Newsletter
for alumni of The Abbey School, Mt. St. Benedict, Trinidad and
Tobago, W.I.
Caracas,
11 February 2012 No.536
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Dear
Friends,
The
emails in this Circular are, exceptionally, to be read from the top
downwards. Normally, they are to be read from the bottom up.
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Have
a look at:
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FROM:
Don
Mitchell
Thursday,
January 26, 2012 1:54 PM
Hello
Ladislao,
Many
thanks for the first two Circulars of 2012.
They
are posted on the new Blog for 2012:
Perhaps
you could let the alumni know.
I
am gradually adding to the settings of the 2012 Blog and putting up
the links to the other related Circular and Old Boy websites that
were previously listed on the 2011 Blog and earlier ones.
If
anyone would like me to add their missing website to the list, please
let me have the link.
All
the best,
Don
--------------------------------------------------------------
FROM:
Don
Mitchell
Friday,
January 27, 2012 1:13 AM
Dear
Ladislao,
I
was going through Nigel's database today and noticed for the first
time that Arthur Richards, "Sambo" had died.
There
is a question mark for his year of graduation.
He
never did graduate from Mount, but if he had it would have been in
1962.
Sambo
played a major role in my social awakening as a boy in the racially
charged society of Trinidad in the late 1950s.
I
can well remember one particular day in about the year 1957.
I
believe I was in Prep A at the time.
Sambo
used to sit nearby.
We
weren't particular friends.
I
don't believe he had a friend at the school.
He
was very black in colour.
This
made him stand out in a class consisting mainly of white boys.
He
was surely made to suffer for his difference.
I
was never able to understand why the priests would stand by beaming
with amusement while the white boys teased him and beat him up.
I
don't remember which boy it was, but that day one of the boys hit him
on his head from behind.
He
burst out crying, it was so vicious a blow.
I
remember tearing into whoever the miscreant was and getting in a
couple of good lashes before I was overwhelmed myself.
Sambo
was taken away from the school a short time later.
He
never was able to find acceptance among either the teachers or the
students.
I
imagine his parents became aware of the torture we put him through,
and removed him for his own safety.
I
often wondered what had become of him.
Had
he become a success in his adult life at whatever line of work he
chose?
Did
he become so twisted and emotionally distorted by his Mount
experiences that he became some sort of extremist?
I
never did find out.
And,
now I learn he is dead, and I will never find out.
So
sad.
Keep
well.
Don
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FROM:
Nigel
Boos
Monday,
January 30, 2012 8:35 PM
Don,
For
the record, I think it was Robbie Huggins in Calgary who told me
that, so far as I can remember, during the Black Power Revolution of
1970, he had been travelling by car in the Maraval area when he ran
into a difficult situation, where he was accosted by a large number
of young black men in a threatening manner.
While
some chat was taking place between himself and the group of young
men, suddenly another young man stepped out of the crowd and speaking
to the gang, said, "I know this man. Let him go".
And
Robert was free to leave.
The
young man who rescued him was none other than our "Sambo".
(May he rest in peace.)
Robbie
should be able to corroborate this story, if he so wishes.
Nigel
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Sent:
Monday,
January 30, 2012 9:13 PM
Hi
Don,
Long
time no talk.
Hope
all is well with you.
Don,
Nigel is correct concerning Sambo.
In
fact he was the leader of the pack during the 1970 riots, and it was
I who recognized him at that particular time.
Fortunately
for me I always got on with him at Mount, and maybe that is why I was
never accosted by any of the black power participants.
Unfortunately,
he was shot by the police together with another MSB boy, Yearwood I
think was his name.
His
"student" name if I am correct was whitey, black as black
you can get, and one heck of a runner.
Hope
that helps,
Regards,
Robert
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FROM:
Don
Mitchell
Tuesday,
January 31, 2012 2:24 AM
Hello
Robert,
What
a story that is!
But,
I still wonder what became of him between his leaving Mount and his
untimely death.
How
did he die, do you have any idea?
Nigel's
database does not indicate.
I
must tell you one day about how the 1970 riots were quelled.
Don
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------.
FROM:
Nigel
Boos
Tuesday,
January 31, 2012 5:19 AM
Guy
Harewood (May have left the Abbey School in 1967) was shot during the
Black Power Revolution in 1970, while escaping from the Police.
He
was attempting to swim or to run through the Maraval River just above
St. Joseph Village, when he was shot and killed.
He
had become a Black Power Advocate.
Nigel
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Sent:
Tuesday,
January 31, 2012 7:45 AM
Hi
Don,
Great
to hear from you after so many years.
