Circular No 843

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

Caracas, 30 of December 2017 No. 843

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Friends,

Have a look at vintage Trinidad:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DacVub-s2Kc

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don and Maggie’s Christmas Letter – 2017

Dear All,

Strictly speaking, the only significant event that impacted us in Anguilla in the year 2017 was Hurricane Irma. We are still today, in mid-December, recovering from this 6 September event. Chinnix and four of his men worked all of September, October and November restoring our yard and guest shack and main house. We are nearly back to normal, with only wi-fi and internet not yet restored, and only Cable & Wireless can do that.

The guest shack windows are smaller and stronger than before, and the bedrooms are now air-conditioned. The garden is devastated; sadly, only 13 of Don’s 60 hot pepper shrubs survived.

The other two big events of 2017 were the celebration of the 50^th anniversary of the Anguilla Revolution, and the 50th anniversary of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court. Not many outside of Anguilla remember that in 1967 Anguilla was the first English-speaking, West Indian country to successfully mount an armed rebellion against the state, and to evict the government police and establishment. Grenada was the second in about 1979. Anguilla’s revolutionary hero, the Father of the Nation, Ronald Webster, died only a year ago.

Don wrote about the significance of the two anniversaries.  One, a speech on historical aspects of our Eastern Caribbean court system, titled Celebrating the Past, was delivered in Antigua on 27 February.  The second speech, on Anguillla's Judicial System, was circulated to the lawyers and judges by email.  A third speech, on the need for constitutional reform, in honour of Time Kendall QC of Antigua, was also delivered in September by email as the event was cancelled for obvious reasons.  If you are desperate for something to read you can find them all on Don Mitchell's Published Papers  website or by Googling Don’s name with the words of the topic.

 The Antigua programme

In March, the Constitutional and Electoral Reform Committee delivered its final Report on proposed reforms to the Executive Council of the Government of Anguilla. All that remains now is for Government to consider and approve the Report, present it to the House of Assembly for discussion and approval, and then persuade the British Government to enact it as an Order in Council.

Yvette and Jean at Soufriere

In July, Don attended the court’s gala anniversary dinner in St Lucia, were he met old friends and colleagues. There, he went exploring Soufriere with Yvette and Jean.

 At dinner

In April, we cruised from Miami to Europe with Kathy, Ginny, Susan and Valarie on one of the Celebrity boats.

In case there is any doubt, the principal activity of the cruise was enjoying the good fare on board.

Don and Maggie with the obligatory Trevi Fountain pic

We also enjoyed the tours at each of the stops. In all the 16 days at sea, we visited Tenerife, where we explored the island; Malaga, where Don visited the Alhambra and Maggie did a city tour in a bus (no walking!); Cartagena, for a day-long city tour; Barcelona, for two days, where at long last we got to see the inside of Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia church (they hope to finish it by 2026); Nice, where Maggie inspected a perfume factory while Don preferred to stay with the driver in the coach, and we later had lunch in Monaco where it rained all the time; Florence, where we went to Pisa and inspected the Leaning Tower; and Rome, where the cruise ended. We stayed for a few days in a B&B on the Via Corso in the centre of Rome and walked to many tourist traps and ate good food. Just one more cruise photo:

The ‘cruise photo’, 2017

At the end of the cruise, Maggie stayed on in Europe visiting Flurry and Julie in Birmingham, Mac and Erica in Brecon, Bridget and Harry in France, cousins in Jersey, and nieces, great nieces and nephews in England, as well as old friends. Don returned to the Caribbean to attend the annual conference of the Association of Caribbean Historians in Tobago. There, one midday, while he and Gordon were helping the fishermen to pull a seine, reminiscent of childhood days at Mayaro, a leatherback turtle climbed up on the beach and laid her eggs in front of everybody.

A gigantic leatherback laying eggs at midday on Turtle Beach in Tobago

In June and July there was plenty of excitement as we hosted four archaeology students who were doing a practice dig at Wallblake House.

Earlier in the year, Alix and Brian visited from Canada, and Susan from Florida.

 With Brian, Alix, Kathy and Susan at Scilly Cay

In early November, we took a break in Marie Galante (a dependency of Guadeloupe) with Mary Ann and Kathy. The first hot showers in months!

What can we say? That, and the French cooking, were pure bliss.

At the end of November, we went off to the Bahamas for a few days to attend a CCJ-related conference organised by APEX. There, we celebrated Maggie’s 70th birthday on the 28th.

Maggie’s 70th birthday parade (thanks to Mac)

While in the Bahamas, we stayed on Paradise Island in the 5,000 room Atlantis Resort (built by Trump) which on any given day allegedly houses more guests and staff than Anguilla’s total population. More hot showers, and hot food! More bliss.

Maggie trying to kiss a chubb at the Atlantis Hotel aquarium

A week later, we returned to Anguilla to find our electricity restored.

No more dipping six buckets of water from the cistern and ‘heading’ them up the stairs each morning, at least until next year’s hurricane. No more forced dining by candle light. We only weakened and borrowed Stephen’s stand-by generator in mid-November (too much noise and bother). By early December, the solar panel was back in place, providing hot water on tap.

