Circular No 1037

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

Caracas, 1 of November 2021. No. 1037

------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

News of Fulvio Cantore. News of Bro. Vincent.

------------------------------------------

Nigel Boos <nigelboos@eagles-wings.ca>

Thu, Oct 31, 2013 at 6:23 AM

Gentlemen,

I have heard from 2 of our Old Boys that Fulvio Cantore - Class of '69 -  has died.

I'm told that he was on vacation in Italy, where he had a stroke.

He was put into an induced coma in the hospital, but he never recovered from it.

If anyone would like to say something about Fulvio, please send me a note and I shall try to incorporate it into a subsequent email.

May God have mercy on his soul. May he rest in peace.

Nigel

-------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Andres LARSEN <larsen.andres@gmail.com>

Sun, Jun 20 at 9:22 PM

Hola Attila,

Thanks for all your updates.

Yes, Fulvio passed away in Italy while vacationing there.

He was always an extroverted upbeat boisterous personality.

Saludos,

Andrés

--------------------------------------------------------.

Andres LARSEN <larsen.andres@gmail.com>

Sun, Jun 20 at 12:05 PM

Still remember the melodious soothing sound of the distant steel pans wafting up at night with the breeze from practice jam sessions down below in Tunapuna after we had gone to bed in our dorms before falling asleep.

Whatever became of Oscar Cantore, Carlos Dvorak as well as Alfredo and Gonzalo Montiel after all these years?

---------------------------------------------------------------.

Peter M Da Costa <petedacos@outlook.com>

Mon, May 31 at 7:44 PM

Laszlo,

Born in Trinidad.

Grandfather on father’s side told me his father came for Portugal hence the name, mother’s grandparents on father’s side came from Ciudad Bolivar in Venezuela.

During some revolution and never went back,

Started at MSB in 1965, two years boarded and the last three as a day boy.

Quit in form 4 never did graduate.

Father got me a job in aviation with Varig Airlines.

Aviation was a family tradition grandfather worked with BWIA, father and his brother with Pan Am, I was, now son also in aviation.

Came to Canada on vacation in 1964 to visit my father’s family who came here back in the early 50’s.

They persuaded me to move here so I packed up and left Trinidad in September 1965. 

Mother, father and little sister came a few months later and bought a house in St Catharine’s Ontario.

Saw the most beautiful girl next door and I offered a ring she took it and in August 12 2021, we will be married 54 years.

Three children as shown in the picture and numerous grand children.

Went back to school in Toronto in 1970 for aircraft technician graduated with diploma and obtained Canadian AME license in 1974.

Started as a junior mechanic and progressed up to Director of Maintenance/VP Maintenance for a number of airlines in Canada.

Aviation gave me the opportunity to travel extensively in Canada and the US, with trips overseas to the UK for aircraft pre purchase, Israel for aircraft overhauls and to Amsterdam with KLM who did our engines.

Amsterdam was special as it reminded me of stories told to us by the Dutch monks at MSB.

Retired August 2013, picture is of retirement party.

Took me 7 years to complete my wife’s “To Do List” I and finally retired but I hear she is making up a new on.

After moving around Ontario many times with aviation finally settled in Cambridge ON, 45 minutes west of Toronto.

Spends the winter here and the summers up near Lake Huron.

Plan to make one more trip to Trinidad when this Covid crap is over.

Not much left there now just a few cousins on mother’s side.

Fond memories of the school days and the trouble I got into, followed by the required punishment.

Did like Miss Marcus until I blew her chemistry lab and was banned after that. Mr French ??? teacher and I had an agreement he walked in the front door and I walked out the back door when he came in.

Vooosh was my favourite always made you think.

Brother Vincent everyone liked. 

Bobo always caused me pain.

I guess that was the case with most the boys.

Always remember the toilets next to the volleyball court where fortunately there was no smoke alarm in those days as the place always looked like it was on fire with all the guys smoking in there. 

Cheers

PeteD

(226)339-6118

-------------------------------------------------------------------------.