Unfortunately
I don't know what happened to Arthur between the time he left Mount
and the time when I, be it fortunately or unfortunately, met him during
one of the black power marches.
From
what I had heard he seemed to be just moving around, I don't know if
he ever went on to university.
As
far as his death goes he was shot by the police during one of the
marches, and if I am correct both he and another MSB boy were shot at
the same time, not far from where Fatima college is now on Mucurapo
road.
Would
be interesting to hear your stories about how the riots were quelled,
I can give you some myself as we live very near to Karl Hudson
Phillips at time.
Regards,
Robert.
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FROM:
Don
Mitchell
Wednesday,
February 1, 2012 2:53 AM
Hi
Robert,
My
memories of 1970s Trinidad are vague, mainly because I was in my
final year of law studies in London.
I
was to graduate in Summer of 1971 and return to St Kitts to practise
law in the chambers of my uncle, Frank Henville QC.
I
never returned to live in Trinidad after leaving Mount St Benedict in
1964.
I
spent the rest of my life in St Kitts and Anguilla where my family
roots originate.
I
have, however, a clear recollection of a conversation with my father
a couple of years later after the events of 1970.
My
Dad was in 1970 a senior board member of the company that held Tate &
Lyle's assets in Trinidad.
It
was known by the name of Caroni Limited.
We
lived in the Great House at Brechin Castle in central Trinidad.
The
company consisted of cane fields, sugar factories, rum distillerires,
and various transport and other interests.
Included
in the assets were several aeroplanes used for crop dusting.
My
Dad had, by the time of my conversation with him, negotiated the sale
of Caroni Ltd to the Trinidad and Tobago Government, and was busy
doing the same thing for Tate & Lyle's assets in Jamaica.
In
1973 he negotiated the sale of Wisco Ltd to the Michael Manley
Government, and shortly after he died and was buried in Kingston.
I
went to the funeral from Anguilla where I was living at the time.
I
can remember Prime Minister Michael Manley arriving by helicopter to
the funeral.
The
noise of the army helicopter excited the curiosity of all the
children standing outside the church walls, and they gathered in
droves.
Anyway,
what he told me before he died was that when the Black Power
Revolution broke out in Trinidad in 1970, Prime Minister Eric
Williams persuaded him to put the company aeroplanes at the disposal
of his loyal forces, including the coast guard.
The
pilots were instructed to fly over the mutinying forces, and to
transmit back to the Coast Guard and the government security forces
information including the location and direction of movement of the
army forces then moving from Chaguaramas towards Port of Spain.
The
intelligence provided by the company's pilots was critical in helping
the coast guard to stop the army from marching on the city, and in
forcing their eventual surrender to the loyal forces.
The
real collapse of the Revolution came about as a result of "black
ops" organised by the CIA in support of the Williams
administration.
My
dad told me about it.
He
was a member of some sort of national security committee established
by Williams in Port of Spain to coordinate action against the Black
Power demonstrators in Port of Spain.
One
operation that he believed was critical in turning the city's black
masses against the Revolution involved a desecration of the Roman
Catholic Cathedral.
The
black population of Port of Spain included then as it does now a high
percentage of Roman Catholics.
So,
turning the Catholics against Geddes Granger et al would be critical
to their defeat.
He
told me that he was present at one meeting when they were introduced
to a young, black American youth.
He
was a CIA operative on a mission in Trinidad to subvert the
Revolution.
He
had just completed an operation that was deemed to have been a major
coup for the loyalists.
He
had worked up a crowd of demonstrators into attacking the Cathedral
and smearing human faeces all over the inside of the church.
The
church invasion was accomplished with much vigour and enthusiasm.
News
of the desecration spread like wild fire through the faithful of Port
of Spain and its environs.
The
result was as anticipated.
The
church followers were outraged at the supporters of the Revolution.
The
church rose up in unanimous condemnation against them.
The
demonstrators were marginalised and discredited.
The
Black Power Revolution was essentially over from that moment on.
I
have never heard or read of any account that even vaguely confirms my
Dad's version of events.
It
may or may not be true.
But,
he had no reason I can think of to make it up when we spoke.
One
last note on this song.
Eric
naturalised my Dad and Mum before they left Trinidad.
I
never had any advantage from the grant of citizenship since I was
over 21 years old, and only minors benefit from their parents'
acquisition of citizenship.
Keep
well.
Don
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FROM:
Nigel
Boos
Thursday,
February 2, 2012 12:26 AM
Don,
I
well remember the involvement of the Caroni plane/s during the 1970
BPR.
