Circular No 999

 

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

Caracas, 26 of December 2020 No. 999

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Dear Friends,

Another Oldboy left us for better pastures, Robert Azar, sorry for the news.

And now back to the Circulars future, only one more to go.

Have you made up your mind? How can you help??

Luckily, Team George Mickiewicz is keeping close check with the addresses and telephone numbers and emails, just in case you would like to check or contact someone in the list.

In case that the Circular folds over or has no sufferers, the service of information look up, that the Circular has provided to unregistered members will stop.

I would then direct you to:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/msbabbeyoldboys,

I am sure that you will be satisfied, there are 133 members in its roll.

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BC Pires <bc@bcpires.com>

Sat, Dec 26 at 7:53 AM

TGI Christmas

CHRISTMAS MORNING and Y’Boy there by he one, sit-down by the Christmas tree. The Madam ent up yet and them two chirren not here at all, them in two different time zone and all. The youth-man in Montreal, in a ville named Rigault, which benefit from the French translation becaw, in truth, is not much more than a village, really, whereby the only important product of Rigault is Y’Boy son’ gyul, which is the reason the youth-man there in Quebec: is love. 

And Y’Boy daughter, the onliest female grandchild on the both sides of the extended family, on the next side of the Atlantic, she there in London, suffering under Bojo the Clown & the Vote Leave government incompetence, whereby nobody social distancing and must be only half the people wearing masks.

All o’ we in the same storm at sea, but not in the same boat.

And Y’Boy know that, as the boats and them going nowadays, he seaworthy. Even if Y’Boy ent have no gardener to mow lawn and wash car, at least he ent have no landlord or mortgagee to chuck him out on Old Year’s Night.

So mucha people carrying real weight of uncertainty on they backs that bend for so long now, is a wonder that all ent fall down, yet.

When Wayne Brown did get his cancer diagnosis, plenty people tell him, “But you ent looking skinny at all!”

Wayne tell them: “Have patience.”

All ent fall down.

Yet.

Not one present under the tree. Is a real make-as-eef this year, with father giving son insurance premium for they Christmas, and wife giving husband diabetes medicine. Is water more than flour and evaporated milk more than rum in the poncha crema.

In this celebration guava season, Y’Boy does jealous the believers and them, momentarily.

Is preposterous, faith.

Is irrational.

But is something.

And something is better than nothing.

But Y’Boy will always fall on the side of reason, even if he landing in bougainvillea, gru-gru bef and cow-itch.

You could reach important truths faster, from the rough ground of logic than on the wings of mysticism and superstition.

Like: you doesn’t need God, if you have Love.

And you doesn’t need Moses’ Ten Commandments, just Jesus’ one.

Love thy neighbour as thyself, whether they straight or gay, black or white, Arab or Jew, PNM or UNC, Democrat or Republican, Trump or Biden…

All right, Y’Boy admit: the analogy break down; you can’t love Trump.

But you could try.

That is all the poor miserable firetrucker did ever want, probably. If he father did love Donald Trump, Trump wouldn’t have to make the world Hell for so many others; becaw he woulda be cool with he-self.

We come into the world alone, and leave it same way, whether we’re born twins or die in a plane crash.

The onliest hard currency you have is time.

The onliest thing of value it have to buy with your time is connections to others.

All else is vanity.

Y’Boy know that, eef Donald Trump could only realise people would love him more if he try to protect them from covid than if he try to overthrow President Biden government, Donald Trump-self would be happier.

You could lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink and you could lead a moron to reason but you can’t make him think.

Trump happy, yes.

Christmas morning and Y’Boy there by he one, sit-down by the Christmas tree, missing he son and daughter; them is big man and woman now.

And Y’Boy feeling to cry like a baby, studying how one there in Lawn-dawn and the other reach quite-o quite-o Rig-o.

And neither of the both of them could reach home self.

Is a firetruck up thing, this covid Christmas, whereby all human contact have to take place six feet apart.

But, in-between all the misery and the absence, and the face-masks and hand-washing, the connections still there.

Hope springs eternal in the human breast and Y’Boy get to he feet slow, with a sigh-turning-smile.

Is time to wake up the Madam, now, with the only gift we ever really have for one another.

Love.

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Michael Stein

24 Dec 2020, 17:07

Ladislao:

It has been ages since I saw or wrote anyone at the Abbey.  

Paul, my younger brother and you went to school together, and I attended “the Mount” from 1959-1964.

I left Mount to attend college in the US then worked for a short period in Caracas and went back to the US for additional University degrees in 1972 upon which, I remained till today.

Paul lives in the Ft. Lauderdale/Pembrook Pines area and my “venezuelan reencauchada” wife for 44 years and I share our domiciles between northern Fl. and Miami (two homes).

