Circular No 1039

 

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

Caracas, 1 of December 2021. No. 1039

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Dear Friends,

A look at Piarco Airport in the year I arrived for the first time in Trinidad. 1955.

https://youtu.be/DacVub-s2Kc

I have redacted this Circular. In memory of Isaias Farcheg

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"Isaias Farcheg"

Caracas 1st. October 2003.

My dear good friend, Ladislao,

And of course, to my old good friends of past years...

You have been asking of me to write you about our experience as a Scout, precisely as a leader of the Toucans, and also with the merit that I made it as a Queen Scout. 

I have to confess after some many years, that in order to acquire this Badge, I had to cheat in my swimming test, since I have always been a very bad swimmer. 

I still recall that the last test was carried out in the American Base during one of our camping experiences.

We were made to carry out about 4 different swimming tests, and for me it was exhausting, since I did not have the perfect coordination between legs and arm, in summary I was a mess swimming, and really made to the finish line by cheating.

My brother Elias, and a few like you and the Fedaks did not belong to Scouts, and I really believe that you all missed a lot. 

With Scouting one was able to make plan on the weekends and participate with the different marching parade that we had to assist, and that was a way to show off in front of the girls down in Port of Spain.

The camping days were wonderful, and what made me start this recalling of the memory, was a camping we had in the American Base in 1956. 

Each Patrol was given a chicken or a duck to have for a specific day, that Father Ildefonse, our troop leader assigned. 

Roberto Lipavsky belonged to Woodpeckers.

We were taught a trick in order to make the pieces of chicken to be a little brownish, to put a slight amount of sugar while frying it. 

On the day Roberto had to prepare his chicken, he started with the adding up of a little tea spoon of sugar, while the piece of the chicken was put to fry. 

Roberto was not patient enough, and he saw that there was not change in the colour of the pieces of chicken, his ocurrence was to keep adding still more little tea spoons of sugar, and of course, after a few minutes, that seemed like hours, what he ended up in cooking was a sugar syrup with fried pieces of chicken.

Fr.  Ildefonse went from patrol to patrol testing the food and of course giving notes, which accounted everything for the final competition of the best Patrol in the Camp.

We had wonderful ideas in order to keep up with the timing, that all were allowed during the day.

We had to plan the hours dedicated for cooking. 

One trick we practiced with regards to cooking the potatoes, was that we digged a hole, put the potatoes in, and above it we started the fire, so that the heat of the fire at the same time we were cooking with it, the heat was cooking in a indirect way, our buried potatoes.

We had to make good plans in the handling of the cans of food we were given, and also everyone had to participate in the kitchen section. 

The initial day was very interesting, because, we had to choose the ground where to settle the tent.

In the rainy period we had to be aware of the water drainage, so that we had to be engineers in a way.

Discipline, handling of the time, handling of the food, was the way of getting a lot of points in the competition.

We also had to handle the different competition according to the scouting book of Baden Powell (do you all know who was the founder?)

Whenever you will see Lipavsky, I am sure he still remembers how we Scouts, did our engament with the troop leader, the flag and Our Queen. 

I took the opportunity of reviewing and recalling with the help of internet, the essence of Scout, and I do believe that we need in the younger generation is the bringing back a lot of the virtues or values, of which humanity as a whole have forgotten...to trustworthy, to be loyal, to be a sincere friend, to be helpful, courteous, kind and obedient, cheerful, thrifty ( ahorrativo para lo que se olvidaron del ingles fino, atencion Lipavsky, que siempre fue el mejor), brave, clean and reverent.

Scouting still goes on in the world, and I regret I did not have the time to have gotten my children in the Scouting movement here in Venezuela.

LADISLAO, LET ME IN THE FUTURE WRITE: A NEW REMEMBERANCE OF THE OLD DAYS...REMEMBER THAT WE WHO LEFT SCHOOL SINCE 1958, HAVE TO WRITE SLOWLY AND SURELY, IN ORDER THAT THE CRITICAL ONES AND WHO ARE GOOD IN ENGLISH WILL NOT CRITICIZE US (I AM REFERRING TO MANUEL PRADA AND ROBERTO LIPAVSKY).

