Newsletter for past alumni of The Abbey School Mt. St. Benedict , Trinidad and Tobago
Dear Friends,
I have been thinking, (do not laugh, I sometimes do), What about letting you reserve a Circular for your use. That is, you prepare the article with photos and all. That Circular would only have your comments, essay, etc. This way for the sake of history, you would let the world know your story
Do you like photos?, if you do please send one for the crowd!!.
From: Alain Devaux
Subject: Circular No. 200, The Abbey School
Date: Mon, 26 Sep 2005 09:47:56 -0400
Dear Ladislao,
My address is:
Alain Devaux
720 Gagnon
J2s 1G4
Telephone : (450)773-4652
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From: "Ladislao Kertesz"
To: ""Alain Devaux"" <aldevaux@cgocable.ca>
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2005 8:04 PM
Subject: Re: Circular No. 200, The Abbey School
Dear Alain
I have transferred you to the new email address for those that have sent in their dues for the new Circulars.
Thank you for the support.
Need your telephone number and address, for the list.
God Bless
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"Alain Devaux" <aldevaux@cgocable.ca> wrote:
Dear Ladislao,
Thank you for this 200th circular notice and all the previous ones you sent me.
Yes, I would be very happy to continue receiving the Newsletters.
Here is a summary of my activities since my graduation at MSB in form V
1953 - Graduation for the Cambridge School
1954 to 1959 - worked for banks as a teller in Martinique and in Canada (Montreal
1959 to 1962 - Went to McGill University (Macdonald College
1964 - Graduated for a degree of Master of Science with a specialisation in Plant Pathology.
1964 to 1966 - Worked for Agriculture Canada as a Plant Protection officer in Montreal
1966 - Got married in Montreal
1966 to 1997 - Worked as a research scientist in plant pathology for the Department of Agriculture of Quebec (Canada
1997 up to date - I retired and still living at Saint-Hyacinthe, Qc.
I have three children :
Gilles, the eldest, is a priest for his 12 th year;
Céline is a doctor specialising in haematology and finishing this year; and
Angèle is also a doctor specialising in ophthalmology finishing in about two years from now.
Yes, I like the photos that have been sent in the past and thanks again for the effort you are putting out for sending those Circulars.
My best regards and God bless you,
Alain Devaux
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From: "Alain Devaux" < aldevaux@hy.cgocable.ca >
Date: 24 Jul 17:54 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Raymond
Dear Ladislao,
I sent your message to Raymond.
I will also see him tomorrow night with J.D.Miller and will ask them to send a few lines as you suggested.
There are no John or Desmond Devaux to my knowledge.
Yours truly,
Alain Devaux
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From:
To:
Sent: Saturday, July 24, 2004 6:26 PM
Dear Alain
Thank you but his email address is no recognized. I hope he can send me a few lines??? I shall publish it.
Was there A John Devaux?? or Desmond?.
Maybe I have asked you this before?
Please ask Miller to send a few lines, I am sure so of his friends would not mind?
God Bless
Ladislao
On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 10:04:18 -0400, "Alain Devaux" wrote:
Dear Ladislao,
Here is Raymond's email address: rdevaux@attglobal.net.
Raymond is back here for the summer in Brossard , a city close to Montreal
I see him every other Friday nights at our mother's home for supper with my other brother Patrick and also with J.D. Miller, my brother in law another old MSB boy.
They are all very well and still happy to receive the weekly circulars of the Abbey School MSB.
Arthur Knaggs was recently at J.D. Miller's home where he also met Raymond for supper.
I have some old pictures of MSB and of some of the boys when I was there during the years 1947-1953.
I am sending them at the email address you give in your circulars to send pictures.
Best regards,
Alain Devaux
(No luck with J.D.Miller as yet, keep insisting. Ed.)
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There is no further information as to the whereabouts of Peter Bruce, and the name of the Unknown in the photo of Alain at the bridge.
CAN ANYONE HELP???.
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Let me write a few lines now that I have relived and revived by the photos of this Circular.
The Sports field contained a football field of 100 yards long and maybe 60 yards wide.
In the middle during the first semester (second semester for those that attended after 1963), during the dry season, the cricket mat was laid down by Mr. Tom (Sorry but no last name), which was taken up at the end of the season.
I still remember the small cricket field to the south of the football field that had a concrete slab instead of a mat.
During my first year, I was called to participate for St. Anthony, in a cricket practice at the small field, but I had no luck, I never played Baseball here in Venezuela
The other recollection was my action in football where I played left wing, (no left wing was available at the time) this would have been OK, if I had been a left footer, but strangely enough I was a left hander but a right footer, so I began with earnest to practice shooting with my left foot.