Since graduation I have spent time with InterContinental Hotels, Regional VP of Hilton International, partner in three firms: L&H, Andersen and Korn Ferry- -a 40-year career.

For the past 13 years, and still going, I am a senior member of the executive team of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest private employer in Miami. At “73” soon to be “74” I'm still playing competitive tennis and working out to get arms like one of the Galt brothers in Mount who rolled up his sleeves of his starched uniform while in study hall to show his guns…

I often wonder what’s life like for my classmates and David Bratt, Enrique Castells, Azar, Villafane, Facheg, Herrera, Viera and a host of others from the classes of 1963-1964, “panols and trinis alike”.

Let me know how I can contribute to your effort,

Stay well and safe and get vaccinated at the first opportunity,

Michael “Mike" A. Stein

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El mar., 22 dic. 2020 23:44,

Andres LARSEN <larsen.andres@gmail.com> escribió:

Team George,

HAPPY EASTER AND NEW YEAR! for all your team so supportive with us in our hour of need.

May God bestow all kinds of blessings on you!

Digital embrace distanced with elbows and shoe soles by the biosecurity protocol!

Take care this winter, which is announced with plenty of snow.

Andres Larsen

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On Wed, Dec 9, 2020 at 8:09 AM

GEORGE MICKIEWICZ <amickiew@att.net> wrote:

Dear brothers,

If you are able and willing, please send me a newsletter wishing you a “HAPPY EASTER AND NEW YEAR” to share with the members of Team George on December 25th.

Thank you very much and God bless you,

George

PS: Please be extra careful and stay healthy, safe and sound

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Andres LARSEN <larsen.andres@gmail.com>

Thu, Dec 24 at 8:58 AM

Roberto,

I don't know who Marilyn Brito is (will she be a relative of Adolfo Brito D'Aumaïtre in Tucupita?)

But for you and your family also a very Blessed Nativity of Jesus and my best wishes for the coming New Year 2021 always according to the motto as it comes we are seeing.

I remember how today when I went in my Montecarlo from Aragua de Maturín or it would be Santa Bárbara de Maturín to the Cueva del Guácharo and arriving in Caripe I stopped to have breakfast arepa with parakeet, freshly squeezed orange juice and a tasty guayoyo and someone behind I suddenly said in Pavarotti's powerful sonorous baritone voice:

Andrés Larsen. I turn around and see a giant with a guama hair hat and it was nobody else and nobody less than you, Roberto Mezzana, immediately recognizable as you were in Mount St. Benedict in Tunapuna.

Certainly, I was very happy that we met again and talked for a long time, although I no longer remember exactly what we talked about, whether about Fulvio and Oscar Cantore and the rest of you in the East or something like that.

Suddenly also about Raúl Leoni and Enrique Gómez.

Taking advantage of the way: Do you remember how the one with the nickname Barrilito was called by name and surname?

Anyway, reunions are always pleasant, even if they are now similar tele-reunions like tele-work and tele-medicine.

A very cordial greeting from elbow to elbow or from shoe sole to shoe sole in digital form from here.

Andrés Larsen

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On Wed, Dec 23, 2020 at 3:55 PM

Marilyn Brito <coromoto1314@gmail.com> wrote:

Andres,

A hug to you and your family .. Merry Christmas ..

Dear Team George.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

May God protect you and fill you with blessings.

Thank you for that effort you have made for us, again thanks.

Roberto Mezzana

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Alan Date

Thu, 31 Dec 2020, 04:27

Dear Ladislao,

Greetings from Canada.

I note sadly that you will be ceasing to arrange and send out the Circulars.

I gather the financial challenges of Venezuela have become too pressing.

Yes, I have heard mention of a lack of written input from the old boys, and that I can appreciate is also a major issue.

Ladislao, I am living on a basic pension, without much extra funds to contribute at all, but you've appealed for donations to keep the Circulars going - but I haven't noticed any mention of a minimum amount necessary.

Again, I may not be able to help financially, but might it be a helpful thing to let the Ol' Boys know that figure? It might spur enough donations to keep your much-appreciated Circulars afloat - and deliver the required financial aid to Casa Ladislao!

Bueno suerte!

Alan

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Alan Date

Thu, 31 Dec 2020, 04:31

Oh, and a belated Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Felicidad, 

to you and yours!

Alan

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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:

15LK7825FBUNKNOWN, UNKNOWN

67JK1012JKOGAT, Jan Koendraat and Attila Gyuris

13LK7427GIWLKE, George Iwaszkiewicz, a friend and Ladislao Kertesz

16CJ0011CJAWFE, Csaba Jakobszen and wife