Circular No 977

 

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

Caracas, 25 of Julio 2020 No. 977

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Dear Friends,

Need articles, please Glen, do your part.

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Robtrini Robert MacLean

Fri, 31 Jul 2020, 17:06 (9 days ago)

This is great catching up great job CIRCULAR.

Robert 

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Some information on our classmates,

Desmond Lange

With his highly developed business acumen and broad industry experience gained from a range of senior appointments within the international oil and gas and associated sectors, Esmond Lange brings an informed and worldly quality to the Curtin Growth Syndicate.

Born in Trinidad, Esmond was educated in England prior to his return to Trinidad in 1963 where he worked in the Drilling and Production unit of Texaco Trinidad Inc.

Six years later he joined Dowell Schlumberger and there ensued a 24 year career with assignments in Africa., South America, Australia, Europe and Asia culminating in Division Manager roles in East Asia and the An countries.

ln 1993 Esmond joined EMAIL Metals in Singapore as Regional Manager, Asia Pacific with the remit to consolidate and expand operations throughout the region.

A return to Australia in 1995 saw Esmond take up various Board and Advisor to the Board positions in the oil and gas sector with his focus on planning and implementing corporate strategy, growth and diversification.

In 2002 Esmond founded Sounding Board Australia to provide mentoring and advisory services to senior executives of listed companies, as well as to owners of SMEs.

Esmond's ability to bring complex issues back to basic principles coupled with high integrity and his non-threatening way of challenging the status quo helped SMEs develop innovative strategies that improve performance and deliver better returns.

Esmond brings pragmatism, practical experience and a large network of contacts - all combined to help his clients navigate through strategic planning, restructuring, product, marketing and capitalisation initiatives,

He recognises that people (both owners and employees) are the cornerstone of any business and considers the whole of person (personal, spiritual, health) when mentoring in a work context.

His ability to challenge work teams to remain grounded yet setting the bar high enabled many organisations to achieve and sustain peak performance.

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Hi Esmond,

Don must have written to you on how the Circular is been distributed. 

Yes, I have reduced the mailing of the Circular to those who contribute with a subscription to help to differ the costs of producing the Newsletter.

The cost is 52 usd, for a year, because it is at least 52 issues, without counting some extra issues when needed.

I am working on issue 950, and hope to reach 1000. God willing.

Here in Venezuela our financial conditions are dire. the socialist regime has reduced the minimum salary to 5 usd a month, and this is what I get from my retirement fund, hahaha

Here in Venezuela there are13 oldboys who receive donations from the school´s association in Trinidad. These donations are managed by Joe Berment and George Mickiewicz, so it is sad and true.

Hope that the fires in Australia did not affect you too much, wonder what can be done in the future to prevent them?

We have a couple of old boys that live in Australia and I have lost contact with them, can you help??

God Bless

Ladislao

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From: Esmond Lange <esmond@soundingboardaustralia.com.au>

Date: Sunday, 19 January 2020 at 19:34

Subject: MSB Old Boys newsletter

Ladislao,

For some reason I seem to have dropped off your radar/mailing list as have not received anything for quite some time.

However, I have been sent the latest one by my brother in law Leary O’Connor and in it I see you (and maybe others) have a yahoo email address.

My server, which is US based, has an ongoing conflict with yahoo and therefore no emails transiting through yahoo are able to get through to me and me to them – they say they are working on solving it but I am not holding my breath!!

In the meantime, can you or anyone trying to get in touch with me please use my work email address which is the one I am using for this email.

Thanks and very best regards and a Happy and Prosperous 2020

Esmond J. Lange

Managing Director

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Recycling Old Posts

Another page in the calendar, this time to start the first day of the year 2005.

We are still here and hope you can accompany me with news throughout the year.

I hope that this year would bring lots of prosperity and health to you all.

Remember, those with check books, it is 2005!!!. Those who do not write checks, no problem, cash is accepted everywhere and the date is not a matter of importance.

Those with no cash in/out of the bank should not bother with the above warning.

Just as I did last year I am going to try to recall one of the yearly events that happened at the Mount, I recall the large grasshoppers that arrived in the evening during January every year; these were green with orange coloured, size of a hand.

We used to kick them once they settled on the ground and run to avoid being jumped.

I always found them rather disgusting because you never knew where they would land.

There were those that would try to hold them by their hind legs (Goddards?) and in the process get cut with the sharp leg barbs.

It is interesting that they would arrive by nightfall and next day they would disappear,

I suppose they looked for the lights.

The invasion lasted about three days.

Maybe someone else has observed these creatures and would confirm???.

(I have included a photo of the creature, ed.)

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Again, various email received, maybe in February I shall be up to date???

Do not forget your Dues!!

