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Sweet, Sweet, The Memories You Left Us….
… Nairobi Goan School, Class of ’57
Celebrates Golden Jubilee in Toronto – September 6 & 7 2007
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September 6 & 7, 2007 will surely be etched in the memories
of the Dr. Ribeiro Goan School Class of ’57 as an abiding
reminder of what true camaraderie, commitment and the will to
preserve deep friendships forged some long years ago can
achieve.
Toronto ironically lived up to its aboriginal definition of
the “meeting place” for the worldwide Class of ’57 to assemble
after a 50-year hiatus.
Christ the King Church, The Mandarin Restaurant, and the
Sapphire Lounge in Mississauga provided the setting for the
gems of the class, their spouses, and hosts to gather and
revel in each other’s presence.
The two- day event could have been mistaken for a doctor’s
convention:
Dr. Assumption (Joe) de Mello, and his hard working wife
Madeline, attended to the details of the Mass of Thanksgiving
and Remembrance, and the decoration of the Sapphire Lounge
which were both decked out in the school colours.
Dr. Pius Mendonca from Germany together with Avinash Chitnis
and Gerson Fonseca sponsored the 70-page brochure which
featured memoirs from 20 or so of his classmates.
Avinash Chitnis from California (Doctorate from Imperial
College, London) assembled some of the music of the era played
at the event. The playlist for the evening was compiled by
Bernard Ribeiro.
Dr. Sarto Antao from Indiana, Dr. Sal Rocha from Toronto and
Emcee Bernard Ribeiro donated baseball caps emblazoned with
the School logo “Nil Desperandum” turned out to be popular
judging by the extras requested.
The Thanksgiving Mass was a celebrated by Fr. Joe Wasik
(himself a Class of ’57 alumni from Poland). In his homily Fr.
Joe made reference to his enjoyable and memorable 2 month stay
in Goa and how he was impressed by the devoutness, kindness
and hospitality of the Goan people. A Choir and Organist added
solemnity to the service. The service was videotaped by Uvy
Lopes and photographed in detail by Albert Fernandes. At the
end of the Mass, classmates were treated to a moving rendition
of the “Ave Maria” played on the organ by their very own
Celine Noronha, who had just made it all the way from
Australia, arriving in Toronto past midnight.
Later at The Mandarin they were joined by classmates Indira
Bhansali, her husband Prof. Raj Bhansali and their daughter
Sejal, followed by Gerson and his wife Claire, Paul Nazareth
and his wife Juliet came to greet some of his hockey friends,
as did Len Lopes. Class members from Europe were astounded by
the variety and the quantity of the fare available at the
Buffet – something they do not see there!! The Mandarin
provided a complimentary glass of wine to all who participated
in the sumputous buffet.
At the Sapphire Lounge the 70 attendees arrived to see the
hall again laid out in the school colours – with the artistic
touches of Madeline de Mello and Julianna Ribeiro. The school
banner was crafted as a mosaic from tiny photos of each class
member, dating from 1954 to the present.
The well organized and structured evening was superbly steered
and emceed with composure and aplomb by Bernard Ribeiro. The
guests were all in good spirits, participating in the various
activities, and more importantly complied by being punctual –
making Bernard’s job easier and setting an example for future
Goan events. Kudos to them.
The evening commenced with the playing of the Canadian and
Kenyan National Anthems followed by observance of one minute’s
silence in remembrance of deceased classmates. Julianna
Ribeiro led the sung Grace accompanied by Raymond de Mello on
guitar; to the tune of Edelweiss- a truly unique touch to the
start of the meal. One could not help noticing the creative
and artistic ambience of the banquet hall – kudos go to
Madeline de Mello (Dr. Joe’s spouse) and Julianna Ribeiro
(Bernard’s spouse) for their magnificent work.
Then the sumptuous dinner! The great pulao went well with the
gently spiced Lamb Rogan Ghosh and Mixed Vegetable Curry to
mention but a few of the succulent goodies. Highly recommend
was the Dhal Curry and the Bhindi Masala. The final culinary
coup was the Spicy Mogho (cassava) – African style. Rounding
off this delectable repast was the exquisite Mango Kulfi and
fresh fruit salad - an after dinner treat for any future
get-togethers.
John J. D’Souza worked in the background to ensure a flawless
evening …. ensuring that the Guest Book was signed and helping
Dr. Pius Mendonca to distribute the Brochure and the Song
Books and most of all warmly welcoming the attendees.
John’s brother Romeo provided a heart-warming slide show of
the many events from the early days of the Class of ’57.
Particularly poignant
and pleasing was a shot Reynah’s mother, Mrs. Sequeira and Mr.
Roldao Menezes with the students in Machakos. It was a truly
exhilarating trip down memory lane.
The keynote address was delivered by Dr. Assumption(Joe) de
Mello.
It captured the past 50 years and the present moment. Whilst
acknowledging the many achievements of his distinguished
alumni, Dr. Joe made note of the fact that the measure of
their success must be attributed to our Supreme Creator. He
then went on to thank the many who had travelled from abroad
to be part of this historic event. In particular he had praise
for the efforts of Felix Rodrigues in the U.K. for tracking
down various classmates in Europe. He also paid tribute to the
teachers including one of them in our midst – Mrs. Yvonne
D’Costa with her husband Willie celebrating their 50th Wedding
Anniversary) – all had imbued the classmates with the values
and work ethic we all share. In closing he urged the guests
many of them now in the evening of their lives to live for
to-day, this moment and treasure and savor for the future.
Following his welcome address, Dr. Joe and Madeline presented
out of town classmates with token souvenirs
Other speakers included the accomplished Avinash Chitnis, John
J. D’Souza and the unflappable Justin Gracias who all
expressed praise and joy at being present at this milestone
event.
This was followed by a Sing-A-Long again led by Julianna and
backed by Raymond de Mello on guitar. The climax was Henry
Braganza’s outstanding rendition of two country ballads “Make
the World Go Away” and “Am I Losing You”.
Then came Dance Time! D.J. Anthony’s uncanny ability to ‘read’
the crowd and be all-inclusive did him a distinct honour. A
variety of tunes were played to reflect the cross-section of
the guests including Hindi, Swahili and German. The crowd
lapped up his choice of music and danced the night away –
including one classmate who claimed he had three left feet.
They jived, cha cha’d waltzed and salsa’d. Particularly
gratifying was to see Dr. Pius Mendonca and his wife Monika
swing to the music. At one point Julianna and Bernard
mesmerized the revelers with their exhibition solo of the
Tango.
There was no shortage of prizewinners among them Manuel
Castelino, Norman Da Costa, Tim de Mello plus Felix and Dris
Rodrigues. Throughout the course of the evening Albert
Fernandes was busy officially recording the event on film for
posterity.
The evening came to an emotional end with all holding hands
and singing a string of farewell songs, culminating with Auld
Lang Syne. Knowing that all good things have to end sometime
but with the silent hope that another similar event would
materialize at a later time, we left in a flurry of hugs and
farewells - Memories made to last for years to come.
This successful event lived up to expectations and this was
due to the efforts of John J. D’Souza, Bernard Ribeiro and
Assumption (Joe) de Mello in Toronto and Felix Rodrigues in
the U.K. who are assured that all their months of hard work
will not be forgotten. |