From: laszlo kertesz kertesz11@yahoo.com

Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2021 11:47:34 AM

Subject: Circular No. 1017 May C, The Abbey School MSB

Hi Pete,

Good photo.

Here is your complimentary copy

Could you write a short essay for the Circular.

I appreciate any help that you could give me.

God Bless

Ladislao

-------------------------------------------------------------------.

laszlo kertesz <kertesz11@yahoo.com>

To: peter.gittens@utoronto.ca

Sun, May 30 at 12:10 PM

Hi Peter

Here is your complimentary copy

Could you write a short essay for the Circular.

I have very little information, outside of your meeting the Pope.

I appreciate any help that you could give me.

God Bless

Ladislao

------------------------------------------------------------------.

idmitch@anguillanet.com <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

Mon, May 31 at 8:12 PM

Hi, Tim,

Ladislao has actually been more productive this year in his Circulars than he was last year. 

The thing is that he only sends them out to those who contribute to his living expenses.

He has, as they say, monetised the Circulars. 

He continues to send them to me to put them up on the Blog so that they are available to everyone. 

This I do faithfully, making sure I am a month or two behind his publication to his subscribers.

You can always read them a few weeks in arrears on the Blog. 

Because there is no urgency for non-subscribers to read them, I do not bother to send out regular notices to all the Old Boys to remind them to visit the Blog from time to time to keep up with his Circulars. 

Hopefully, even the most contrarian and troglodyte among them has learned how to access the website after all these years without my having to remind them. 

If they have not, then what does it profit any of us to send them notices?

Best,

Don

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Timothy Mew <timmewaussie@icloud.com>

Mon, May 31 at 7:47 PM

Hi Don,

Enjoy some better weather, here in Victoria we are back into quite restrictive lockdown due to Covid19 outbreaks.

I guess Laszlo has now given up and stopped the MSB circulars, it had to happen eventually and he with your assistance has done a truly magnificent job, over so many years.

Plus time catches up with us and the MSB numbers and old time interest slowly declines. I will copy him in to acknowledge his great service to the MSB old boys network world wide.

The suggested relevance by me to the ultimate size of the universe and human concepts of God from time immemorial, seems to suggest or imply a Very Powerful God to have created such an immense universe, that we do not even truly know the size of.

Cheers Tim.

-------------------------------------------------------------

On 31 May 2021, at 5:43 pm, <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

I agree, Tim. 

It is an absolutely fascinating study. 

But, I don’t see the relevance to God. 

It is just science. 

If God existed, which seems highly unlikely if not impossible, then why would he or she matter to us?

Earth and the various forms of life on it are so immeasurably insignificant in the scale of the universe that He/She would be far too busy to notice we even exist, far less to play any role in our affairs.

Certainly, up to now, He/She has not made Itself known to us.

We are having the first break in the monotonous drought this morning, as an isolated shower dampens down the dust for my walk later on

Best,

Don

 ----------------------------------------------------------

From: Tim Mew MHC / APS <mewhealthcare@bigpond.com>

Sent: Monday, 31 May 2021 02:04

Subject: Big Think: Is the universe infinite?

You may like this type of information, if not let me know.

I think it is absolutely fascinating and may or may not correlate with your thoughts on Religion and God.

Tim.

Is the universe infinite?

Searching for the edge of the universe pushes the limits of our knowledge.

Read in Big Think: https://apple.news/A90sqDJD2R7Gh1X6hYx-NIQ

--------------------------------------------------------.

idmitch@anguillanet.com <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

Fri, Dec 18, 2020 at 4:32 AM

Don and Maggie’s 2020 Christmas Letter

Don and Maggie wish you a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous and Healthy New Year in 2021.

We have done nothing at all for the year.  Our long-planned, grand Easter Maggie’s Family Gathering went down the tubes for a reason you will have no difficulty guessing.