Maggie continues to volunteer two days a week at WISE, while Don works intermittently on his 2,500 page bibliography of English language, non-fiction, West Indian books and pamphlets. With any luck, and once the internet is restored, it should be completed for publication by Emmanuel Publishing in five volumes next year. Indeed, for most of the first half of the year (before Irma) Don switched his energies between proof-reading the bibliography and building up the APEX database of all the lawyers and judges in the West Indies. It was supposed to be all done in the first half of the year, but that target has been long missed.

Don continues his walking exercises with the ladies three mornings a week. May there be many more.

Don with Viviane and Kathy walking at West End

Once a month, the Anguilla National Trust organises a walk to a wild and wonderful place in Anguilla or one of the offshore cays, which always provides Don with some exercise and plenty of opportunities to shoot snapshots. One recent walk took us to Windward Point at the eastern end of the island overlooking Scrub Island. That was a first for Don.

The Windward Point light with Scrub Island in the distance

And so, we potter gently into 2018 and whatever the New Year will bring to us, even including advancing senescence.

We hope it will all be good news for you and yours.

Don and Maggie

16 December 2017 

----------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

To: Orvis Noel

Dec 25, 2017 at 8:51 PM

My goodness, Orvis, you have an interesting story to tell. 

Please tell it all to Ladislao, who is copied.

That way it will get in the Circular, so we can all enjoy the story of your life after Mount.

Keep well,

Don

-------- Original message --------------------------------------------------------

From: Orvis Noel <orvis.noel@gmail.com>

Date: 12/25/17 19:08 (GMT-04:00)

Hi Don,

Thanks for the reception.

I am Orvis Noel, graduate from Abbey school in 1964.

First village boy to receive a local scholarship to the Abbey.

My sincere thanks to Fr Gregory Kleog, our local Parish Priest at the time and of course Fr Dom Vlaar, the Principal at the time.

Through his efforts I was hired as a Law Clerk at JD Sellier & Co.

I was fortunate to work with an among the like of Lawyers Brian des Vignes, Humphrey Stollmeyer, Wayne Smart, and Clarke. (first name skips me)

I got married in 1967 to my childhood sweetheart Kathleen (nee de Souza).

Migrated to Canada, Vancouver in 1969, university educated, with degrees in sociology and Journalism.

Got involved in the entertainment business and was fortunate to bring Sparroe, Kalyan, Crazy, Rose to these parts for summer shows.

We have a very vibrant Trinidad & Tobago Cultural society in British Columbia and I am involved in the homeland culture.

I would like to make contacts with some of the guys who graduated in my time period.

Felix Reyes from Curepe, Keith Phillip from Laventille/Morvant, Brian Waithe, Harold De Pass,(cyclist) Howard Ho (Tennis).

Would love to continue to keep in touch.

Happy Holidays to all...

Orvis

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

On Mon, Dec 11, 2017 at 5:38 AM,

Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Dear All,

Ladislao’s latest Circulars, Nos 835 and 836, are now posted: https:// abbeyschool2017circulars. blogspot.com/ 

Keep well.

Don

------------------------------------------------------------.

productintnl   Jerry Chin Cham

25/12/2017 (12 days ago)

Hello Ladislao

Thank you and a very blessed Christmas morning to you.. 

Wishing you, family and friends a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year..

May God continue to bestow his blessings and guidance onto you..

Pray that 2018 is filled with joy, happiness and good health.

God bless

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Greeting from BlueMountain.com <ecards@bluemountain.com>

To: kertesz11@yahoo.com

Dec 25, 2017 at 1:38 AM

Happy New Year

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Jorge Iwaszkiewicz

28/12/2017 (9 days ago)

Saludos Ladislao:

Estaba fuera de Bogota cuando me mandastes la informacion para transferir el dinero, y por error se me borro!!!!

Me la puedes mandar nuevamente???? Hago la transferencia en estos dias, ojala antes de fin de ano.

Te deseo un  Feliz ano Nuevo 2018-bajo las circumstancias actuales en Venezuela y esperamos que algo se mejore para todos.

Saludos...

Jorge Iwaszkiewicz

Bank & International Management Consultant

-------------------------------------------------------------------------.

Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com>

To: John Pereira

Dec 19, 2017 at 11:17 AM

Dear Fr Abbot,

Many thanks for the copy of your newsletter. 

I was impressed and pleased to learn of the several positive advances at the Abbey. 

May the community grow from strength to strength in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Don

 --------------------------------------------------------------------.

From:  John Pereira

Sent: Tuesday, December 19, 2017 11:08 AM

Thank you Don and Maggie for your wonderful and interesting Christmas letter.

On behalf of the Abbot and Community on the Mount we wish you everything good for the season.

I am attaching a copy of our annual Christmas newsletter 2017.

Regards,

Abbot John Pereira and Community

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.

On Dec 19, 2017 10:32 AM,

Don Mitchell <idmitch@anguillanet.com> wrote:

Maggie and I wish you and yours a Happy Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Attached is our end of year newsletter.  Enjoy.

Don and Maggie

[Taking advantage of a friend’s internet, since ours is still down.]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photos:

87UN0004JUBILEUM p7

14UN0001BROPJO, Brother Paschal Jordan

17AA0001FERRY, Ferry used by Adolfo Aumitre to go to TT

17UN0001REUNION2018, Get together in Maturin