Circular No 229

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

Caracas, 25 of March 2006. No. 229
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Dear Friends,

This issue has been reserved for Andres Larsen, he has a lot to write.

Nice memory and prose.

I am sorry that I do not have any photos or scanned material, please Andres scan the Queen’s Scout Diploma, you are the only one that has a copy.

The next issue with Andres Larsen’s stories has been reserved for Circular No.233

This time I am sure to include scanned material.

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Date: Fri, 30 Dec 2005 18:20:10 -0800 (PST)

From: "Andres Larsen"

Subject: Jumbled vague recollections from my time at the Abbey School from 1964 through 1969

Thank you, Ladislao, for getting in touch with me.

I never thought that after thirty six years from the Old Boy's Association was going to contact me.

(The association is being resurrected, I shall give you all pertinent information when I get the official information, I am sure Robert Lionel, “Bro. Vincent” with his ability to regroup members is going to materialize association, ed.)

You might ask, after all these years, what are my, by now, somewhat scant recollections of Mt. St. Benedict in Tunapuna.

Well, right away Carib Beer and Caroni Rum as well as a few other things such as Optraex Eyewash, Strepsil's Lozenges, and Canadian Armed Forces Rum.

I remember Mighty Sparrow and Lord Kitchener, the two competing Calypso singers of the time.

Bear in mind that I never returned to Trinidad after 1969.

I of course remember the honey at the Abbey.

I have less fond memories of the bread.

There is one fruit there which we do not have here.

It looks like a mango from the outside, green skin and inside yellow pulpy fruit, but the seed is white and prickly.

When eating this fruit we used to put salt on it.

I no longer remember its name.

I also remember calaloo soup and pilao rice.

We used to drink all this watery cocoa all the time for breakfast and dinner.

In the beginning we had Latin mass and Vespers all the time.

We used to watch films Saturday night up in the windy hall over the Refectory.

Of the Abbey School I remember Kitty Marcus and her ancient mother living near the cemetery below the Abbey on the way down to the two storied Guest House with the view out over Tunapuna and across the central plain down to Piarco International Airport.

There was also the Trinidad section of the University of the West Indies down in Tunapuna.

Towards the south west one saw almost all the way down to San Fernando and over to the west towards the south-eastern outskirts of Port of Spain.

I vaguely remember the night time treks as a Boy Scout up through the Northern Range past El Tucuche Peak towards Maracas Bay and the valleys surrounding it with their cocoa plantations.

It was there that I first tasted the pulpy white seeds in the cocoa pods.

There was also a Chinese Biology teacher who smoked like a chimney but who was an excellent table tennis player.

When any one of us used foul language, he would say: "Go wash your mouth with soap and water".

I don't remember his name anymore but in Biology class we would touch beheaded toads with electrodes to make them jump.

Of my Class I remember best Attila Gyuris.

We once threw ink at each other in class and, if I remember correctly, Father Theo caned both of us.

Attila was excellent at building tree houses, and rather big ones at that, way up in the trees.

This served him very well as one of the best Boy Scouts of his time.

He was a real outdoors enthusiast.

Father Theo was once also knocked unconscious down by the apiary with a stone to the head by a troublesome Venezuelan schoolmate (with whom I however got along well) known by the nickname of Barrilito.

As a consequence, Barrilito was of course immediately expelled.

In 1967 I had a very bad knee injury where my right knee practically opened up like a can in a fall and one schoolmate who was extremely helpful getting me to the hospital and being there with me throughout the surgery and stitching, was another Venezuelan troublemaker, Enrique Gomez, son of Florencio Gomez, Defense Minister of Raul Leoni.

At the time we also had Raul Leoni Escobar studying at the Mount.

I remember Doña Menca once came to visit us.

Other names I remember are Rommel Rosero, Fulvio and Oscar Cantore from Anaco who used to fly in to Piarco with their father in his plane.

Also of course Roberto Messana whom I just by chance happened to meet several years later here in Caripe in a bodega one morning as I was on my way by car to the Cueva del Guacharo.

Of the Trinidadians I remember Stanley Achong, whose family had a Chinese restaurant in Port of Spain, the same as Franco Marconi whose family had an Italian restaurant there.

