Circular No 844

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

Caracas, 6 of January 2018 No. 844

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Dear Friends,

Emails follow.

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Joseph Berment-McDowald <bermentmcdowald@yahoo.com>

Nov 24, 2017 at 1:13 AM

Thanks Don,

Hello George and gentlemen all,

Ladislao and I have settled on that it would be best if we bring order to previous and not necessarily well coordinated efforts in some instances if I were to make arrangements to assist the Old Boys in the Eastern Region. 

To expedite things and provide the most rapid relief it was agreed (given some of the same concerns that you have raised and also the presumption that at least some food items actually cost less in Venezuela) to put 5 of the brothers on a $50 (US) monthly allowance. 

This was decided after we had procured the foodstuffs that Ladislao had advised plus some sanitation supplies and toiletries. Nonetheless, I will be sending about 150 kg. of groceries for 5 families. 

Despite having settled on a allowance and the reputed ease with which one can convert U$ into anything that you want, I am still concerned about how perfectly that matches dietary and nutritional needs, how available nutritious food really is and how realistic it is to expect some of the older guys to do their own shopping - - I am not aware of their living and family circumstances.

Consequently, we will be sending the current shipment to Venezuela and have no objection to continuing both food and cash support (with the food being sent quarterly) whilst being ready and available to assist more Old Boys, as needed.

Although individual acts of generosity and solidarity are laudable, I am trying to bring cohesion to our efforts in the hope of making the greatest and most meaningful impact without duplicating efforts, so that many more can be helped.

Any support which you can provide or influence which you can exercise with others would be most welcome and I would appreciate if you would pass this around to your circle of friends and have them contact me directly.

We will be fully transparent in accounting for donations at the appropriate time, in a manner which maintains the anonymity of the eventual recipients and focuses on being regular and predictable, so that they can plan their lives around our support.

We spent quite a lot of money and effort in building a low cost resupply system and so far this shipment of food, toiletries and medications must have cost about $ 700 (US) and about twice that in shopping around to find the lowest prices and packing in a way that would increase the survivability of the contents and easy handling. We have been focused on getting the job done which hasn't left space for detailed accountability, which will come.

We still have to pay freight and I am waiting on the finalisation of secure shipping arrangements, and clearance at a reasonable cost. 

Yours Sincerely,

Joe

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George Mickiewicz <amickiew@att.net>

Nov 23, 2017 at 7:59 PM

Thanks, Don.

Had heard something a while back about this but was unfamiliar with the details. Do not read the what’s up blogs in the circulars as they do not make sense to me.....guess that one has to be part of it to understand the thought chain.

Glad to hear that you are leading such a laudable effort, Joe..  ...thanks a million to you and your team. You must be applying some novel approaches to avoid the goods from being stolen/confiscated by government officials which my friends in Venezuela tell me happens to them all the time.  Would be great if you could share your means of successful shipping and delivery for those of us who lived in Venezuela and have good friends there....thanks.

With Jorge Iwaszkiewicz living in Colombia and Ladislao travelling there on business several times a year....it opens another venue and opportunity to increase our support.

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On Nov 23, 2017, at 4:22 PM,

Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Hi, George,

There is only one real effort to assist the old boys in need in Venezuela that I have heard of.

That is the one that is now probably about a year old and that has resulted in what appears (from a reading of the WhatsApp conversations that Ladislao has been publishing on the Blog) to have been multiple parcels of food, dry goods and medicines being supplied to the old boys. 

The best way to find out what is happening is to send a message to Joe Berment-McDowald. 

He is the President of our Association and has his fingertips on all the activities for the support of the old boys. 

I am copying him.

Keep well.

Don

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From: George Mickiewicz

Sent: Thursday, November 23, 2017 3:16 PM

Subject: Venezuela Assistance to Abbey School Alumni

Dear Brothers,

There are a number of efforts currently underway to assist old boys and others in their present dire and hopeless situation in Venezuela. This is to inform you in case you are interested and able to help. I have been informed and sire aware of 2 specific efforts at this time. If you can, please get in touch with one of the following with your offer:

X Jorge Iwaszkiewicz who will be interacting with Ladislao in Colombia in the next 2 weeks.

X. Glen McCoy who is preparing shipments to Trinidad to be subsequently delivered to Venezuela sometime in February.

Please share this memo with other old boys to expand the visibility of this effort.

