Saturday 16 February 2008

Circular No 328





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

Caracas, 16 February 2008, No. 328
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Dear Friends,

Here are two long resumes that are going to be accepted to cover life time DUES at the Circular, and entitled to receive the Newsletter until it is no longer published.
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...Old mount boys-class 1963
Don Mitchell CBE QC ...

Saturday, November 17, 2007 1:30:26 PM

Hi Tony,

Anguilla is a 36 sq mile British Colony off the northern coast of St Maarten.

We are west of Antigua and east of the British Virgin Islands.

We used to be a part of St Kitts, Nevis and Anguilla.

We seceded in an armed revolution in 1967.

Grenada was not the first, as they like to claim.

Our rebel flag was the Union Jack, and we forced the British to take us back.

We are their last reluctantly acquired colony.

I had an Anguillian grandfather, so it was not difficult moving here. Plenty cousins.

My mum has retired to Anguilla as well. My dad died in Jamaica in 1973.

We did live there for a few years in the 1960s and again in the 1970s.

My brother Gordon is alive and well in Trinidad.

He studied mechanical engineering in Scotland, but has made a living as a building contractor all his life.

He presently lives between Tobago where he has most of his contracts and Trinidad where he lives. The home is in Cascade.

Fr Augustine has been blind for the past several years, and Fr Benedict is very frail.

Only Fr Cuthbert is hardly changed, but he is much thinner and balder.

In case you did not see the photos of us getting together last month, they can be viewed or downloaded at http://www.winkflash.com/photo/photozoom_public.aspx?m=201881015&ic=4886368&u=idmitch&p=1

The plan is to have a major reunion around 19 April next year 2008.

It is the national holiday weekend for Venezuela, and we hope that some of the "kids" from Venezuela will be able to make it this time.

There is a committee that was elected to do the planning for it.

I am doing a little teaching now that I am retired.

Nothing as intense as your experience was.

I do two hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

It is A-Level Law and only six students in the class, so it is hardly demanding.

I also do a legal aid clinic on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, which is not very demanding.

Very few clients attend the legal aid clinic, mainly old clients of mine and a few wealthy old biddies who refuse to go and see a real lawyer.

I had thought of calling it the Anguilla Legal Aid Service and Anguilla Legal Aid Clinic.

Then I would have been able to shorten it to "Alas and Alac!" Maggie talked me out of it. She did not think people would be amused.

Not having had any children, Maggie and I were able to retire at the age of 51.

I was determined to be the only baby in my family! It worked.

Very few continuing responsibilities.

My big concern and worry at the moment is a threatened libel action by all of the Ministers of Government.

I got a little exuberant in one of my posts, and described them all as being corrupt when I should have known better.

Keep well.

Don

PS: I'm copying this to Ladislao in case you have not been in touch with him.
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From: ANTHONY SEHEULT
Sent: Saturday, November 17, 2007 12:05 PM
Subject: RE: old mount boys-class 1963


Hi Don,

Thanks for responding to my note to you.

It was good hearing from you.

I only wish that I could retire and just enjoy playing golf etc but it is only a dream as I am sure I will be on the ‘labour line’ until at least 65. Only 4 more years.

By the way. Where is Anguilla . I thought that you were from Jamaica .

With all the geography that Fr. Benedict drilled in us, I should know, but with so many countries changing names ‘to protect the innocent’, who knows.

Also, did you not have a younger brother? What news of him.

My older brother Mac [James] is in Houston and Peter, my younger brother is in Africa and has been there on and of for the last 5-6 years.

He was with a company that built a pipe line from Cameroon to the coast, going through Chad to reach the ocean.

For years they lived in the forest in camps along the way.

He brought back such fantastic pictures and stories of his adventure that he had us all in amazement for hours.

The term ‘head hunter’ came to a new meaning.

Imagine having to relay on an 18 wheeler to bring in fresh water a distance of 1000 miles. They transported it on flat beds in large rubber bladders.

Camping anyone?

What news of the next reunion.

Is it next year 2008, and is there any plans for another.

Every year or every 5 years.

