flowers of sulphur. 

I can’t remember the proportions, but it was something simple like 1, 2, 3. 

I bought the ingredients on separate occasions from the chemist on the main street in Chaguanas where we lived so as not to make it obvious what I was concocting. 

I made a fuse following instructions.  

You cut a length of twine and soaked it in a concentrated solution of the potassium nitrate. 

It worked like a charm each time. 

Our primary targets were the caves of trapdoor spiders. 

You stuffed the powder in with a pencil and stuck the fuse into it. 

It made a very satisfactory “voosh” as it went off.

Best,

Don

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Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>

Sat, Jul 3 at 2:50 PM

No problem guys. We need a little reminiscing once in awhile of the old days.

And, yes, I did make one of those crystal radios and it did work. 

Vooosh, was my favourite he gave us ideas and challenged us to think for ourselves.

So did miss Marcus, she gave me the idea to make a bomb.

Using sulphuric and some other chemical, don’t remember what it was and carbon.

So, I went to the drug store and bought the chemicals and scraped the bottom of a frying pan to get the carbon.

Mixed it up together and packed it into a match box with a fuse.

Set if off and ran like hell and boom it exploded. 

After that I got thrown out of her chemistry class.

But I told you about that before.

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idmitch@anguillanet.com

Sat, Jul 3 at 2:10 PM

Hi, Peter,

Ladislao may find our hurricane reminiscing interesting, so if you don’t mind, I am copying him.

Best,

Don

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From: Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>
Sent: Saturday, 3 July 2021 13:06

I remember driving home over Lady Young road that day and the wind was buffing the car.

After the hurricane I was in an accident and recuperating after surgery and was allowed to go to Tobago to stay at my aunt to rest after an operation.

The island was in lock down.

I have never seen anything like that destruction.

The coconut trees were piled up like if you took a book of match sticks and emptied it on the ground.

My aunt’s house suffered no damage, they were facing the sea near Barcolet Bay, but her clothes hanging in the cupboard were found behind the house in a tree.

Go figure that.

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On Jul 3, 2021, at 11:21 AM, idmitch@anguillanet.com wrote:

Hi, Peter,

I left Trinidad for good in 1964.

The year before that Hurricane Flora hit Tobago causing much damage.

I can recall that on the day when Flora passed the North Coast of Trinidad, the teachers made us all sit on the floor under our desks.

I can’t remember how long that lasted, but it left an impression on me for many years.

All the props for the film Swiss Family Robinson that was made in Tobago were destroyed by the storm.

The non-resident boys at Mount were sent to Tobago for Easter 1964, and we went to visit the locations.

We were issued with four-ten shotguns and went out each evening to fire shots at flocks of parrots that were intent on eating the crops that grew on the estate.

The monks had somehow acquired a Tobago estate, though I no longer recall what it grew.

Nor do I know if they still own it.

Best,

Don

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From: Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>

Sent: Saturday, 3 July 2021

How on earth can you live in that place.

Beautiful no doubt but hurricanes.

1916 I believe was the last one to hit Trinidad.

Tobago more likely to be side swiped

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On Jul 3, 2021

idmitch@anguillanet.com wrote:

Hi, Peter,

I expect the occasional short, sharp shower, like one we had about five minutes ago. 

It came and went in a couple of minutes. 

Elsa is too far away to the west to bring us anything of substance.

Still, there are two waves behind.  

Maybe they will be more generous 

Don

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From: Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>

Sent: Saturday, 3 July 2021 05:57

Looks like the rains are on their way together with lots of wind.

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Pete Da Costa <stevesco@outlook.com>

15 Feb

Ladislao,

I read your email below re the situation in Venezuela. 

I have always had an interest in Venezuela as I was born in Trinidad, but my mother’s father and his family came to Trinidad from Ciudad Bolivar.

It is indeed very sad to see what that beautiful country has come too.

But with Gods intervention she will rise again.

May the Lord keep you and your family safe during these difficult times.

Regards

Peter

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Pete Da Costa <stevesco@outlook.com>

22 Feb

Point Form

Went to MSB between 1955 to 1961.

Boarded from 1955 to 1957 then dayboy to 1961.

Didn't like Bobo, he leaned back too much, never stood up straight.

Had arrangement with Mr. De Mathis French teacher he walked in the front door, and I walked out the back door, end of French for me.

Blew up Miss's Marcus's lab, end of chemistry for me.

Best class was science with VOOSH best teacher.

Did like to hear Fr. Augustine's tales of when he was a boy in Holland during the war.

Somebody threw a spit ball at me from far side of class on second floor, I ducked it ended up in the hall and I jumped out to get it to throw back and found myself in front of the Abbot. (Adalbert van Duin)

Nice man though, he just smiled and that was all.

Left in 1961 in form IV didn't graduate.

Got job with Varig Airlines at Piarco as ticket agent.

Varig closed POS and went to Gordon Grant with Air Canada and KLM. (Aviation family Grandfather worked for BWIA, Father and Uncle worked for Pan Am)

Went to Canada in 1965 to live in St. Catharines.

Got married two years later to the French-Canadian girl next door in 1967 in St. Catharines.

Three kids now seven grand kids.

Worked in St. Catharines in the lab of a paper mill, then GM as assembler.

Laid off in 1970.

Went back to school in 1970 to Centennial College in Toronto graduated as Aircraft Maintenance Technician.

Got Canadian licenced in 1973.

Moved up the ladder from Apprentice AME to Manager of Maintenance, held various positions as Director of Maintenance and V.P. Maintenance.

Retired 2013 now reports to wife and do whatever she tells me.

Now lives in Cambridge, Ontario.

Life is good. Could always be worse.

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Ladislao Kertesz <kertesz11@gmail.com>

22 Feb

Thank you very much Pete.

Since you seem in the writing mood, please give a two liner on the mount boys that you have met???

I ask this because we have lost lots of Lldboys and I need a lead as to their whereabouts and other pertinent information for me to find them. 

Would like to keep the Circular running for maybe another year.

Need support.

I am glad that you have done well, and your family is getting larger.

God bless

Ladislao

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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:

21PD0002PDAFAM, Pete Da Costa and family

60PD0001PDAGRP, Pete de Costa, Fr, Cuthbert, Michael Marchock

11PD0005PDAGRP, Pete Da Costa

15LK1112FBRDA, Ronald D´abadie