Here is part of the emails sent in by the De Verteuil´s Richard who went to our school in the period of 1949 to 1951.

This brings in a question, was there another Richard de Verteuil, in the 1960´s???

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From: Richard de Verteuil 1949-1951<ashl03@dsl.pipex.com>

Sent: Wednesday, February 25, 2004 9:13 PM

I left school in 1959 in England and went to University in Birmingham;

I would probably have left Mount a year earlier.

By 1966 I was married with two daughters!

Richard

----- Original Message --------------------------------------

From: Ladislao Kertesz

Sent: Tuesday, February 24, 2004 12:00 AM

Ok Richard.

I am sorry but I do not have the date you graduated or would have graduated Form V.

Only those in the list were sent the message.

Please give me the graduation date at MSB or elsewhere.

God Bless

Ladislao

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From: "Richard de Verteuil" 1949-1951

Date: Mon, 23 Feb 2004 18:23:46 -0000

Dear Ladislao,

A very interesting picture, but in 1966 I was 25 years old!!

Please make sure that the email address does not get mistakenly promulgated as I do not want to spend much time telling people I don't know them!!

Thanks a lot,

Richard de Verteuil

1949-1951

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From: Chris Knowles

To: Me London

Subject: Greetings for 2005.

Date: 1/4/2005 7:16:47 AM

Dear Family and Friends,

Greetings for 2005.

2004 has been an eventful year for me.

A short holiday in Normandy for the Bastille Day week with my old friend Alfred Bell.

Two visits to Trinidad (with one side trip to Tobago).

A visit to Toronto with my sister Frances.

And two weeks driving around southern England with Frances, who had not been here since the Sixties, seeing the sights and visiting family and friends, one of whom counted as several people because of a multiple personality scenario.

Very interesting, that one, if you can imagine the situation(s)!

The main reason for having all this free time is that at the end of September I retired from my employment of the last fifteen years with Tate and Lyle, the British sugar company.

And for better or worse (time will tell) have been travelling and chilling out.

Now that 2005 is here it is time to get a new job and do productive things, so I have already signed up to do a course in Industrial Safety etc, a topic which is my latest interest, and is part of my experience over many years past.  

In June, Cindy finished her degree at LSE and within days of the final exams was back home in Trinidad, such is the lure of the place!

She is working there at the moment, but may be returning to this country some time this year to work in this environment for a time.

Charles is nearly mid way through his undergraduate degree here, and doing well.

To you all, and all others who you know that I know and can pass this message to, especially Aunts Suzanne and Mille, and also Lisa, I send from the three of us our Greetings, and our wish that you and yours have had a Happy Christmas and will enjoy a Prosperous and Untroubled 2005.

With Love,

Christopher.

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From: Chris Knowles <knowlescb@hotmail.com>

Date: February 13, 2008 7:58:35 PM GMT-05:00

Dear Nigel, 

In spite of what I wrote below, I have always received Ladislao's Circulars on my non hotmail address, by choice (easier for me to file - computers and I have always had a weird non symbiosis).

I did let him have my flowtrinidad details last year, but for some reason he still sends stuff to my soon to be terminated address.

The last one, No 323, was received on Jan 13. I think that am in a confusion as to how to contact him, and I would really appreciate it if you could let me know his best contact address. 

My regards to Jackie. Was it not about 37 years ago, yikes!, that she introduced me to artificial pseudofood? I remember that it tasted fine. Time flies. 

All the Best, 

CBK. 

ps: I am back in T&T since ~ September. That should explain my recent address adventures!

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From: nigelboos@yahoo.ca

Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2008 23:44:32 -0500

Dear Chris,

How nice to hear from you. I hope you're keeping well.

I have no idea where you live these days, but Jackie has always told me how much of a support you were to her many years ago, when she lived and was studying in the UK - for which I sincerely thank you.

Now, I understand and appreciate your need to keep certain email addresses confidential.

However, I would appreciate if you would kindly let me know exactly WHICH one you would like me to publish on the MSB Old Boys' Database.

Thanks for your kind contribution.

Nigel

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On 11-Feb-08, at 9:11 PM, Chris Knowles wrote:

Dear Alan and Nigel, 

You have my correct email address!

Nigel, this flowtrinidad address is what I use for swapping jokes, contact with family and certain friends etc. and I would appreciate it if it does NOT get into the MSB contact lists generally, although my Trini connections past and present have already blurred the separation. Que sera, etc. 

If and when I see any of the 58 non respondents (Tilson is one that I do see), I will get current contact details. 

God Bless, 

CBK. 

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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:

59LK0012GH, Grasshopper at mount

13LK3767FBLCH, Leonardo Chacin

65LK1553FBMFADPH, Michael Farah and Derek Philipps

09LK5850FBRLEWFE, Robert MacLean