On My Honour, I promise that I will do my best

To do my duty to God and to the Queen,

To help other people

And to keep the Scout Law

Scout Law is:

A Scout is to be trusted.

A Scout is loyal.

A Scout is friendly and considerate. (Helpful)

A Scout belongs to the worldwide family of Scouts. (Friendly).

A Scout has courage in all difficulties.

A Scout makes good use of time and is careful of possessions and property.

A Scout has self-respect and respect for others.

The Scout Motto is:

Be Prepared

A Scout is Trustworthy.

A Scout tells the truth. He is honest, and he keeps his promises. People can depend on him.

A Scout is Loyal.

A Scout is true to his family, friends, Scout leaders, school, and nation.

A Scout is Helpful.

A Scout cares about other people. He willingly volunteers to help others without expecting payment or reward.

A Scout is Friendly.

A Scout is a friend to all. He is a brother to other Scouts. He offers his friendship to people of all races and nations, and respects them even if their beliefs and customs are different from his own.

A Scout is Courteous.

A Scout is polite to everyone regardless of age or position. He knows that using good manners makes it easier for people to get along.

A Scout is Kind.

A Scout knows there is strength in being gentle. He treats others as he wants to be treated. Without good reason, he does not harm or kill any living thing.

A Scout is Obedient.

A Scout follows the rules of his family, school, and troop. He obeys the laws of his community and country. If he thinks these rules and laws are unfair, he tries to have them changed in an orderly manner rather than disobeying them.

A Scout is Cheerful.

A Scout looks for the bright side of life. He cheerfully does tasks that come his way. He tries to make others happy.

A Scout is Thrifty.

A Scout works to pay his own way and to help others. He saves for the future. He protects and conserves natural resources. He carefully uses time and property.

A Scout is Brave.

A Scout can face danger although he is afraid. He has the courage to stand for what he thinks is right even if others laugh at him or threaten him.

A Scout is Clean.

A Scout keeps his body and mind fit and clean. He chooses the company of those who live by high standards. He helps keep his home and community clean.

A Scout is Reverent.

A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.

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De: Isaias Farcheg

Caracas May 23 rd. 2004.

Dear good, old, and always remembered Lionel (AKA Br. Vincent).

I was really happy we have crossed the lines of our lives again.

I received your letter about a month ago, and was looking forward to have the time to reflect about many things that have happened since I left the School in 1958. 

I was aware that you had been in Brazil, and still have the two photos that you sent me, recently married. 

Precisely one of them is the one that I handled to Kertesz in order to be sent in the circular dedicated to you.

I started to study medicine in 1959 and graduated in 1965.

I did my internship in the Military Hospital of Caracas. 

In this hospital I had the opportunity of hospitalizing Father Bernard, while he was the Abbot.

I am actually a Gastroenterologist (digestive system).

I went back to Mount St. Benedict, twenty years after I left it, in 1978, and had the chance of seeing Father Augustine, Cuthbert, Ildefonse...and a few others. 

I was really sad to have seen how the monastery, did have difficulties with the new vocations. 

Even so, I was conscious of the fact that monastic life, has been abandoned all over.

While I was staying in the states, had the opportunity of seeing a program in the PBS about Old abandoned Monasteries. 

So of course, Mount St. Benedict, was not going to be an exception.

I did my Fellowship in Baltimore between 1974 and 1975. 

By mid-year in 1975 I got married with Marie, who has given me three children...the elder one Simon Jose is an Attorney and is 27 years old, Natalie who is 26 years old and graduated in Industrial Engineering and the smallest one Said, is trying to fix his future without any success. 

We are fighting to get him through.