The reason is that we are going to my 40 year reunion at my college in June 2008 and would not be able to take another week off as I am now starting with a new company next week.

It would be nice to come back to Trinidad as I have so many family members there. Marcia and I went back to Trin for our 25th weeding anniversary and of course went to the mount.

We saw Fr. Augustine [rug head] and had lunch with him

Unfortunately all the others were in some sort of retreat or meeting that we could not see them.
He is now quite a chef. He gave us a sample of his cooking, guava jam, and I must say that it was the best I had eaten for years.

He gave us a bottle to take back with us and I made it last as long as possible.

Apparently, he makes jams and jelly of many of the local fruits of the island.

But I guess you know that.

I even convinced Marcia to take a walk along the path as far as the bridge.

Unfortunately she could not make it any further.

It sure did bring back many memories of running through the woods playing cowboys and Indians.

If I am not mistaken, you were part of that group, or am I just imagining it?

You asked about my career.

After college I taught school for 7 years and retired after I was assaulted by one of the students because I caught him in the school after hours and had to put him out.

Even the police had to be called and to make a long story short, I told my principal that I was not hired as a police officer and as such he would need to replace me at the end of the year.

I also coached track and basketball and was fortunate enough to win several city championships in track.

I guess that is what kept me going all those years. I did have some great kids.

One of them, Larry Drew, went on to eventually play with Magic Johnson and the Loa Angeles Lakers.

On the other hand, I also had one basketball student get a life sentence for killing a cab driver for $20.00.

You can say I had both the good and the bad that society had to offer.

After my school experience I went on to sell Insurance for the next two years and then ended up in Venezuela working for my Dad until the oil boom went bust in 1983 and we came back to the States.

I then went into retail management in Tampa and have been here ever since.

Not as exciting as you, but we don’t’ have any complaints.

Must run now as I need to take care of Cody, my grandson, as his parents are at the hospital seeing the doctors and visiting his sister as they were premature and only Cody is home now.

We are hoping that Hanna comes home for Thanksgiving.

God bless and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and Maggie.

Your friend

Tony ‘63
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Sent: Tuesday, From: Don Mitchell CBE QC [mailto: idmitch@anguillanet.com ]
November 13, 2007 2:56 PM

Hello Tony,

It is good to hear from you. Since you were posted missing in action in Circular No 234, http://msbtunapuna.blogspot.com/2006/05/circular-no-234_09.html I had given up hope of hearing news about you.

Maggie and I are now retired. We decided not to have children before we got married.

Too many worries and too little time to spare. We've never regretted the decision.

I left Mount in 1964 having done Form V twice.

Since I did Form I twice as well, I guess I was at Mount for 9 years like you.

I must have gone in 1955 as well, but I always remembered it as 1957. Memory plays games.

After I left Mount, I went to London to do my A-Levels. I then went on to study law, and graduated in 1971.

I worked until 1998. My heart gave out in 1997 when I was 51 years old.

It took a while to close down everything, but we managed it.

My Dad died at 54, and his Dad died at 48. So, I did the average.

My surgeon tells me that I have to be careful around buses. It will take one running me over to kill me now.

What about you? What did you study or otherwise do with your life?

Would you believe, I still have my map of the tracks through the forests around Mount, made probably in about 1961.

Hope you can make it down to Trinidad for the big reunion we are planning for April.

Are you on Ladislao's list for the weekly Circulars now?

Keep well.

Don
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From: ANTHONY SEHEULT
To: idmitch@anguillanet.com
Sent: Tuesday, November 13, 2007 1:27 PM
Subject: old mount boys-class 1963

Donald, It has been such a joy reading all the news regarding our days at the mount.

I still believe that I have the distinction of having the longest ‘time spent’ at the mount.

I started in 1955 and left in 1964, as I spent another year because I was too young to go to college in the states.

Of course I had to go to another school with the same name as I Graduated from St. Benedicts College in Atchison , Kansas , which is located some 50 miles north of Kansas City .

My wife {Marcia] and I have been married for 36 years and live in Tampa , Florida .

We have three children [Joseph, Nicole, and Analisa] and seven grandchildren.

Analisa blessed us with our first grandson and another granddaughter two weeks ago.