Maggie’s annual summer trip to Europe went down the same tube. She retired from volunteering at WISE at the end of the summer term. At 72 and going deaf, she decided that 12 years was enough. She will miss the students and the teachers, but will keep in touch. She does aquarobics 2-3 times a week, for an hour each time, and comes home exhausted and content to collapse for an hour or so while Don feeds the dogs.  She was re-elected to the Board of the Anguilla Mortgage Company at its (virtual) AGM in March, and goes off to meetings at regular intervals.

The main excitement was Don’s cataract operation in nearby Marigot which meant he had to spend two weeks in quarantine in the Guest Shack.  He is now without spectacles.  As he has been heard solemnly announcing, this is the first time he has driven a car without spectacles since he was seven years old.

Dick Foran was not in Anguilla to take Maggie for her traditional November Birthday meal at Hibernia Restaurant, so Don had to dig into his reserves and act as a stand-in.  A delicious meal as usual:

The other excitement was that we took advantage of Kathy Haskins special rate for a “staycation” at her Shoal Bay Villas Hotel, and spent a lovely week playing at being tourists.

We have enlarged the family with four more mutts from AARF (Anguilla Animal Rescue Foundation).  The two biggest dogs (Megeara and Moby Dog) take it in turns to spend the night inside on internal security guard.  The other four are on duty patrolling the outside.  We take the usual precautions urged on all retirees of trying to be home before nightfall, and ensuring the doors are all locked before we go up to bed.  If we are driving home after dark, we use the automatic door lock, and shut the windows.  With the coming layoffs in the public and private sectors, we expect civil disturbances, including home invasions of the elderly, to increase.  There is no evidence of this occurring at present, only our naturel paranoia.  Remember the old warning, “Just because I am paranoid does not mean they are not really out to get me.”

Other than that, our only visitors were Gad and Ruth Heuman, friends from the Association of Caribbean Historians, who stayed at Carimar Beach Club.  Don had fun telling the Professor Emeritus of Caribbean History all about the history of Anguilla – Don’s version, anyway.

The yard occupied most of Don’s waking hours.  He has dug up almost every cubic centimeter of dirt and wheelbarrowed it outside the fence.  Only the pots in the vegetable garden will contain dirt.  The surface of the yard is now completely covered in concrete and gravel.  He is making good on his promise to himself that he will not spend his old age weeding Anguilla rock stones and pretending to keep a garden.

Kitchen scraps and garden clippings go to the Mata Matas in the back yard (the peafowl were lost in Hurricane Irma in 2017).

And that was it.

Keep safe, and hope to see you in the New Year.

Don and Maggie

---------------------------------------------------,

idmitch@anguillanet.com

Fri, 1 Oct, 13:23

Hello, Merlene,

How good to hear from you! 

I’m copying this response to Ladislao, so he can memorialise the news that Bro Vincent is still going strong in his 96^th year. 

You have no idea how amazing that age is for me. 

In my branch of the Grenadian Mitchells, the men go at an average age of 50. 

At age 75, I am exceptionally lucky to have been born at a time when the pacemaker is a routine installation. 

It has given me an additional 25 years that none of my grandfather, my father, or my uncles (or their male first cousins) had. 

I’m not complaining.

Best wishes to the two of you.

Don

-----------------------------------------------------------------------.

From: Merlene and Lionel Roberts <merleneandlionel@gmail.com>

Sent: Friday, 1 October 2021 10:56

On December 7th Lionel will be celebrating his 44th year as a deacon (now retired) on December 22nd will be 59th wedding anniversary.

February 26th 2022 God willing he will be 96 years. 

We still do daily mass but he has slowed down a lot.

Still remembers his old mount days and his “Mt S B” children.

Do keep him in prayer. Sends his blessings!

--------------------------------------------------------------------.

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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Photos:

06UN0005YALFAU, Yanus Ali and Fr. Cuthbert

15LK7010FBMAAWFE, Mark Anthony Ali and wife

14LK5744FBDAL, Damian Ali

78UN0001ROCKBAND, Unknowns in a rehearsal