One
seasoned old pilot, so the story goes, was shot at during an early
flight to reconnoitre the military base.
He
flew back to Caroni and had his chemical tanks filled with water,
Then,
back on the job, he flew again over the military barracks, but this
time from the north, over the hills and then down toward the
southward-facing "anti-aircraft" gun/s which had previously
shot at him.
Opening
his tanks, he delivered his entire load of water directly onto the
unsuspecting soldiers who were certainly NOT expecting an "attack"
from the north, their guns having been trained on the skies to the
south of their position.
I'm
told that he, naturally, had a good laugh at the discomfiture of the
water-soaked soldiers as they picked themselves up from the ground
after their untimely bath.
By
the way, you may not realize this, but my step-father, Sir Joseph
Henry-Pierre, was the Chairman of Caroni for a number of years, while
your dad was G.M., and he too was involved in the sale of the company
to the TT Gov't.
John
Tate, the Chairman of Tate & Lyle in England, was a close family
friend, and he was, in fact, the guardian of my half-brother,
Charles, who is the son of Sir Henry, and who had been sent to school
in England at the time of the BPR, after documents were found by the
Police in a Northern Range camp threatening his life.
The
story continues. . . . . . . . .
Nigel
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FROM:
Don
Mitchell
Thursday,
February 2, 2012 2:09 AM
Good
Heavens!
I
well remember the one occasion when I met Dr Henry Pierre, the
surgeon.
In
about 1970 Maggie and I were sharing a flat in Hampstead in London.
She
was aiming to complete her finals at London University the following
year, just as I was hoping to be called to the Bar.
My
Dad was over in London for a Tate & Lyle Board meeting.
We
invited him for dinner at our flat.
It
was a tiny little flat, I am not sure we had chairs.
I
seem to recall we all ate sitting on the floor in a circle.
Anyway,
the famous doctor Henry Pierre, who as I recall practised at the time
in San Fernando, came to dinner with my Dad.
He
was very charming and courteous.
I
regret to say that I never met him again.
All
the best,
Don
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FROM:
Robert
Huggins
Thursday,
February 2, 2012 2:34 AM
Hi
Don,
And
the story goes on.
At
the time of the insurrection, I was an agricultural student at the
Eastern Caribbean School of Agriculture which was in Centeno, right
at the end of the Piarco runway.
So
as a student, we visited Caroni many times including the Camden
airfield where Caroni had their crop spraying planes.
At
that same time I had a couple of good friends who were working at
Caroni during this unrestfull time.
There
was one instant during the many marches when those marching wanted to
go and cut cane with their Indian brothers, you imagine black cutting
cane with local indians?
They
didn't get on at the best of times.
Anyhow,
the story goes that Caroni field staff got word that the cane cutters
were going to encourage the blackpower marchers to come into the cane
fields, and when they were well inside the plan was to set the fields
on fire.
This
never came to pass, as Caroni immediately put out spotters including
their planes to let the field staff know what was going on with the
marchers so they could move the cane cutters out of the way.
As
far as stopping the riots, I vaguely remember about the Cathedral
being desecrated, and I also know about the black opps that came in.
They
were actually living in tents in the botanical gardens behind
Government house.
Apparently
they came in one night and landed in the savannah.
There
was also a Venezuelan naval boat parked behind Gasparee island, and
the British navy sitting off of Macqueripe in case they were
required.
All
this was given to us by the then AG K. H. Phillips, whom you probably
know.
One
fact I do know is when Raffique Shah, Rex LaSalle and a Lt Bazie
together were trying to leave Tetron Bay to head into POS, the Coast
Guard under Cmdr David Bloom actually shot the side of the hill
opposite the Coast guard headquarters and brought down the dirt to
block any vehicles from leaving.
I
think that was also the beginning of the end, as weapons couldn't get
out.
I
also saw the two planes that brought in guns for the police from
Venezuela.
Story
to continue:
By
the way, my ancestors are from Nevis.
The
Bath House was owned by a Huggins, can't remember his name right now.
Are
you living on Anguilla?
Regards,
Robert
--------------------------------------------------------------------.
Ladislao
Kertesz at kertesz11@yahoo.com,
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Photos:
Mount
Inside MARCH 1966 page 7
74UN0001CLASS1974,
Can you check this photo for the names??
09DB0003DBALKE,
David Basanta and Ladislao Kertesz
57RB0004B4,
Unknowns, maybe Farcheg Isaias???
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