So we now have 6 granddaughters and 1 grandson, needless to say, guess who will be spoiled rotten!

Now here is the million dollar question? Do you remember me at all? My nickname was ‘Moso’.

Why they came up with that name has been a mystery for all these years as it was short for Mussolini, the dictator from the 40’s.

I remember yours as being “box head’ but I guess that is ‘Your Honor-Box Head”.

What a distinction you have achieved and I salute you and say congratulations on your distinguished career.

I have always said that the mount did give us a very well rounded education and prepare us for life in general, even though we did not see it at the time.

I do have great memories from the mount, every thing from helping to paint the pool for the first time, the parades on the sports field, the boy scout camping trips, the soccer trips to the various local schools, to the trips to “white stones’ and the various hide outs we had in the surrounding hills.

By the way. A correction is in order as the picture that was sent out with the names.

They listed my name as James. It should be Anthony. James is my older brother who was two years ahead of me.

I would love to hear from you, and if your travels ever take you to the states, my address is 4324 S. Hubert Ave , Tampa , Florida 33611 ; 813-831-6089 home or 813-230-9811-cell. E-mail - a.seheult@verizon.net

God bless

Your ‘ole mount boy’s friend

Anthony [Tony] Seheult – class 1963
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Andres LARSEN ...

Saturday, November 24, 2007 12:56:30 PM


This time I got it right: below URGENT information requested by Bro.Rupert and Br. Joseph:

St. Joseph's Abbey

Guigue, Venezuela

Founded in Caracas on 2 April 1923

promoted to the grade of Conventual Priory on 16 June 1947

promoted to the grade of an Abbey on 7 December 1964

transferred to Guigue on 22 September 1990

Address:

Abadia Benedictina de San Jose

Apdo. 3662, El Trigal

Valencia 2002-A

VENEZUELA

Phone +58 245-341.10.32

Phone +58 245-341.19.16

Fax +58 245-341.16.51

History:

The first four Benedictine Monks of the Congregation of St. Ottilien came to Venezuela on Easter Monday, April 2, 1923.

Their purpose was to take over and to develop the Pilgrimage Shrine of St. Joseph and the home for poor children which had been started in Caracas by Father Santiago Machado, a Venezuelan diocesan priest.

This monastic settlement was raised to the rank of conventual priory on the sixteenth of June in 1947 and became an abbey on the seventh of December in 1963.

In the course of time the monks were entrusted with pastoral work in the parish of St. Benedict which had been established December 1, 1953 for the poor families which had settled in the area of the monastery.

The chief tasks of the Abbey are the spiritual ministry for the pilgrims who come to the Shrine of Saint Joseph, pastoral care in the Parish of St. Benedict and the running of a school and home for the children of poor families.

The Abbey has two dependent houses.

The first is at Camuri Chico on the coast near Caracas where the monks run a school for children and operate a farm.

The second is at El Rosal near Bogota in Colombia where the monks are in charge of a Religious Training Centre, a farm, a carpentry and metal workshop.

The community of St Joseph's Abbey, Guigue (Venezuela), has today elected Fr Otto Lohner its third abbot. Fr Otto is 64 years old.

He was professed at St. Ottilien in 1958 and has been working in Venezuela since 1966.

Up to his election he was prior and bursar of the abbey.

He has been elected for an unlimited period.

ABBOTT OTTO LOHNER PASSED AWAY COMPLETELY UNEXPECTED AT THE AGE OF 69 ON NOVEMBER 4TH, 2007.

The election took place in the wake of the resignation on the 31st of December of Abbot Jose Maria Martinez Barrera upon having completed 20 years as abbot.

Guigue, 11 January 2003

+ Jeremias Schroeder O.S.B., Archabbot, Archabbey St. Ottilien, Geltendorf by Munich, Germany
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This Circular is being sent ahead of time because we had carnivals.
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Photos:
62UN0001CLASS1963, CLASS 1963
58UN0001EDIMSB, walkaway from school.
05AL0002ASJ, Abadia Benedictina San Jose, in Guigue Venezuela
07DM0002DMI, Don Mitchell

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