Then there was David Quesnel or someone by a similar name.

I of course remember Larry Thomas who later on I believe worked here in Maiquetia for a stint as ground staff for BOAC.

Larry and Attila both as well as I made it to Queen's Scout.

I still have my original undated Queen's Scout certificate in blue letters signed by Elizabeth Regina.

Likewise I still keep my GCE O Level Certificate.

Since 1992 I have been in continuing contact here with the Benedictines at San Jose de Guigue.

They keep regular contact with the Benedictines at the Abbey in Tunapuna.

Of the Benedictines there that I knew I believe only Father Cuthbert is still alive, although he must be quite getting on in years.

I imagine that Kitty Marcus is probably no longer alive.

Asides from giving Chemistry lessons, she also gave me private German grammar lessons.

Last but not least I remember the Carnival revelry.

Also at night when we would lie on our cots in the dorms on the three floors we could hear the steel bands playing down in Tunapuna as well as sometimes this wailing East Indian music.

Forgive these somewhat jumbled vague reminiscences from my time at the Abbey School, but with time I might perhaps be able to bring up some other recollections.

Thank you very much again for this opportunity and if you do ever have any contact with Attila Gyuris please do give him my best regards.

Cordially

Andres Larsen

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Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 21:15:06 -0800 (PST)

From: "Andres Larsen"

Subject: Hola de Attila Gyuris

Dear Ladislao:

If it had not been for your initiative, this direct contact from Attila would not have taken place after 36 years.

A Happy New Year 2006 to you and your family

I now remember what the mango-like fruit with the prickly white seed we used to get for dessert was called: hobo, eaten with salt on it.

Maracaibo is the only other place where I have heard about it.

There they call it mango jobo.

In my almost ten years there I never had one.

Had enough of them at MSB.

I do now distinctly remember one of our other classmates at MSB.

He was Carlos Hoffle, member of the family which owns Korda Modas in Caracas. Carlos passed away from cancer almost twenty years ago here.

I also now think I remember the name of our Chinese chain smoking Biology and Chemistry (or perhaps Physics) teacher who excelled at ping pong.

It must have been Mr. Chow Fat, although he was reed thin and had this very elastic bouncy walk.

Cordially

Andres Larsen

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Attila GYURIS wrote:

Hi Andres:

I just received a forwarding of Laszlo Kertesz's Mount St. Benedict Circulars with your MSB "...recollections and ramblings...".

Brought back so many memories and I am marvelled at your recollection of names and places long forgotten.

I always wondered what happened to you over the years.

Glad to have found you again through this wonderful medium of the internet.

Write....

Attila Gyuris

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Date: Sat, 31 Dec 2005 04:31:25 -0800 (PST)

From: "Andres Larsen"

Subject: Additional piecemeal recollections

Dear Ladislao,

I'll work on scanning the diplomas and sending an updated snapshot as well as dusting off my Scouting story.

In the meantime some additional piecemeal recollections:

I remember Mr. Basanta who was our Spanish teacher and lived down in Tunapuna.

I also remember, on my walks down to or up from the sports field, picking cashew fruit from the midsized cashew trees that grow on the hilly slopes all the way.

I remember the agouti, a Trinidadian sort of version of the East Indian mongoose as well as eating roti and dhalpuri.

For the life of me I don't remember the name of the fruit with the prickly seed.

The spikes, a little bit like porcupine spines, would sometimes get stuck between the teeth.

We used to get it for dessert in the Refectory.

Cordially wishing Happy New Year to all the networking Old Boys of Mount

Andres Larsen

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lazslo kertesz wrote:

Dear Andres,

Your memories shall be sent in Circular No. 229 so you have time for the Scouting story and the scanning of the diplomas etc.

Actual photo?

God bless

Ladislao

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Photos in this issue:

1962LK0001FBVGRP, Fr. Bernard, yours truly, Mr. Yip Chuck

XXUN0001SCOUTBAND, Please need year and names

1959UN0010EDIMSB, Blessing of a car

2005AG0003AGYLA, Attila Gyuris

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