In looking back to the old days, we have to be grateful to God, that we had people like you and all at Mount, who gave us values, like discipline, and the desire to be better day to day, organization in our life, sense of leadership, sense the value of friendship and responsibility, and many others values.

When you mentioned the phrase < friend>, that was and I can imagine your quality as a person. 

You got us involved in the team work of the Houses. 

Sometimes when we have a dinner meeting, is unbelievable how everyone remembers the House that he belonged to...my House was St. Lawrence and Elias my brother belonged to St. Francis...

By the way the last time I went to Mount, I stopped in our football field, and walk it up and down and really felt sad but at the same time grateful to think of the moments of glory in sports that we had been able to experience in the different games. 

I still remember Michael Howell running in front of me in the 100 yards competition and in the 220 yards, or even trying to compete with Anthony Lucky (by the way he is a Judge in Trinidad). 

The great moments when we had the luck of making a goal...and how we got to be admired like miniature Pele of football. 

There were the workers in the kitchen that use to leave on my seat in the refrectory and extra amount of peanut butter o extra portion of cheese, as a reward for the goal one scored.

Brother Gerard has been coming frequently to Venezuela, since he is in charge of the Swimming boys that represents Trinidad. 

Brother Gerard has the opportunity of putting me up to date, with the news of the Mount.

I am glad, Bro. Vincent, that you are in the Ministry of being a Deacon for the Church. 

I will remember you in my prayers. 

By the way Sarkis Farcheg, my cousin has moved to Tampa, so he might visit you one day in the near future. 

He is at the present in Venezuela, and I think will be going to the States in two months’ time.

I will not get you tired for this time, but since we have this means of communicating, I will be giving you more information about Elias, Manuel Prada, Gerard Most, the Fedaks and talk to you about the wonderful work Ladislao Kertesz has done with the Web Page of Mount St. Benedict.

Greetings to your wife, and receive my wishes of a good embrace and big smile, that the famous Bro. Vincent has appeared once more in our life.

God Bless you and your family.

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From: "Isaias Farcheg"

Fri, 3 Oct 2003 21:25:16 -0400

That game, of course was won by us...only watch who was the Centre Foward...

That day I recall, like if it was yesterday, I scored 3 goals, and the 4 th. goal was a pass I made to Terry Viera, who did a last minute dribble and scored the 4 th. goal

I was made a hero that day. 

And I have ever since recall the game in my memories like if I had preceded Pele for many years. 

Later on, I came to know that Pele was born on the 17 th. of October 1940 and I was born on the 15 th. of October of the same year. 

That implies that I was already scoring goals before Pele was made known to the world, and I had to be made known to the Medical Profession.  

You all are lucky guys, because if I had become famous as Pele was, I would have bothered with any one of you all, and all of you, would have to be jalando bola, for me to pay attention to you all.

Now you all know the end of the last game. 

And thanks God that <<petit garcon caca>> did good at goal keeping.

By the way now you all know why I am able to sleep with a smile every night, because I sleep remembering how good I was as a Centre Forward.

Greetings. Isaias.

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In memory of my teachers and professors who always believed in me and gave me support when I needed it ... especially in the days when I considered myself not living up to the expectations that were demanded ... that professor who was a teacher , friend and partner you can dedicate this emails ... the many Thompson teachers that we have had in our lives.

Thanks to them we became what we are ...

Isaias.

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From:  isaias farcheg

Date: 10/21/2004 5:15:00 PM

Ladislao...

thank you very much for the trouble of sending me the past circulars of MSB.

Wonderful to read about the friends who shared a nice and wonderful part in our life.

Especially when we were considered heroes playing foot-ball or cricket or in our school Olympics, champion in the 100 and 220 yards.

Gracias.

Isaias Farcheg.

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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:

21LK0012ASAA, letter from government

57UN0002FILBVI, Fr. Ildefonse and group

10LK0123LKE, Ladislao Kertesz EDITOR

03LK0067IFAGRP, Azier Atela, Urbano de Fedak, Isaias Farcheg