May God bless you,

George Mickiewicz.  Class of 1962

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Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

Jan 3 at 8:09 PM

Hi, Ladislao,

The last of the Circulars I had in stock has now been published:

http://abbeyschool2017circulars.blogspot.com/

Don’t forget that a couple of the last ones only had three photos instead of four. 

You may want to send new photos to add, or you may just want to leave them as they are. 

I doubt anyone will notice the contradiction between the list of photos at the end of each Circular and the actual photos published.

Happy New Year, and I hope that you are not at the mercies of the failing Venezuelan economy, but have managed to survive, if not well, then passably well.

Don

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Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

To:Brian Gonsalves

Jan 4 at 7:24 PM

Thanks, Brian,

Good points, and I hope Ladislao will add them to a future Circular.

I still hope one of the old gang (God help me, but I can’t remember who my sworn blood-brothers were) will have their memories activated and admit to having sworn the never-over-30 oath with Toby and me.

Keep well.

Don

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From: Brian Gonsalves

Sent: Thursday, January 4, 2018 1:50 PM

Thank you, Don Mitchell, for the latest of Ladislao's circulars, with your notes about " the older MSB generation from the early 1960s" but there are still a dwindling number of really ancient 'old timers' - including four direct contemporaries - Clive Bettencourt-Gomes now residing in Spain, my cousin Terrence in Canada, Johnny Willems in Guyana, plus myself in the UK, who all started at MSB in the Dark Ages of 1946, together with 3 other pupils from Guyana - Trevor Evelyn, Anthony Willems, plus my elder brother Bernard - each of whom has 'fought the good fight' and now 'Rest in Peace' - they are remembered in the hearts and prayers of all their family and friends.'.

The spirit and mental memories of MSB remain strong and vivid, even after 70 years, and although I have only managed to return to the old School twice (once in 1959 with the late David Farfan and then briefly on my own in 1981) the wondrous ambience of the mountainous backdrop is etched forever in my mind's eye and, hopefully, in my soul ..

Kind regards and belated best wishes, for a great 2018, to all MSB old boys,

Brian Gonsalves 

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On Thu, 4/1/18, Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Date: Thursday, 4 January, 2018, 1:08

Dear All,

Since my last notification of 11 December several more of Ladislao’s Circulars have gone up on the Blog:  http://abbeyschool2017circulars.blogspot.com/ 

Don’t forget to add the Blog to your “favourites”, and to visit it weekly to see if anything new has been added.

Who among us of the older generation would have believed we would have lived so long?

I still remember Joel Guy Blandin (Toby) and I, and a group of our sports-hating gang, late one evening in the early 1960s,standing in a circle on the basket ball court, solemnly cutting our fingertips with a razor blade, and merging our blood, and swearing an oath that we would never permit ourselves to live to the disgusting old age of 30. 

Whatever happened to the idealism of our youth? :-) 

Who among us can even remember that event?

Don

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Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

To:Vernon Behrens De Lima

Jan 4 at 8:11 PM

Hello, Vernon,

Happy New Year to you and yours.

I seem to have spent my entire childhood at the Mount. 

I joined the boarders at Mount as a member of Prep B in September 1955 when I was just 9 years old (born 15 August 1946).

I repeated a couple of years due to extreme stupidity and laziness.

I left the Mount in July 1964 after doing Form V twice in the years 1963 and 1964.

As I recall I previously did Form I twice as well.

After Mount, I went to London to do my A-Levels and to join the Inner Temple.

After I was admitted to the school (Mount), I knew you by name, but being such a small boy I would never have interacted with your cohort. 

Keep well.

Don

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From: Vernon Behrens De Lima

Sent: Thursday, January 4, 2018 7:51 PM

Subject: Re: Abbey School, Mt St Benedict, Circulars

Hi Don.

I wish you and yours all the best for 2018.

I would like to ask you when exactly were you at Mount St Benedict?. 

I was there from 1949 until 1957. 

Were you there then?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Vernon B. De Lima

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From: Simon Da Costa <simon.monica@xtra.co.nz>
Sent: Sunday, December 31, 2017 3:07:55 AM

To All A Happy New Year,I hope you have a good one.

Love Monica & Simon

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EDITED by Ladislao Kertesz,  kertesz11@yahoo.com,  if you would like to be in the circular’s mailing list or any old boy that you would like to include.

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Photos:

87UN0005JUBILEUM p9

14LK7249FBEFAFAM, Elias Farcheg and family

17UN0001REUNION 2017, Old boys reunion in Trinidad

17LK1210WANTR, Neil Trotman