It worked but I was never comfortable or as good as with my right.
As to running, it was P.G. Wilson that helped, one day I saw a lot of kids, small as myself running with this big coloured guy around the oval. I got curious and went to see what the interest was. P.G. called out for me and made joke as to my lack of English and asked for a translator, Manuel Prada, who told me that I should join the group. Which I did and on that day I ran my liver out.
I liked all the sports activities and still do.
Next to the road between the trees there were benches made of wood supported by the same material, this was very well used by the bookworms and those in pain. From these bleachers you could look at the Abbey clock and be ready for the 5:00 o’clock whistle to walk up the hill.
Behind the Sports House, first came Mr. Tom´s little one roomhouse and behind this two outdoor bathrooms and two showers.
Can anyone remember his dog?. It had three legs, the rear one was smashed by a car in 1954 and cut off by Mr. Tom. The colour was white with brown spots, (sorry no name). It was the fiercest dog of the realm.
But I am sure you can remember the crushed ice that was sold by Mr. Tom, next to the main room of the Sports house after three o´clock, tea time. This crushed ice (ten cents?) was crowned with red syrup and sweet cream (it cost an additional pence). The “glass” was tennis ball containers (metallic).
What about the main room of the Sports house?. Half of it was covered with concrete and the other half with wood. In it you had the ping pong table and a large closet where Bro. Vincent kept the Tennis balls, Cricket bats and other sport implements under key.
About the 3:00 “tea”, nothing like it, a bun with a two inch sausage with mustard souse inserted into it, and a SOLO beverage or latter an EXEL (MSB product). Joe Azar was in charge of the hand out. He and his two helpers also were in charge to eliminate rations that were not claimed by 3:15. There was always a rush to get into the line, hunger?.
All this effort was truncated because I was forbidden to play sports in 1956-7 because of a preventive medical problem? Which luckily did not materialize.
So during that time I spent time building airplanes that Bro. Vincent bought every week, but I was restless and wanted to something at the Sports field.
It was during this time that I started to throw the javelin and the discus.
I interpreted the medical ban as to the effect that I could not run, bring up a sweat or breathe rapidly.
Since javelin can be thrown without running, just as Discus, no problem.!
Back to the Sports field. By the time that I was allowed to return to formal athletics, I became a runner, javelin and discus thrower. Football was a second option, and cricket no option. Slowly I got into Tennis.
There were three Tennis courts on the lower side of the Sports House, with two locker rooms (no lockers) but with enough space for football boots and spaces in the wall racks.
I remember that the first boots that was given to us were iron tipped and had leather spikes with enormous nails; that did their work on the adversary, after every game one or two kids always returned with large cuts.
So these spikes were immediately required to be taken off and replaced with rubber spikes.
I cannot recall if the rubber spikes were supplied by Bro. Vincent or Mr. Tom, but I remember that the small replacement nails were available.
The work was done in these two rooms, using a large hammer, a carpenter’s pliers and a anvil tool for placing the shoes, was available.
We became expert spike changers, (shoemaker apprentices). Mr. Tom was our tutor.
Until 1957 there was no pool, so I defer this recount for another opportunity.
The Sports field photo was taken from the Stand that was built on the slope of the mountain opposite the main gate. It was 20 yards wide and twenty steps, ten bleachers, the first five had no roof and the next five higher up had seats made of wooden planks.
I still remember that one day I was watching a cricket match where a big guy named Soubers (an external reinforcement to our team, brought by Bro. Vincent), hit a ball that stroke a black sedan car going up the road next to the Sports house. The ball hit between the two doors and left a rather big dent. (was it six runs)?. The driver got out, looked and turned pail.
This cricket incident is still in my mind, as I had never seen such a powerful shot, and the issue of luck, six inches and we would have had a dead man, or at least broken glasses.
During this period, Mr. Tom lived next to the Sports house, latter on he got a new house behind the Tennis courts as his family got larger and I believe latter when his family even got larger he moved to the present location, next to St. Bede´s workshop at the beginning of the main road.
(I believe that I made my dues for this and next year. Ed.)
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REMEMBER TO PAY YOUR DUE, 50 WORDS PER YEAR, OR SEND A CHECK ANY U.S.
Apartado 69072
For those that prefer this way to cooperate with the Circular and the expense that this generates. It is 52 issues per year.
God Bless
Ladislao
Photos: Sports field, bridge to the reservoir, Alain 2003
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